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Publishers participating in the AdSense program are required to adhere to the following policies, so please read them carefully. If you fail to comply with these policies, we reserve the right to disable ad serving to your site and/or disable your AdSense account at any time. If your account is disabled, you will not be eligible for further participation in the AdSense program.
Because we may change our policies at any time, please check here often for updates. Pursuant to our Terms and Conditions, it's your responsibility to keep up to date with, and adhere to, the policies posted here.
Invalid Clicks and Impressions
Publishers may not click their own ads or use any means to inflate impressions and/or clicks artificially, including manual methods.
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Clicks on Google ads must result from genuine user interest. Any method that artificially generates clicks or impressions on your Google ads is strictly prohibited. These prohibited methods include, but are not limited to, repeated manual clicks or impressions, automated click and impression generating tools and the use of robots or deceptive software. Please note that clicking your own ads for any reason is prohibited.
Encouraging Clicks
Publishers may not ask others to click their ads or use deceptive implementation methods to obtain clicks. This includes, but is not limited to, offering compensation to users for viewing ads or performing searches, promising to raise money for third parties for such behavior or placing images next to individual ads.
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In order to ensure a good experience for users and advertisers, publishers participating in the AdSense program may not:
- Compensate users for viewing ads or performing searches, or promise compensation to a third party for such behavior.
- Encourage users to click the Google ads using phrases such as "click the ads", "support us", "visit these links" or other similar language.
- Direct user attention to the ads using arrows or other graphical gimmicks.
- Place misleading images alongside individual ads.
- Place ads in a floating box script.
- Format ads so that they become indistinguishable from other content on that page.
- Format site content so that it is difficult to distinguish it from ads.
- Place misleading labels above Google ad units. For instance, ads may be labelled "Sponsored Links" or "Advertisements", but not "Favourite Sites" or "Today's Top Offers".
Content Guidelines
Publishers may not place AdSense code on pages with content that violates any of our content guidelines. Some examples include content that is adult, violent or advocating racial intolerance.
View full content policies.
Sites with Google ads may not include or link to:
Pornography, adult or mature content
- Violent content
- Content related to racial intolerance or advocacy against any individual, group or organisation
- Excessive profanity
- Hacking/cracking content
- Gambling or casino-related content
- Illicit drugs and drug paraphernalia content
- Sales of beer or hard alcohol
- Sales of tobacco or tobacco-related products
- Sales of prescription drugs
- Sales of weapons or ammunition (e.g. firearms, firearm components, fighting knives, stun guns)
- Sales of products that are replicas or imitations of designer goods
- Sales or distribution of coursework or student essays
- Content regarding programs which compensate users for clicking ads or offers, performing searches, surfing websites or reading emails
- Any other content that is illegal, promotes illegal activity or infringes on the legal rights of others
Publishers are also not permitted to place AdSense code on pages with content primarily in an unsupported language.
Copyrighted Material
AdSense publishers may not display Google ads on webpages with content protected by copyright law unless they have the necessary legal rights to display that content. Please see our DMCA policy for more information.
Webmaster Guidelines
AdSense publishers are required to adhere to the webmaster quality guidelines.
View excerpts
- Do not place excessive, repetitive or irrelevant keywords in the content or code of webpages.
- Avoid hidden text or hidden links.
- Avoid "doorway" pages created just for search engines or other "cookie cutter" approaches such as affiliate programs with little or no original content.
- Do not include deceptive or manipulative content or construction to improve your site's search engine ranking (e.g. your site's PageRank).
- Create a useful, information-rich site and write pages that clearly and accurately describe your content.
Traffic Sources
Google ads may not be placed on pages receiving traffic from certain sources. For example, publishers may not participate in paid-to-click programs, send unwanted emails or display ads as the result of the action of any software application. Also, publishers using online advertising must ensure that their pages comply with Google's Landing Page Quality Guidelines.
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To ensure a positive experience for Internet users and Google advertisers, sites displaying Google ads may not:
- Use third-party services that generate clicks or impressions such as paid-to-click, paid-to-surf, autosurf and click-exchange programs.
- Be promoted through unsolicited mass emails or unwanted advertisements on third-party websites.
- Display Google ads, search boxes or search results as a result of the actions of software applications such as toolbars.
- Be loaded by any software that can trigger pop-ups, redirect users to unwanted websites, modify browser settings or otherwise interfere with site navigation. It is your responsibility to ensure that no ad network or affiliate uses such methods to direct traffic to pages that contain your AdSense code.
- Receive traffic from online advertising unless the site complies with the spirit of Google's Landing Page Quality Guidelines. For instance, users should easily be able to find what your ad promises.
Ad Behavior
AdSense code may not be altered, nor may the standard behavior, targeting or delivery of ads be manipulated in any way that is not explicitly permitted by Google. For instance, clicking Google ads may not result in a new browser window being launched.
Ad Placement
Publishers are encouraged to experiment with a variety of placements and ad formats. However, AdSense code may not be placed in inappropriate places such as pop-ups, emails or software. Publishers must also adhere to the policies for each product used.
View full ad placement policies.
Google ads, search boxes or search results may not be:
- Integrated into a software application of any kind, including toolbars.
- Displayed in pop-ups or pop-unders.
- Placed in emails or in email programs.
- Obscured by elements on a page.
- Placed on any non-content-based page.
- Placed on pages published specifically for the purpose of showing ads.
- Placed on pages whose content or URL could confuse users into thinking it is associated with Google due to the misuse of logos, trademarks or other brand features.
- Placed on, within or alongside other Google products or services in a manner that violates the policies of that product or service.
Site Behavior
Sites showing Google ads should be easy for users to navigate. Sites may not change user preferences, redirect users to unwanted websites, initiate downloads, include malware or contain pop-ups or pop-unders that interfere with site navigation.
Competitive Ads and Services
In order to prevent user confusion, publishers may not display Google ads or search boxes on websites that also contain other ads or services formatted to use the same layout and colours as the Google ads or search boxes on that site. Although you may sell ads directly on your site, it is your responsibility to ensure that these ads cannot be confused with Google ads.
Google Advertising Cookies
AdSense publishers must have and abide by a privacy policy that discloses that third parties may be placing and reading cookies on your users' browsers, or using web beacons to collect information as a result of ad serving on your website.
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Google uses the DoubleClick DART cookie on publisher websites displaying AdSense for content ads. Subject to any applicable laws, rules and regulations, you will have the sole and exclusive right to use all data derived from your use of the DoubleClick DART cookie for any purpose related to your business, provided that Google may use and disclose this data subject to the terms of Google's advertising privacy policies and any applicable laws, rules and regulations.
If your current advertising services contract with Google or DoubleClick already has a specific provision defining data ownership, that provision instead of this policy will govern with regard to the data collected under that contract.
Learn more about preparing your privacy policy.
Product-Specific Policies
AdSense for content: Up to three ad units and three link units may be placed on each page.
AdSense for search: A maximum of two Google AdSense for search boxes may be placed per page. Also, a single link unit or a search box, but no other Google ads, may be placed on pages with AdSense for search results. Queries must originate from users inputting data directly into the search box and cannot be modified. This includes pre-populating the search box with terms or hard-coding direct links to search results pages. AdSense for search code may not be integrated into any software application such as a toolbar.
Additional Products:
Last updated: April 28, 2009
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