MFA (Made For Adsense) sites removed as Adsense publishers
Initiatives like these make me a happy advertiser. Google has performed another wave of crack-downs on MFA (Made For Adsense) sites. These are sites which offer little-to-no content value and are specifically designed to lure uneducated web surfers into their sites to only get them to click on a sponsored link. The typical trick is to bid on low-volume keywords in an effort to turn around and get surfers to click on higher-priced keywords in the Adsense ads placed on these sites.
A quick search for “levolor blinds” produces a search result for a site called http://www.all-window-blinds.net and http://www.wholesaleblind.org.
These sites present a problem for advertisers and brands for the following 3 reasons:
1.) MFA sites derail the consumer
For the consumer looking for real information on a product, this creates an unnecessary step. For a product category already as confusing as blinds and shades, the last thing our industry needs is another speed bump in the research process.
2.) They drive up pricing of keywords for legitimate customers (as well as brand advertisers)
As we know, search advertising is based on “highest bidder wins.” The bidding will go as high as the competition is willing to pay — MFA sites force legitimate advertisers to increase their bids to gain higher positions in sponsored search results. Furthermore, if an advertiser is not careful, they may be placing sponsored links on MFA sites and be getting charged for ad impressions/clicks on these sites.
3.) They dilute a brand name
For manufacturers of brand names that mean something to the public, any tasks associated with the research of your brand name can reflect positively or negatively. A brand who does not have sponsored links under control both with their partners and by eliminating MFA sites altogether will suffer from having a product that becomes difficult to find credible/relevant information about online.
How would you like to be competing for advertising space amidst other companies who had nothing to offer in regards to your products? Who wants to dial a phone number from a classified ad found online only to be met with a recording that provides other phone numbers to call to find the product you’re looking for? I hope Google makes it easier for the community to report MFA sites in the future. This will help them create a sweeping algorithm to eliminate more MFA sites from their list of Adsense publishers.
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