{"id":276,"date":"2005-05-24T23:10:00","date_gmt":"2005-05-24T17:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/05\/24\/15-common-mistakes-by-google-adsense-publishers-that-violate-terms-of-service\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T12:21:04","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T06:51:04","slug":"15-common-mistakes-by-google-adsense-publishers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/05\/15-common-mistakes-by-google-adsense-publishers\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Common Google AdSense Mistakes to Avoid (2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Google AdSense is still one of the easiest ways to earn from a website, but it comes with strict rules. These are the most common <strong>AdSense mistakes<\/strong> we have seen publishers make since we first wrote this list in 2005, updated for 2026. Some only cost you money; others can get ads limited on your site or your account closed for good.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-59318\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/adsense-mistakes-1024x568.jpg\" alt=\"Common Google AdSense mistakes publishers make\" width=\"760\" height=\"422\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/adsense-mistakes-1024x568.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/adsense-mistakes-300x166.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/adsense-mistakes-150x83.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/adsense-mistakes-768x426.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/adsense-mistakes.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> The biggest AdSense mistakes are clicking your own ads, asking others to click, buying low-quality traffic, editing the ad code, placing ads on pages that break the policies, disguising ads as content, and ignoring your ads.txt file and policy center alerts. Read the official <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/adsense\/answer\/48182\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AdSense Program policies<\/a> once a year, because they change.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_88 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6acebdf84fe9d\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6acebdf84fe9d\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/05\/15-common-mistakes-by-google-adsense-publishers\/#Mistakes_that_can_get_your_AdSense_account_banned\" >Mistakes that can get your AdSense account banned<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/05\/15-common-mistakes-by-google-adsense-publishers\/#1_Clicking_your_own_ads\" >1. Clicking your own ads<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/05\/15-common-mistakes-by-google-adsense-publishers\/#2_Encouraging_clicks\" >2. Encouraging clicks<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/05\/15-common-mistakes-by-google-adsense-publishers\/#3_Buying_cheap_traffic\" >3. Buying cheap traffic<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/05\/15-common-mistakes-by-google-adsense-publishers\/#4_Altering_the_ad_code\" >4. Altering the ad code<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/05\/15-common-mistakes-by-google-adsense-publishers\/#5_Placing_ads_on_forbidden_content\" >5. Placing ads on forbidden content<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/05\/15-common-mistakes-by-google-adsense-publishers\/#6_Disguising_ads_as_content_or_navigation\" >6. Disguising ads as content or navigation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/05\/15-common-mistakes-by-google-adsense-publishers\/#7_Showing_ads_on_empty_or_error_pages\" >7. Showing ads on empty or error pages<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/05\/15-common-mistakes-by-google-adsense-publishers\/#Mistakes_that_cost_you_money\" >Mistakes that cost you money<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/05\/15-common-mistakes-by-google-adsense-publishers\/#8_Too_many_ads\" >8. Too many ads<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/05\/15-common-mistakes-by-google-adsense-publishers\/#9_Ignoring_mobile\" >9. Ignoring mobile<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/05\/15-common-mistakes-by-google-adsense-publishers\/#10_Poor_ad_placement\" >10. Poor ad placement<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/05\/15-common-mistakes-by-google-adsense-publishers\/#11_Leaving_blank_ad_slots\" >11. Leaving blank ad slots<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/05\/15-common-mistakes-by-google-adsense-publishers\/#12_Missing_or_wrong_adstxt\" >12. Missing or wrong ads.txt<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/05\/15-common-mistakes-by-google-adsense-publishers\/#13_Not_blocking_poor_ads\" >13. Not blocking poor ads<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/05\/15-common-mistakes-by-google-adsense-publishers\/#Account_and_admin_mistakes\" >Account and admin mistakes<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-17\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/05\/15-common-mistakes-by-google-adsense-publishers\/#14_Ignoring_the_Policy_center\" >14. Ignoring the Policy center<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-18\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/05\/15-common-mistakes-by-google-adsense-publishers\/#15_Forgetting_payments_and_tax_details\" >15. Forgetting payments and tax details<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-19\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/05\/15-common-mistakes-by-google-adsense-publishers\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-20\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/05\/15-common-mistakes-by-google-adsense-publishers\/#Can_I_get_banned_for_accidentally_clicking_my_own_ad\" >Can I get banned for accidentally clicking my own ad?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-21\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/05\/15-common-mistakes-by-google-adsense-publishers\/#Can_I_appeal_a_disabled_AdSense_account\" >Can I appeal a disabled AdSense account?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-22\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/05\/15-common-mistakes-by-google-adsense-publishers\/#How_many_ads_can_I_put_on_a_page\" >How many ads can I put on a page?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Mistakes_that_can_get_your_AdSense_account_banned\"><\/span>Mistakes that can get your AdSense account banned<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Clicking_your_own_ads\"><\/span>1. Clicking your own ads<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>It is tempting to click a high paying ad, but Google detects invalid clicks very well. Do not ask friends, colleagues or family to click either, and keep children away from your site while you are logged in.