Google has shut down our advertising campaign !

[philman]

Originally Posted by nickb

You might check with someone who does web site optimization for search engines. If you got a canned response, they may just be reacting to the way your site was constructed.

The old school "billion words embedded in the background color" is one the ways to get bounced as I understand it.

I do not think this is a the case, they are reacting to paid adwords, not site optimization. In fact, they say in their note that this will not effect that.

[philman]

Originally Posted by XDConvert9mm

And they may wonder why their stock has tanked to a 52 week low.

Unfortunately, I would not expect to find our views on guns to be much of an impact on them, there are many other reasons they are low right now.

[XDguy-Eric]

Well, as some have suggested, keyword advertising in the gun business is not profitable, or even possible sometimes... Lycos has dropped the hammer on us as well. It is distressing, I say again, that we cannot sell legitimate parts due to political pressure.

And again, I will repeat myself, what the gun industry needs is a search engine dedicated to themselves. I wish I had the knowledge to pull this off. (I need to write to the major manufacturers and suggest they pull resources to make this happen. Of course, maybe it is a bad idea too!?)

Well, any suggestions for effective advertising? Shotgun News comes to mind, as well as other magazines...

[arizona98tj]

Originally Posted by XDguy-Eric

Hey, this just blows me away...
XDguys had a fairly successful advertising campaign on Google for a couple months. This month, I found all of our campaigns were suspended. Then, all the keywords were labeled, "disapproved".

I wrote to Google suspecting I had done something incorrect (since I am pretty new to this), but, they responded at first, with a canned email that my ads violated their policy on firearms and ammunition. I wrote back questioning the policy and received a response that they "understand" but are "exercising editorial rights". They ended with this:

"Please note that the decisions we make concerning advertising in no way affect the search results we deliver."

Give me a break! Google has gone the way of the politically correct social activist. This is America... I understand that maybe Iran wants to censor their people, but not here! This should not be happening. I am just amazed.... It just proves to me that Google does censor and control the search results to some degree... Well, that just means I am going to dump the Google budget into the Yahoo budget we already have and give them all the money! Now, THAT is American! Freegin Google. Go back to Venezuela and work with your buddy Hugo...

Eric,
This must have happened pretty much across the board somewhere near the 1st of the month.

I just checked my site's firearms related pages and while I usually had Google ads for plenty of gun related items, I see now that they are either public service ads or they fall back to Jeep related ads (which is the predominate topic of my site).

This really does stink. I feel for you.

[rgeliske]

You know what is interesting in this country you can refuse to post legal advertisement on your public web browser that relate to guns and then refuse to refund the money you accepted knowing you would not post the add. Anywhere else the business and it's employees are responsible for knowing the corporate policy and not the customer. There is not a retail business in the country that does not understand that. I for one am tired of those who have a loud voice deciding what everyone else will do. To me if Goggle chooses to not run gun advertisement is wrong but, their choice to to refuse XD Guys a refund is criminal.

Sorry just needed to vent

[dsr30]

Originally Posted by ichy_trigger

I never did jump on the band wagon and start using google. I have always used Yahoo fr my searches.

+1

[Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by rgeliske

their choice to to refuse XD Guys a refund is criminal.

Sorry just needed to vent

That what I felt..


On the flip side this WHOLE issue gave me alot to think about and a solution.. I will explain more later after the solution is handled..Thank you for your support.
Rich

[CTC-Pfunk]

They cannot filter search results or they will lose their common carrier status and would be responsible for search results containing copyrighted or illegal material, the first of which is next to impossible to filter out.

This policy has been around about as long as Google has been. Their "no" discussion policy on it is simply an attempt to keep costs low. But to affect this policy, the industry will have to move together. I see this as a "New Media" opportunity for the NRA, JPFOA, and NSSF to organize, inform, and pressure a segment of American society that is usually very poorly informed about the realities of legitimate firearm ownership, and help bring us back into mainstream acceptance and understanding.

If Google stands behind this policy they should be willing to discuss it once in awhile, but that's only going to happen between our leaders and theirs, and only when there is sufficient demand presented to them. So contact the NRA et al and let them know this is an important issue to you, and one that you feel affects long-term protection of the 2nd Amendment.

Dark Knight, if you have solutions in mind I am very interested in the details since I am in the same boat.

[IHasanXD]

Well I was going to start using Live.com but I found Windows Live Help and if you do a search for firearm you'll see that they are prohibited.

[tortminder]

If they won't give you a refund for unused adtime, how about rewording your ads to tout NRA membership and then contact the NRA if Google refuses that!?!