Lack of money is the root of all evil.
- George Bernard Shaw
Scam - The Google Profit Library
Maybe you have noticed, but I don’t run Google ads on this website. During the time that I ran the ads I have come to the following conclusions:
1. Despite 30,000+ unique visitors per month I created less than $30 in revenues per month.
2. Most of the ads as shown on this website were sponsored by known Internet scammers.
3. I create more revenue promoting my own products.
Let’s start with the quality (or lack thereof) of the Google AdSense system:
Vanity Publishers
Most of my posts address literature and writing. As we all know, Google picks up the keywords and displays ads according to the content of the individual page. Unfortunately, most of the ads are sponsored by the sharks in the publishing business, i.e. so-called vanity publishers who take money from the unsuspecting author. The author, in turn, never has a chance of creating noticeable sales other than to friends and family. The price range of these self-published books is way beyond average and puts the books out of a competitive range.
Another side effect is that these vanity publishers are only interested in profit and not in the quality of the product or talent of the writer. They make their profit through fees they charge to the author, and, consequently, they publish everything they can get their hands on, which, in turn, floods the literature market with hundred of thousands of low-quality books.
This situation makes it even harder for the traditional publishing industry to promote their products due to the increased “competition.” It also affects customers who, once burned, will apply extreme caution before they buy again. There are many more aspects, but let’s leave it at that.
My dilemma is that I write posts about literature. I also fight vanity publishers and their despicable morals by writing posts about them, while Google displays the vanity publishers’ ads beside my posts. Well, there goes my reputation…
Internet Scams
Some of my posts address the current overflow of scam activities on the Internet, especially those ads referring to Making Money From Home, weight loss programs, wrinkle removal, etc. It is paradox; I write about these scams, and people thank me frequently for saving them, because they found my posts before they signed up. Others, who fell for the scams, find advice on what to do (The best advice still is: Cancel your credit card a.s.a.p.).
On the other hand, the Google system picks up the keywords on my website and displays exactly the ads of the scammers I am attempting to fight (Not the main purpose of this website; call it a hobby). Again, I say these ads are scams, yet I display them on my website. I found this somehow conflicting.
So, the logical conclusion could be to make people aware of the situation and ask them to click on the ads without, however, signing up and submitting any credit card information. I would make some money per click (about $0.02, which would help to pay for my grandmother’s heart surgery… Just kidding!), but, most importantly, Google would charge the scammers for the clicks. The people who followed my advice would do a good deed.
However, if somebody took my advice literally and clicked numerous times on these ads… Google would kick me out! Rightfully, I may add. Google has been accused of allowing too many “click factories,” i.e. there are “organizations” who hire people in low-income countries to click and make money for them. Google is working hard to polish their reputation by eliminating invalid clicks; on the other hand, they’re losing their reputation, because the majority of Google ads cannot be trusted.
The majority of Google ads cannot be trusted
So, here may be the reason why this website created such a very low click rate. The majority of Google ads on this website were sponsored by the sharks in the publishing industry and known scammers promising easy income through the Internet. In all consequence, the Google Adsense system is counterproductive to the purpose of my website.
And yes, there are other, much higher-ranked websites like mine who allow ads of the most despicable nature. Take, for instance, online newspapers like The Washington Post or The Los Angeles Times. They seem to be in such dire need of online revenues that they lowered their standard of good taste significantly.
You, too, can help The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times, and it won’t cost you a dime!
Just click on these weight loss, Internet income, and other fraudulent ads, but don’t sign up for services or products! The click will create revenue for The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times, and the scammers will be charged. You are doing a good deed!
Naturally, I need income like any other guy, but 1. it is just not in my nature to sleep with the enemy and 2. I believe, I am better advised to place my own ads promoting my own products.
The only effective method to create income online
In summary:
1. I have been working hard to build up this blog, which, in all consequence, is now much more than just a personal blog. Currently, I see 30,000+ unique visitors per month with increasing tendency. The average earnings through Google Adsense were less than $30 per month. The click rate was minimal, even though I put up the maximum allowed ad space in premium locations. See also my post Does The Google Adsense Get-Rich-System Work?
2. The Google ads you see lately are mostly of despicable nature. Again, they are about making money from home, weight loss, wrinkle removal, and other scams. Add to this the numerous ads by vanity publishers (my website is mainly about literature and publishing), i.e. those publishers who take money from authors and publish any possible crap as long as the money is right. The authors in turn have no chance of earning royalties, because vanity publishers overprice their products. I deem these ads as damaging to my website’s reputation.
3. The best way to create sufficient income through a website is through selling products, and my core product are books. Consequently, I replaced Google ads with the ads from my own publishing business, Copperhill Media. I have been thinking about taking this step for a while, and it was time to make that switch. I believe, I will create more income that way. Google Adsense, the Amazon Affiliate program, and Infolinks have been a small contribution to the income of my business, but the main purpose should be the promotion of my product line.
On a side note: I have tried a number of other Affiliate programs, but the fact remains that Google is still the best in the business. Other programs did not produce an income that would come even close to Google, and, in most cases, the ads were of minor quality; some of them were outright disgusting.
The biggest disappointment was Chitika. Chitika is another affiliate program where the ad publisher needs to fulfill certain, stringent requirements before they are accepted. Too bad that Chitika couldn’t fulfill my requirements. Most of their ads had titles in the nature of “Looking for FrogenYozurt.Com?”, “Need info on FrogenYozurt.Com?”, “Make more money with FrogenYozurt.Com,” etc. It really doesn’t make any sense. See also my post Affiliate Programs: Chitika Is A Waste Of My Resources.
I will continue to use and trust the Amazon.Com Affiliate program, because it is scam-free per default. You get only paid when a visitor clicks and buys.
My advice to Google is: Get in touch with the U.S. Department of Justice (see section below). Pick their brains to determine who these scammers are and eliminate them as AdWords customers.
How Can I Report Mass-Marketing Fraud?
If you have a complaint about any type of Internet crime, you can file an online complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). The IC3 is a joint project of the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C). The IC3′s key functions for federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies will be (1) receiving online complaints, (2) analyzing them to identify particular schemes and general crime trends in Internet fraud, and (3) compiling and referring potential Internet fraud schemes to law enforcement. In addition to FBI and NW3C personnel, the IC3 will include agents and analysts detailed from other law enforcement agencies.
If you have a complaint about any type of consumer fraud, including any type of mass-marketing fraud, you can file a complaint through a toll-free Consumer Help Line, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or online with the Federal Trade Commission
Source: U.S. Department of Justice - http://www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/internet/
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