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Encouraging_clicks\"><\/span>2. Encouraging clicks<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Phrases like &#8220;click the ads to support us&#8221;, arrows pointing at ads, or rewards for clicking all break the rules.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Buying_cheap_traffic\"><\/span>3. Buying cheap traffic<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Traffic exchanges, pop-under networks and bot traffic produce invalid impressions. Since AdSense moved to impression-based payments in 2024, Google watches traffic quality even more closely.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Altering_the_ad_code\"><\/span>4. Altering the ad code<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Never edit the code Google gives you. You can control formats and blocking in your AdSense account, and you can load the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/07\/load-google-adsense-script-once\/\">AdSense script once per page<\/a>, but the ad tags themselves must stay unchanged.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Placing_ads_on_forbidden_content\"><\/span>5. Placing ads on forbidden content<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Adult content, copyright-infringing downloads, hacking tools, violent or shocking material and pages that mislead users are not allowed to show ads. One bad page can trigger ad serving limits for a whole site.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6_Disguising_ads_as_content_or_navigation\"><\/span>6. Disguising ads as content or navigation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Ads must not look like menus, download buttons or article links. Label them only &#8220;Advertisements&#8221; or &#8220;Sponsored links&#8221;.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"7_Showing_ads_on_empty_or_error_pages\"><\/span>7. Showing ads on empty or error pages<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Thank-you pages, login pages, 404 pages and pages with no real content should not carry ads. AI-written filler is a problem too; see our notes on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2023\/01\/ai-generated-content\/\">AI generated content<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Mistakes_that_cost_you_money\"><\/span>Mistakes that cost you money<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"8_Too_many_ads\"><\/span>8. Too many ads<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>There is no longer a fixed limit of three ad units, but stuffing pages with ads lowers RPM, slows pages and drives readers away.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"9_Ignoring_mobile\"><\/span>9. Ignoring mobile<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Most visits are on phones. Use responsive units and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2022\/12\/using-adsense-auto-ads\/\">AdSense Auto ads<\/a> so ads fit every screen.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"10_Poor_ad_placement\"><\/span>10. Poor ad placement<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Ads at the very bottom of a page rarely get seen. Learn how to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/03\/increase-google-adsense-ctr-by-500\/\">increase AdSense CTR<\/a> with better placement.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"11_Leaving_blank_ad_slots\"><\/span>11. Leaving blank ad slots<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>When there is no ad to show, empty boxes look broken. You can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2022\/03\/hide-unfilled-adsense-ad-spaces\/\">hide unfilled AdSense ad spaces<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"12_Missing_or_wrong_adstxt\"><\/span>12. Missing or wrong ads.txt<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Without a correct <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/adsense\/answer\/12171612\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ads.txt file<\/a>, advertisers may skip your inventory and earnings fall. AdSense shows a warning in your account until you fix it.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"13_Not_blocking_poor_ads\"><\/span>13. Not blocking poor ads<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Use Brand safety controls to block sensitive categories and spammy advertisers that hurt trust, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2023\/01\/block-adsense-ads-of-affiliate-products\/\">block AdSense ads of affiliate products<\/a> you already promote.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Account_and_admin_mistakes\"><\/span>Account and admin mistakes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"14_Ignoring_the_Policy_center\"><\/span>14. Ignoring the Policy center<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Google posts violations and ad serving restrictions in the Policy center inside AdSense. Check it every week and fix issues quickly.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"15_Forgetting_payments_and_tax_details\"><\/span>15. Forgetting payments and tax details<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Payments are held until you verify your address with the PIN, add a valid bank account and submit tax information. Many new publishers lose months of earnings this way.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_get_banned_for_accidentally_clicking_my_own_ad\"><\/span>Can I get banned for accidentally clicking my own ad?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>One accidental click is usually filtered out as invalid. Repeated clicks are a problem. Use the Ad review center inside AdSense, or a separate browser profile where you are not tempted to click, to look at your pages safely.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_appeal_a_disabled_AdSense_account\"><\/span>Can I appeal a disabled AdSense account?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes, Google offers an appeal form for invalid traffic closures, but most are rejected. Prevention is far easier than appeal.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_many_ads_can_I_put_on_a_page\"><\/span>How many ads can I put on a page?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Google removed the old three-unit limit. Ads must not outweigh your content, so keep a clear balance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Google AdSense is still one of the easiest ways to earn from a website, but it comes with strict rules&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":59318,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[43,6],"tags":[13,52],"class_list":["post-276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advertising","category-blogging","tag-adsense","tag-popular"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=276"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63416,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276\/revisions\/63416"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}