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I checked this email and even checked full headers and from them it seemed that I was supposed to be the intended receipient. Here's the email:

Google AdSense: Action required to comply with AdSense program policies. From: [email protected] To: [email protected]

Hello, This is a warning message to alert you that there is action required to bring your AdSense account into compliance with our AdSense program policies. We’ve provided additional details below, along with the actions to be taken on your part. Affected website: clubcatcher.com Example page where violation occurred: http://new.clubcatcher.com/m Action required: Please make changes immediately to your site to follow AdSense program policies. Current account status: Active

Violation explanation ​ Publishers may not implement Google ads in a manner that disguises the ads in any way. In order to maintain a good user experience, it is important for publishers to clearly distinguish Google ads from site content. This includes, but is not limited to: site layouts in which the ads push content below the fold on mobile devices; placing 300x250 or larger ad units above the fold on a mobile optimized site.

In order to remain fully compliant please ensure that your site and ad layout remain compliant across all devices. More information about this policy can be found in our help center and on this short video.

How to resolve: If you received a notification in regard to page content, we request that you immediately remove Google ads from the violating pages. If you are unable to, or unsure of how to remove the ads from these pages, or would like to continue monetizing the page with Google ads, please modify or remove the violating content to meet our AdSense policies. If you received a notification in regards to the way ads are implemented on your site, please make the necessary changes to your implementation. You do not need to contact us if you make changes. Please be aware that if additional violations are accrued, ad serving may be disabled to the website listed above. You should immediately take time to review your pages with Google ads to ensure that they comply with our policies. Additionally, please be aware that the URL above is just an example and that the same violations may exist on other pages of this website or other sites that you own. To reduce the likelihood of future warnings from us, we suggest that you review all your sites for compliance. Here are some useful resources you might be interested in. AdSense policy FAQs Using site: search to find violations Recommended solutions for policing your content Content filtering For more information regarding our policy warning notifications, visit our Help Center. We thank you in advance for your cooperation. Sincerely, The Google AdSense Team

Now what's awkward about this is that I haven't made any coding updates to my website in a very long time. The only updates made to the site were made by the photographer, but all he does is adds pictures and sets titles. That alone isn't enough to change the layout to the point where the ads shift drastically.

Once I received this letter, I instantly removed the ad from the mobile homepage (at http://new.clubcatcher.com/m).

The only reasoning I could come across from all this would be that (sorry if I'm doing bold but google needs to hear this...) I believe google decided to increase their viewport window when scanning mobile pages for compliance thereby making it more difficult for publishers to monetize ads from all devices both new and old. I believe this is because google believes only new technology should be used and that old should be disregarded. This is further proven by their help pages not loading correctly in older web browsers.

And If I'm right about the viewport issue from google's end, then is there something I can get from google (like a script or something) that I can apply to my site that allows it to know exactly the viewport google uses so that everytime google updates adsense bot with a bigger viewport, my site always ends up in compliance instead of me getting new warning letters to manually push the big ads below the fold?

And if google didn't do anything to the viewport, then did someone hack adsense? or did google add an extra policy recently that I need to be aware of?

Just remember, I have not made changes to the layout of the website in months and I suddenly received this email now.

and also, I'm curious. Why wouldn't google provide a snapshot of the violation and attach it to my email for me to see?

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  • Periodically, Google loses its head. I have gotten e mails stating that I have porn content or that I link to porn pages. Nonsense! The only obsene content I might have is the domain name. As well, I only linked to only a few well known sites that cannot be mistaken for porn. I finally got tired of Googles nonsense and simply removed the bulk of the site pages and AdSense entirely. Who needs the aggravation? Not I.
    – closetnoc
    Apr 17, 2017 at 17:02
  • I assume in your case the ad may be too close to content, appears too similar to content, or too near to images. It is not your mobile home page. That is just an example. Sometimes Google holds you to a standard that has changed but not yet documented. You may have to search for Independent recent information. I had to do this before. Cheers!! Good to see you again !
    – closetnoc
    Apr 17, 2017 at 17:06
  • I don't know about your specific issue, but Google does add policies and then notify sites that are violating them.
    – Stephen Ostermiller ♦
    Apr 17, 2017 at 18:59
  • Technically Stephen is right, however, where Google fails is in specifics where specifics are not given or requirements updated without notice. Remember that Google has a serious problem with stove piping that is intentionally created as a management tool. This means often that code changes are made and web pages updated much later if at all. The OP is talking about possible code changes that would not necessarily be reflected on the web.
    – closetnoc
    Apr 18, 2017 at 1:11

1 Answer 1

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With you having removed the ad from the mobile page there is no way to see exactly how it could have been flagged however a few reasons could be...

Alignment of Images to Ads
A quick check of your site shows that it is designed to show images. If the ad was aligned similarly to any of the images on the site with no obvious demarcation, even with line breaks or white space separation it could have been detected as in violation. An example of a violation on this rule is shown on Google as... enter image description here

Sites Layouts That Push Content Below the Fold
Google states that publishers should avoid site layouts (and mobile layouts are not excepted from this recommendation) in which the ads push the content below the fold as this can make it hard for users to distinguish between the page content and ads. An example given for this type of violation is... enter image description here

Formatting Content to Mimic Ads
Google also states that content and elements of the page content can not be formatted the same or similarly to ads in any manner that disguises the ads. If I use the ad still located on the desktop version of your site as an example then I don't think this would be an issue for you as it does appear as though the ad is distinct in this regard from the formatting of the other elements of your site.

Based on a check of your desktop site I suspect the issue is content being pushed below the fold due to the ad unit. The best thing to do here would be to move the ad block to the end of the page so it is already below the fold and the content remains above the fold where it belongs.

As for the reason why this has happened recently with no site changes due the sheer number of sites with Google Ads on them Google doesn't scan all the sites constantly, instead scanning random sites over time which is why some adsense offenders can keep offending for a while before Google detects it and takes the appropriate action.

If you move the ad block to the bottom of the page, and mark it similar to the desktop version of your site with the word "Advertisement" you should no longer have an issue with compliance.

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  • I can see the last idea of yours fixing the problem but at the same time lowers chances of income because not many people will reach the end of the page if they find what they want closer to the beginning. I had to take action quick because google only allowed to give me 72 hours from the time they sent the email and if I did no action within this time frame, they would disable ad-serving to my site.
    – Mike -- No longer here
    Apr 18, 2017 at 23:30
  • You are correct that it would lower the chances of income due to the position but the requirement by Google is for ads not to push content below the fold as it can be confusing for users who may mistaken the ads as the actual page content. It's just one of those rules that Google has which need to be followed even if it decreases the chance of AdSense revenue. Think of it this way,your chances of AdSense revenue from that given page are even lower if you can't have an AdSense block on it at all, at least with this you still have the chance at impression based revenue.
    – Chris Rutherfurd
    Apr 19, 2017 at 3:18

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