Microsoft trying to piss off AdSense publishers?

As we all know, Microsoft are starting their own AdSense-type program, so they're now competing against AdSense.

I own an english-language programming books website and noticed these German ads appearing on my site. It was pissing me off, because I couldn't find the URL to block them due to having my ads in one of the formats that doesn't show the URL when the ad block is full.

Anyway, I eventually got some ads that were not taking up the full block, and got the URL to the German ads: microsoft.com

Yep! Not even microsoft.de, or anything like that... microsoft.com. Now I realise that, being a programming website, having terms like C++, Java and other "universal" terms could potentially make it seem as though ads in any language would be accepted, I find it strange that only Microsoft ads were doing it, with all of my other ads in English. (with the exception of one other German site which I also blocked)

Any thoughts on this? Really, those German ads would just force my CTR down since that ad would probably never get clicked. Microsoft could just bid high, never need to pay out (since no one clicks), and piss of AdSense publishers in the process.

 

I know it's not a laughing matter, but from a competitive perspective it sounds completely legal AND hilarious.

Why don't you just filter out all MS ads then? The way I see it if you don't like their German ads, filter them all. Why should they give you the opportunity to cherry pick from their ads?

It does sound like a tactic but I doubt that's the case. Maybe Google had some database issues.

 

I am filtering them, now that I found out where they were coming from. I couldn't see the URL most of the time, since the 768-banner doesn't show URLs unless it is showing < 4 ads. I had to browse around for a while before it revealed the source of the German ads. I don't mind not being able to cherry pick the ads, I just couldn't find out how to block them without the URL. (that part of it is Google's fault, of course...)

I know it sounds a bit far-fetched, but I figure Microsoft are dodgy enough and cunning enough to try it.

 

Maybe AdSense needs some language filtering features?

The other thing I've noticed with non-English ads: if you visit websites in another language (like German) or your IP address is from Germany, AdSense will display adverts in German. So before completely blaming MS, are you in Germany?

 

No, I'm in Australia.

I'm pretty sure we don't speak German here, but I can go outside and check if Microsoft needs me to.

 

do you mean the site canonicalbooks.com?

No. I checked it from here and there are no German Ads and absolutely no Microsoft ads on these pages.

I want to see German Ads!

 

You can always bring up the AdSense Preview Tool on a page you are seeing ads that do not have a displayed URL, and you can get the URL that way. You can also click "Ads by Google" link on the ad unit to get the URL. This way, you do not have to wait until you see the ad with the URL included.