Googles recent algo update looks to punish sites with excessive ads above the fold

**Dazza30** · 05-02-12

I've just read an interesting article in which the author suggests Google is becoming even more hypocritical in the way it treats other sites and does not stick to its own rules.

Google has released an algorithm update today designed to penalise websites that have too many ads above the fold (in the visible area of the page). This is a great move by Google because nobody wants to see pages full of ads.

The problem is that Google is being very hypocritical here because over the years the amount of ads on the search results pages have been getting bigger and bigger.

Will Google penalise itself for excessive ads above the fold?

On the same subject Matt Cutts was publicly slated as a hypocrit, see here Official Google Webmaster Central Blog: Page layout algorithm improvement

Its something that could in my opinion effect many affiliates, and from what I have read about the subject so far Google are being rather ambiguous as to what exactly they mean by above the fold.

Whats your opinion?

**dc000000** · 05-02-12

Will google will penalise itself

- Does he search for a search engine before he does a search? Try it - Google isn't top.

I think the ad thing is fairly straight forward, from what I've read. It relates to over the top use of ads - not normal use. There is a very wide distinction between the two.

**aotagain** · 06-02-12

The biggest hypocrisy is the latitude being given to some Adwords advertisers - dumping people onto a page with Adsense at the top and bottom, with a stack of only vaguely relevant adverts inbetween, most or all of which go to the same retailer. Bridge pages with a big "B".

When you ask them whether those are Google search partners, they won't tell you, which says it all really.

**darrenlc** · 06-02-12

You could always put an adds in that link to a redirect page within your site that then goes to the destination you want it to. Don't forget to no index - no follow it. This will help with bounce rates too.

**opensesame** · 07-02-12

Its all about text to ad ratio, if your running adsense your locked to 3 ads per page anyway.

Its the whole spam element there locking down on by the sounds of it, little content shed loads of ads and aff links (basically a VC).

If you got 3 ads above the fold it leaves little room for content. I run adsense and find if I got an ad above the fold I always have a good chunk of content near it maybe 100 - 200 words.