by Claudia Bruemmer

Last week, Google denied access to the AdWords API to hundreds of developers in order to “ensure quality, improve Google products and services and compliance with AdWords API Terms and Conditions,” according to the company. This upset many customers who complained because they got no warning and suffered damage to their businesses and clients.

Members of the AdWords API Forum showed their frustration in posting comments such as:

“I’ve been a API user since 2009 – and now have the same error everyone else
has been reporting. No notification. No explanation. Wouldn’t the decent
thing for Google to do is to inform paying (often for significant periods of
time) customers with at least an explanation? If they have tightened terms
and conditions – why can’t they work with us and inform us of what we need
to do to comply – simply rejecting a mass amount of API accounts without any
warning is very harsh.”

Others mentioned the cost:

“Many of us have of spent significant amounts of time developing apps and
businesses using the AdWords API. Many of us have customers. It’s just very
frustrating.”

This situation also affected TopTenWholesale and Manufacturer.com, prompting CEO Jason Prescott to write in email to Danny Sullivan:

“…the other day we get this random message from Google stating that our API had been disabled. It goes without saying, that this move is causing a boat load of frustration, time spent, money lost and unnecessary bleeding — all because google decided to arbitrarily flick another switch.”

Luckily, others were not affected. I asked my son, SEO Consultant Paul Bruemmer, about it, and he said. “Our clients were not affected; however, it’s a serious issue because Google is almost like a utility now. An API token for business software is similar to utility services. Without utilities you send people home and you’re out of business until it goes back on. We had a taste of that a couple weeks ago in San Diego, and it was no picnic. So I can imagine how all those developers felt since this was not an emergency but a simple change of policy.”

Needless to say, the complaints about this clean-up action by Google were considerable, with hundreds of AdWords API developers registering protests in the AdWords API Forum. Some of these developers had access to the API for years and were dismayed not to get an advance warning from Google. When this first started, it was thought to be a bug; however, Google later admitted the action was a result of a periodic review of API activity.

Following is the solution: API developers must re-apply in order to get their developer token reactivated and must include specific, detailed information:

• State the uses of the API application or tool with specific examples, indicating if it is for bid optimization or account management.
• State who will use the API application or tool.
• State the people within their company or others to whom the application will be sold.

Additional information is also required. Google wants screenshots of the API app or tool, or design documentation if the product is in development. Google also wants a list of clients that will be using the API application or tool “in an automated way.”

As reported on SearchEngineLand, some API developers were granted provisional access to the API, but they were told they would have to provide all of the above information before September 23, and presumably meet Google’s requirements, before the access decision becomes permanent. If you have this problem, contact your Google rep and make a request for access.