Want to make sure that only websites you authorize can use your Google Adsense code? The Adsense team has added a new feature (thanks Anuj Seth) that can be accessed as follows:

STEP 1. login to your Google Adsense account
STEP 2. click on the “Adsense Setup” tab
STEP 3. click on the “Allowed Sites” link
STEP 4. make sure the radio button for “Only allow certain sites to show ads for my account” is checked. A form will open up below that looks like the screenshot below.

STEP 5. Fill out the list of domains where the Google Ads code will be authorized. Note: if you add a new site that will use Google Adsense do not forget to add to this list or you won’t get paid. Ouch, definitely don’t forget this step. One way to remember might be to make sure you always target every ad spot (you do mark every ad spot for performance reasons already, right?) and then when you do that, hop on over and add to the Allowed Sites list.

Subdomains ok, but can’t limit to blogs located in subdirectory
Currently you can’t add sites inside a directory. For example, we have a blog still located at blogcharm.com (for archives only, it’s not being updated any longer) still running Google Adsense. Since Blogcharm doesn’t use subdomains (name.blogcharm.com) Google throws the following error when trying to add the correct subcategory blogcharm.com/vtor: “”blogcharm.com/vtor/” at line 6 invalid: URL must not end with a path”

Why is this a problem? Because any blogger at Blogcharm could run your ads if you authorized the entire domain. Even a site that violated the Adsense TOS which could put your — or in this case our — Adsense account in jeopardy. I removed the Google adsense from our Blogcharm site. It would be nice to see the Adsense team realize there are situations that go beyond subdomain support and into subdirectory support that would be nice to have as an option.

All in all, a handy feature to help better control your account. At least you won’t have some nemesis online throwing up a bunch of crap sites that violate the Adsense TOS attempting to get your account banned.

Did this post make you go hmm?

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• Adsense Webinar scheduled for Tuesday 8-2-2005 at 5pm PST