Hey guys! Been through AdSense hell this week and thought I'd share what happened - maybe it'll help someone else avoid the same headache.
Quick background: I've been running three niche sites for about 6 years now. One in the tech space, one in home improvement, and a smaller one about coffee (yeah, I'm a coffee nerd 😅). All three were doing decent numbers, pulling in around $2-3K monthly combined with AdSense.
Then boom - last Thursday, I get this lovely message saying my account is "temporarily suspended" with three holds on the payment account. The kicker? They're asking me to verify I don't live in a country I've never even visited! After 6 years of smooth sailing, this comes out of nowhere.
Current situation:
Payment profile suspended
Can't receive any payouts
Service limited but still technically "active"
Have to verify my location (again!)
I did get my last payment through a few days ago (thank god!), but now no ads are being served at all. Pretty nerve-wracking watching that revenue counter sit at zero.
Question for you all: Has anyone else dealt with this verification nonsense lately? I'm seeing more cases pop up since the November core update.
Also, while I'm waiting this out - any recommendations for backup ad networks? Not jumping ship yet, but always good to have a Plan B!
P.S. Really frustrated with Google's "we'll get back to you when we feel like it" approach. At least give us a clear timeline! 🤷♂️
What's your experience with AdSense suspensions? Let's share some war stories and maybe help each other out.