Why is my AdSense account closed for invalid clicks right before first payout?

A question that occurs to a lot of people these days is, 'Why is my AdSense account terminated right before first payout?' It seems so wrong that a first-time online publisher usually waits months and months before they finally reach the payout threshold and all this time Google makes them think everything is alright, they are making progress, they're building an online revenue source, just to ditch them exactly one day before the paycheck is due.

What many publishers don't understand is that the big G is not for God, it stands for Google. Millions and millions of publishers are trying to game AdSense on a daily basis. It's simply not practical - if at all possible - for Google to review your account every single day in order to let you know if you actually did something wrong that they. So they tent to not do it. On the other hand, when a publisher reaches payout for the first time, Google (or another company to whom the activity is outsourced) will always review all of their history for violations of the AdSense terms of service.

No matter if your violation of the AdSense TOS occurred six months ago and you don't even remember it, Google will still terminate your AdSense account on the final day. The most common reason for an AdSense account to get closed is "Invalid Clicks." In case you haven't read the Google AdSense terms and conditions, or you don't remember what you've read and you're wondering if you have anything to be afraid of with first payout around the corner, read these specific conditions that may trigger the closure of your account.

You as a publisher are not allowed to commit the following sins against Google AdSense:

Invalid clicks are not allowed to occur on any ad(s) including but not limited to clicks generated by

1. you, as a publisher, on your own web pages,
2. you, as a publisher, prompting others to click on your ad(s),
3. automated clicking applications or any deceptive software to manipulate ads,
4. you, as a publisher, making changes to the ad code, altering the layout, behavior, targeting, or delivery of ads.

If any of the above happens and your AdSense account gets terminated, Google will return the earnings on your account to the advertisers. This is one reason why appeals against Google's decision are rarely successful. Another reason is that it is rare that Google closes an account without evidence that the invalid activity was performed by the owner of the web page. Of course, this doesn't mean that you shouldn't make an appeal in cases when you know the invalid clicking activity was not performed or generated by you.

The good news for those with a self-owned high traffic website is that there are plenty of alternative programs to Google AdSense, so nothing is lost. And if you weren't making much anyway, why stress yourself over such minute matters.