Adwords Hates Affiliates?

[Linda Buquet]

I have been waiting to blog about Google Adwords recent algo changes. It's often hard to determine if the <em>"Google is taking over the world and hates affiliates"</em> conspiracy theories are true or not. After all Google does not come right out and tell anyone why they change algos and who they are targeting. Below is commentary that I think really shines some light on what's going on.

When you read the following, then stop to think about it - not much has really changed. Google is not against ALL affiliates - they just don't like THIN affiliates and are weeding them out with this new algo change. Is it partially designed to help them gain marketshare for Google Checkout which uses the tagline <em>"Find it with Google - Buy it with Google Checkout?"</em> Is the change partly designed to pave the way for Google's own CPA network. I don't know, but I do know that they are targeting low quality sites that offer no added value. Vinny's summary at the bottom really spells it out.

1st lets hear from Barry Schwartz over at Search Engine Roundtable who quotes a member from WebmasterWorld: <strong><a target="_new" href="http://www.seroundtable.com/archives/004155.html">Google AdWords Ridding Themselves of Affiliates</a></strong>

<blockquote>"So I called the support number. Here is the short of it: Google is deliberately removing all affiliate programs from adwords listings. They had a quality team go through and rate their experience on a whole wide group of sites, including affiliate sites. The over-all score for affiliate sites was not high enough to pass their new guidelines therfore they are all being flagged and when found are being removed. Indirectly of course with the $10 min bids. When I asked what I could do to make it meet their new guidelines she told me, "Honestly we have not had any good news for these types of sites." No help offered."</blockquote>
The above quote was taken from a 24 hour old thread that has already grown to 3 pages over at WebmasterWorld.<strong><a target="_new" href="http://www.webmasterworld.com/google_adwords/3013448.htm">Google getting rid of affiliates?</a></strong>

Vinny Lingham really hits the nail on the head I think, when he lists who is targeted and who is safe. He writes: <strong><em>"I?m going to cut to the chase here and shoot from the hip - and if I offend anyone - well, I guess you just need to face hard facts! Who is being affected by the latest changes?" </em></strong>

Find out here: <strong><a target="_new" href="http://www.vinnylingham.com/2006/07/googles-landing-page-algorithm-changes.html">Google?s Landing Page Algorithm Changes</a></strong>.

What do you guys think???

 

[Linda Buquet]

Hi guys,

Just wrote another blog about this that offers lots of important tips and solutions if you were hit by the algo change.

The Cure for Google Adwords Affiliate Landing Page Problems
http://affiliate-blogs.5staraffiliateprograms.com/2006/07/21/adwords-affiliate-landing-page/

 

[quantumtiger]

Google is and aways will be in business to making money.

Their "algo" changes, always amount to big business.

Not just for them, but the whole online marketing market.

 

[visit_faraz]

I think google just wants a better experience for their users. Google wants a person to be able find relevant information and not some thinly made landing page. And that seems to be the reason for so many google slaps.

 

[its_me_shaners]

I think G has to recognise that affiliate marketing is a BUSINESS MODEL and driving traffic to an affiliate link or other merchant is also part in parcel of the BUSINESS model.
I understand the need for relevant search and providing quality content to its surfers but there is a business model model that they are going to HAVE to recognize.
But the bottom line is they have shareholders.
Which brings me to my next point, I noticed some time ago when trying to mix up ypn ads on the same page as asense that my SE position changed, I wish I had made netter record of it, maybe I should digg back through my stats to get concrete evidence of this. But I placed ypn ads on the same page as G ads and my position changed think this was a coincidence hmmm I wonder.

 

[Linda Buquet]

You can't have Adsense and YPN on the same page - I'm pretty sure.

"I think G has to recognise that affiliate marketing is a BUSINESS MODEL and driving traffic to an affiliate link or other merchant is also part in parcel of the BUSINESS model."

I just watched a great video about search arbitrage.
Chris over at Pepperjam did it.

He makes an interesting point that tons of big shopping engines like shopping.com and pricegrabber are doing arbi. Buy clicks and resell at a higher price. Yet G makes it hard for affiliates sometimes bumping the CPC from .50 to $10 per click. They would never do that to the shopping engines who essentially are doing arbi too.

YouTube - Kris Jones on Search Arbitrage - Search-Engine Strategies NY

Very good video!

 

[Larwee]

That is correct. You can't have AdSense and Yahoo Publisher Network ads on the same page.

In January of this year, Google did make some changes that would allow you to have other contextual ads on the same page as AdSense ads if their own terms allow other contextual ads on the same page, and they do not mimic the AdSense ad units on the page.

So there are some other contextual ads that would be fine on the same page as AdSense ads. The Yahoo Publisher Network ads wouldn't be at the present time because they haven't changed their policy to allow other contextual ads on the same page as Yahoo Publisher Network (YPN) ads.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Plus YPN ads look and act too much like Adsense - that's the rule I was referring to. Whereas Kontera, Chitika and others, even if contextual don't look at all like an Adsense text link ad bank.