Smowtion Q&A: Another Google AdSense Alternative?

Smowtion is a growing advertising network for worldwide publishers and is becoming a Google AdSense alternative. One of our website XXX, not this QMS (Quick Money Saver) itself, in our network just have joined Smowtion some time ago. We have had some interesting conversions with one of its account executives, so we just share with you here.

The below conversions do not aim to conclude Smowtion is a good or bad advertising network. We fully understand different ads networks have their own different policies. We just share with our readers the facts and let them determine on their own whether Smowtion ads network is really another Google AdSense alternative.

The followings are conversions between a Smowtion account executive and our another website XXX which was already approved by Smowtion. This is actually a very long email, so we put it as a Q&A (Questions and Answers) format. Our questions, summarized here by QMS (Quick Money Saver) team, are also marked in green for your easier reading. Here what the Q&A conversions are all about:

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Smowtion Support Said:

Lamentably, Website XXX does not meet Smowtion's requirements. Usually, some of the unmet requirements are:

(1) Site contains adult content.
(2) Site is not accessible
(3) Site is hosted in a .tk or .cc. domain.
(4) Site contains inadequate content (violence, discrimination, etc).
(5) Site does not have enough information in order to determine its thematic

QMS Team Asked:

Today I receive a message saying that my site does not meet Smowtion's requirements.

This message looks strange for me, as I have read through your whole list of best practices again and confirm that my site should really conform to your requirements.

Now what can I do to add my site back to your system?

Smowtion Account Executive Answered:

Our team of traffic quality checked your website and it does not meet our requirements. You can check more information here: http://smowtion.com/users/terms

QMS Team Asked:

I do not believe my site has any traffic quality problem, especially it was actually a Smowtion-approved site just one week ago. Would you please kindly let me know if it is reviewed by machine or human?

In addition, I read ToS (Terms of Services) again and still cannot find any specific requirement about traffic quality. Would you please kindly help me to locate the exact location for such terms so that I can better understand it and avoid any possible violation in the future?

Smowtion Account Executive Answered:

Websites are reviewed by our team of traffic quality, conformed by humans. They revised it and locked it because it does not comply with our TOS.

QMS Team Asked:

Would you please kindly let me know:

(1) The exact location about 'traffic quality' in your TOS so that I can better understand it and avoid any possible violation in the future?

(2) Why the same site can be approved and then 'locked' within a week?

Smowtion Account Executive Answered:

Our team of traffic quality checks websites and moderates them according to our TOS: http://smowtion.com/users/terms "Traffic Quality" is the name provided to their position, it has nothing to do with our TOS.

Furthermore, it was approved, and it was revised again and blocked. Websites are checked daily to make sure they comply with our requirements.

QMS Team Asked:

Would you please let me know your EXACT requirement about 'traffic quality' which is not listed in TOS (Terms of Services)?

I feel a bit confused which blog(s) in my network can meet your hidden 'traffic quality' requirement or not.

Smowtion Account Executive Answered:

Traffic quality is not a requirement, it is the name of our team. Our team of Traffic quality, who are in charge of moderating the websites.

The website does not meet our TOS so it cannot be approved.

QMS Team Asked:

I am happy to know that traffic quality is not a requirement. Traffic quality is in fact not an element that publishers can really control.

Now I just want to know what EXACT term(s) in TOS my site has violated. Can you please kindly help me to ask your 'traffic quality' team about this?

It is because I cannot find any possible TOS violation for my site. In addition, within the week when my site was approved and then 'locked', I knew I did not change anything in my site.

Smowtion Account Executive Answered:

Unfortunately I am not aware of the exact reasons, it is something that concerns our team of traffic quality. It was approved, but websites are revised daily to check they comply with our TOS.

QMS Team Asked:

I still have no idea which EXACT term(s) in TOS my site has violated.

Would you please kindly help me to find out from your 'traffic quality' team or anyone who is familiar with TOS details?

