Subscribe Via Web Feed Subscribe with Google Add to My Yahoo! Subscribe with Bloglines Add to netvibes Subscribe with Live.com

« Virgin Mobile USA To Offer JumpTap Local Search | Main | Yahoo Search Update Tonight - May 22nd »

May. 22, 2007 at 11:22am Eastern by Barry Schwartz

Things You Can't Advertise On Google: Guns, Booze & Now Essay Writing

Google bans essay writing adverts from the BBC reports that next month Google will no longer accept ads for essay writing services. This ban on essay writing ads comes after many complaints over the integrity of university degrees. The BBC reports that universities "warmly welcomed" this ban.

A spokesperson from Universities UK said up to 12,000 essays have been sold to students in a year. Google said the ban would be applied across the Google network, which implies the UK and US, plus the content and search networks. Of course, this may upset many essay writing service companies. Just check out the number of ads on Google for essay writing.

Google bans more than essay writing ads. Google's content policy lists things like alcohol ads and gun ads that are not allowed. FYI, I do not currently see any mention of this new ban yet, but it may be added next month.

Like The Story? Vote For It On Yahoo Buzz!
Subscribe To Our Daily Search News Recap!
Your Email:
Send me the monthly search newsletter too! (Learn more about our newsletters and feeds)
Subscribe To Our Search Feed!
Subscribe Via Web FeedSubscribe with GoogleAdd to My Yahoo!Subscribe with BloglinesAdd to netvibes
Subscribe with Live.comSubscribe in NewsGator OnlineSubscribe in RojoAdd to My AOL
Share & Bookmark This Story!
By Barry Schwartz Permalink Jump To Comments See Related Stories In: Google: AdWords, Legal: Censorship



Reader Comments

maybe it will fall under 'Fake Documents' which already covers '...promotion of services that allow people to hire others to take standardised tests for them.'

It's nice to see the morally responsible side of Google raising it's head every now and then.

Comment by f-lops-y [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 22, 2007 1:38 PM

Actually, come to think of it, they take a moral stance in instances like this, but when it comes to major revenue generators that are not exactly morally correct, they don't always take the high road.

e.g. Anyone can bid on branded terms, like Nike - which pushes the CPC up unnecessarily, though no-one but the brand name holder can actually use the text in the visible ad copy [and that isn't always enforced either]. I think that if you can bid on a term you should be able to display it, or better yet, if the brand term is going to be protected, then do it should be fully protected.

Comment by f-lops-y [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 22, 2007 2:44 PM

One other thing you can't advertise - replica or fake products. They've been on and off the fence until recently - now those ads are off completely.

So, what about article writing services? Who's to say that these essay writers won't just change their ad text and landing pages to focus on "article" or "content" writing?

Actually, they are still straddling the fence - look up "wholesale replica handbags" and there are most definitely ads that say "fake".

Search:

Search Marketing Expo

Save the date for:
SMX Madrid (in Spanish, May 20-21)
SMX Advanced - Seattle, WA (June 3-4) Register today!
SMX Local & Mobile - San Francisco, CA (July 24-25) See the agenda, and register now!
SMX East - NYC - (Oct. 6-8)
SMX London - November 4 & 5, 2008

Search Marketing Now

Learn more about search marketing through free online webcasts and webinars from our sister site Search Marketing Now.

Upcoming Webcasts:

Most Recent News Posts

About Search Engine Land

Stay Updated!

Get Our Search Newsletters:
Email:
Daily Monthly

Get Our Search Feed:
Subscribe Via Web FeedSubscribe with Google
Add to My Yahoo!Subscribe with Bloglines
Add to netvibesSubscribe with Live.com
Subscribe in NewsGator OnlineSubscribe in Rojo
Add to My AOL
More About Our Feeds & Newsletters

Add to Technorati Favorites

Track Us Socially:
Facebook: Our Search News App
Facebook: Search Engine Land Page
Facebook: Search Engine Land Group
Flickr: Search Engine Land
LinkedIn: Search Engine Land Group
Twitter: Search Engine Land Feed

Bragroll