I wrote this useful section to ensure that you do not get Banned / banned from AdSense and advises publishers to take the initiative with AdSense if something unusual happens on their blog that could affect their account :
“It’s your job as an AdSense publisher to keep your nose clean. And to keep it clean:
If you notice suspicious clicks, report it.
If you accidentally click on your own ads (it happens), report it.
If your site is suddenly featured on Slashdot, Digg or other high traffic site, report it.
If you know something (press release, notices, etc.) will send a lot of traffic your way, report it.
If you are in doubt about anything, report it.
I certainly agree with the two first and the last, but am not sure about sudden increases in traffic. In my experience with AdSense are good enough to work where your traffic comes from whether it is a valid or invalid source. I guess to be sure you can send them an email.
Ultimately how not to prohibit AdSense is to follow these tips from Google :
1 – Do not click on your own Google ads – I suspect it is the most common reason people are banned for. You can not click on your own ads for any reason. If you want to see where an ad leads to type in the URL of the ad or using the AdSense Preview Tool (if you’re an IE user)
2 – Do not ask others to click on Google ads – I regularly see people doing this – especially when they first put ads on their blogs. Be very careful about what you say about your ads. Sometimes even an indirect commentary or “suspicion” can be interpreted as encouraging people to click ads – it’s just not worth it.
3 – Do not employ pop-up prompts or automatic software installations – I was interested to see a number of publishers who do this recent putting pop ups with ads in them on their pages or put right next to popups ads attract attention on them. None of these methods is in the AdSense TOS.
4 – Be aware of how your site is promoted – Another reason I’ve seen publishers allowed to send traffic to their site that is not “good”. Paid to surf programs are an example of poor circulation that you can get in trouble for. These days Google has ads in print function and the CPC and if you are driving thousands of visitors to a site that is not legitimate traffic, you’re in trouble. If in doubt about whether to go with a system for generating traffic you should first check with AdSense.
5 – Do not place Google ads on sites that contain prohibited content – family-oriented content is the way AdSense like to go. This means that you can not put ads on gambling sites, sites with adult content or profanity (to name a few things they forbid). Get a full list of what you should avoid in their policies.
6 – Respect the marks Google – Google writes – ‘Framing or mimicking Google pages is strictly prohibited by our Guidelines for Use of Google Brand Features. ”
7 – Do not tamper with the AdSense code – Unless you have the permission you must not modify the core code AdSense. Some publishers have agreements with Google for this, but if you are a normal editor, you are not allowed to make such changes. Again – if in doubt, contact the AdSense team.
8 – Provide a positive user experience – Again Google puts it best – “sites that contain excessive pop-ups, use sneaky redirects to obtain traffic, or otherwise attempt to interfere with normal web navigation are not permitted in the AdSense network
9 – Provide a good environment for advertisers – AdSense juggle the expectations and the value it provides to three groups – “publishers”, “viewers of ads” and “advertisers”. As publishers we tend to lose sight of the rest of the equation, especially advertisers – but eventually, unless they are getting value for money, they do advertising and the whole system falls. In short Google ban you if they feel you are doing something to fool your readers into clicking ads (ie ripping advertisers).
10 – Being receptive – If AdSense told you to jump – If you say ‘how high?’
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