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Guide · Sites with paid traffic

Paid traffic on sites with ads: what Google accepts

Buying visits on social networks or search engines for pages with ads is allowed, but responsibility for the traffic always lies with whoever monetizes. This guide shows what becomes invalid traffic, why pre-landers and redirects cause problems and how to build a landing page that is worth the click.

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  • ✓Based on Google's official policies
  • ✓Landing pages checked one by one
  • ✓Read without generating impressions
4types of traffic programs prohibited by AdSense: paid-to-click, paid-to-surf, autosurf and click exchange
2sides of invalid traffic for Google: intentional fraud and accidental clicks
3pop-ups: above that, AdSense does not allow ads on the site
30%maximum ad density on mobile under the Better Ads Standards

The basic rule

Buying traffic is allowed, but the account is yours

AdSense says you can promote the site in any way that respects the program policies. On the same page, it reminds you that the publisher is ultimately responsible for the traffic that reaches the ads and that some traffic services send artificial visits, even if they look legitimate.

For Google, invalid traffic includes intentional fraud and also accidental clicks. Bots, automatic click tools, repeated clicks, incentives to click and placements that cause many clicks by mistake all count the same.

That is why those who do arbitrage need to look at two things at the same time: the quality of each traffic source and the page that receives the visitor. A good source sending to a bad page creates as much risk as a bad source.

Where the risk lives

Six problems that bring down sites with paid traffic

Each item is tied to the AdSense policies, to Google's publisher policies or to the Google Ads rules.

Low-quality source

Programs that pay to click, browse or exchange clicks are prohibited. Very cheap traffic can indicate visits that are not real.

Deceptive pre-lander

A screen that promises a prize, pretends to verify the connection or hides the real subject attracts the visitor under false pretenses.

Redirect chain

AdSense prohibits redirecting the visitor to sites they do not want. Sending a mobile user to another domain is a deceptive redirect.

Page made for ads

Screens with more ads than content cannot show Google ads. The market calls this model MFA, made for advertising.

Ads at the top of the page

Several banners before the first paragraph increase density and accidental clicks from those who just arrived.

Google Ads campaign

Google Ads disapproves destinations made mainly to show ads, such as arbitrage ones, and destinations with copied content.

From ad to page

What is and is not allowed on the visitor's path

Examples of social network campaigns leading to articles with AdSense or Ad Manager.

Allowed

  • Ad that states exactly the subject of the article
  • Visitor lands directly on the article, with no intermediate screens
  • First paragraph visible before the first banner
  • Campaign parameters to separate the result of each source
  • Immediately pausing a source with strange behavior

Not allowed

  • You won or Checking your connection screen before the article
  • Click that goes through three domains before reaching the page
  • Article split into ten pages with one paragraph each
  • Buying visits from pay-to-browse or click exchange networks
  • Asking the visitor to click on the ads to help the site

Landing page

A page worth the click or a page made for ads

Google looks at the page that receives the visitor, not just the campaign.

Page made for ads

It exists to show as many ads as possible per visit. The content is short, copied or split to generate more screens.

  • High revenue per visit at the start
  • More ads than content on the screen
  • Many accidental clicks, deducted as invalid traffic
  • Destination disapproved if the campaign is on Google Ads

A page worth the click

Delivers what the ad promised, with its own content, and puts the banners among the content, not in front of it.

  • Visitor stays and browses to other pages
  • Lower risk of warnings and deductions for invalid traffic
  • Inventory more sought after by advertisers
  • Requires producing real content

Before buying

How to test a traffic source without putting the account at risk

  1. Understand what you are buyingAsk for examples of sites where the source shows your ads. If the vendor does not show them, Google recommends caution.
  2. Be wary of prices that are too lowA price far below market can indicate that the visit does not come from valuable pages or real people.
  3. Start smallSend the new source to a few pages before increasing the budget.
  4. Separate by sourceUse Analytics or custom channels on the ad units to see the behavior of each source.
  5. Turn it off without waitingIf the source shows strange behavior, Google recommends pausing or ending it right away.

In practice

An arbitrage operation that cleaned up its path

Before

The social network campaigns led to a pre-lander with the phrase Checking your access, which redirected to another domain. There, the article was split into eight pages, with three banners before the first paragraph.

After

The pre-lander and the redirect were removed. The ad now leads straight to the article, published in full on one page, with the first banner after the second paragraph. Each source got its own parameters and one of them was turned off.

Revenue per visit stopped depending on accidental clicks, which Google deducts as invalid traffic. The visitor's path became simple to explain in a policy review, and each source began to be measured separately.

In ConsentMode

What the audit checks on sites with paid traffic

  • Opens the campaign landing pages and shows what the visitor sees on arrival
  • Detects fake verification screens, prizes and pre-landers before the content
  • Follows redirects and points out those that send the visitor to another domain
  • Measures ad density on the first screen and on the rest of the page
  • Blocks ad requests so no impression is generated on your account
Run an auditSee everything that is checked

Frequently asked questions about paid traffic

Does Google prohibit buying traffic for pages with AdSense?

No. Promoting the site is allowed as long as the policies are respected. But the publisher is responsible for the traffic that reaches the ads, including traffic sent by third parties.

Is arbitrage prohibited?

Buying traffic itself is not. What causes problems is the landing page with more ads than content, copied content, deceptive pre-landers and low-quality sources. In Google Ads, destinations made mainly to show ads are disapproved.

How do I know if a source is sending invalid traffic?

Separate each source with campaign parameters and ad channels, compare behavior and turn off the one that departs from the pattern. Google does not publish lists of bad sources.

Can I use a pre-lander?

An intermediate page is only justified if it delivers something useful. Screens that pretend to verify, promise prizes or hide the real subject are deceptive practices.

Does the ConsentMode audit generate clicks or impressions?

No. It reads the pages as a visitor, blocks ad requests and never clicks anything that generates revenue.

Library

Official sources

This guide was written from these official pages. Read them directly at the source:

Check your landing pages before investing more

The audit reads each page as a visitor who arrived through the campaign, without generating impressions, and shows what to change.

Audit my pages