I am serious to follow your TOS and I really need your help to see how I can fully comply with your TOS.

Smowtion Account Executive Answered:

I am not aware of the violation of your website. It is a field which corresponds to our team of Traffic Quality.

QMS Team Asked:

So can you please kindly refer my question to someone who is familiar with TOS details?

As a responsible publisher, I need to know how I can fully comply with your TOS before I re-submit any website.

Smowtion Account Executive Answered:

I am afraid it is something that corresponds to our team of traffic quality and I am not aware of the reasons. They determined it like this.

QMS Team Asked:

Does Smowtion have anyone (human) familiar with TOS details to tell about this?

It does not make sense Smowtion cannot tell EXACTLY why it blocks one site, right?

Smowtion Account Executive Answered:

I am familiar with our TOS, but I don't know the exact reason why your website is blocked. It is something that concerns the team of traffic quality.

QMS Team Asked:

So you are familiar with TOS (Terms of Services), but still do not know the exact reason why my website is blocked?

Please help to get someone in 'traffic quality' team to explain it more clearly. Does your 'traffic quality' team approve or block a site really according to TOS??

Thanks again, although your answers looked a bit confusing and repetitive.

Smowtion Account Executive Answered:

As I mentioned you before I cannot know the reasons, it is something that regards our team of traffic quality, I already asked for another revision and they rejected the website. You can find information here: http://smowtion.com/users/terms

QMS Team Asked:

Is there any other way publishers can possibly know the exact reasons of rejection?

I hope you understand how publishers feel if Smowtion is blocking websites for no exact reasons.

Smowtion Account Executive Answered:

Once the websites are blocked, the Publisher himself must check our TOS: http://smowtion.com/users/terms in order to find more information about this problem.

QMS Team Asked:

Yes I myself already checked your TOS ( http://smowtion.com/users/terms) but just still unable to find exact information about this problem.

What else can a publisher who really wanted to join Smowtion can do?

Smowtion Account Executive Answered:

The blocking of your website is not my decision. It has been determined from our team of traffic quality. More information can be found in http://smowtion.com/users/bestpractices and http://smowtion.com/users/terms

QMS Team Asked:

I know it was not your decision. Therefore I just asked if you can refer my question to the decision maker or who else (human) can I contact instead of you?

Smowtion Account Executive Answered:

Unfortunately there is no way for me to contact our team of traffic quality. All the information I have is your website does not comply with our TOS.
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That is the end of our Q&A conversions. We, Quick Money Saver, believe there is no need to continue asking our questions, so we just have to give up.

Is Smowtion a scam?

We do not know the answer whether it is a scam or not. May be the Smowtion account executive has already tried his best explaining the related policy to us. However, at the end we still cannot know how traffic quality team of Smowtion is working and how this traffic quality team is linking with its ToS (Terms of Services), so we cannot give further comments or conclude it must be a scam. Nevertheless, we are totally neutral for whether it is really a good Google AdSense alternative. We leave it to you yourself to decide whether it is a good idea to join Smowtion ads network as a publisher for monetizing your websites.

On the other hand, we have no intention to discourage any people using Smowtion ads network. May be this advertising network has good (Click Through Rate), CPC (Cost per Click), CPM (Cost per Thousand Impressions) or special ads revenues etc that can work well for your earnings. Furthermore, in order to fully respect the privacy of the account executive, we also decide not to disclose the name of this Smowtion representative here.

Since we are yet to have enough Smowtion ads network data, such as CTR (Click Through Rate), CPC (Cost per Click), CPM (Cost per Thousand Impressions) etc, to compare directly with Google AdSense, so we welcome any comment from you whether you think Smowtion advertising network is an acceptable Google AdSense alternative. Ideally we, QMS (Quick Money Saver) team, would like to know whether there are any good ways to maximize earnings for this ads network, just like what we can do for Google AdSense. For a more balance point of view, if possible, we also welcome any other representative from this advertising network to explain or clarify their policy more clearly here.