Google Slap for Product Review Sites
News Flash from Dr. Glenn Livingston of Rocket Clicks:
I got word from several affiliate marketers that Google dropped the hammer today on affiliate review pages. Many pages went from quality scores of 10 —> 1 overnight.
And these were NOT skinny sites, rather well build out, consistently updated blogs with good navigation above the fold, xml site maps, high click through, hyper-relevant keyword mapping, low bounce rates, long average time on page … everything else Google loves.
When we analyzed which pages survived, and we take it in combination with other information, it seems pretty clear they've added code which screens for affiliate links on the landing pages.
At the moment it seems cloaking and PHP redirects are untouched, … but I can't imagine these are far behind. (I'm guessing they're just avoiding this in order to decrease their server burden … takes some CPU cycles to visit every link on the page and evaluate for affiliate code)
I'd say it's safe to conclude Google's on the war path against affiliate review sites, and we should be advising clients towards a different business model… at minimum it seems necessary to avoid placing affiliate links on landing pages, but ideally, I think people need to move towards a deeper list building/relationship building strategy and/or a strong e-commerce model.
Time to stop "building on sand".
Glenn 
Many affiliates make their living creating product review sites.
Many product review sites are trash.
Many times the affiliates don't even own the product and it's a big pump and dump.
Savvy web surfers quickly recognize these sites and don't trust their advice. Worse yet, it tarnishes the reputation of even a good product, because it's cheesy and sleazy.
Google is on a mission to stamp out the "me-too rug-merchants" of the affiliate world and only give credence to quality advertisers who build their own personality and reputation and content.
If your identity on the Internet is merely borrowed from other people, you're headed for extinction.
I've been saying this for 5 years, by the way.
In the $97 edition of the Definitive Guide to Google AdWords there's a classic, must-listen MP3 for affiliates called "Jet Fuel for Google Cash." In that MP3 I define a path for moving from "me-too" affiliate to full-fledged e-commerce vendor with a strong identity and sound reputation. It's just as valid today as it was the day I recorded it.
Dude, if you're an affiliate, you'd better add value to the equation, and FAST, because just squeezing yourself into the middle of transactions is getting harder by the month.
And… there's a larger point to be made here:
The Internet used to be some fringe phenomenon where only geeks, social rejects and vagabonds hung out.
That was, maybe, 10 years ago. (Which is probably why I liked it so much.)
Now it's center stage of the world.
Which means the Internet is no longer an easy place for digital vermin to make a quick buck. Online you need to demonstrate substance. This is what Google now expects of you.
Sorry… this is no 'get rich quick' notice. Instead I'm serving a warning: "If you're looking for get rich quick, go somewhere else. Google doesn't want your money."
However – this is GOOD news for everyone else. If you're an original voice, it just got that much easier to be heard in the sea of noise that's out there.
IF YOU ARE AN AFFILIATE – here is my advice to you:
You need to take control of the sale. Now.
At the very least you need to be in control of the entire conversation.
Fact: Google doesn't like affiliate links all that much. They don't like anyone who's doing "me too."
Fortunately it's possible to be a "Value Added Affiliate" who adds a unique contribution to the product of whatever person you are promoting.
It's also possible to take complete control of the conversation. Build an email list.
What if you…
-Directed Google ads to a content rich website
-Followed up with email and autoresponders
-Closed the sale with a killer teleseminar – just like Michael Cage taught us how to do a couple of weeks ago?
Nice recipe for success, methinks. Come to think of it, what I do isn't all that terribly different.
People appreciate quality content and so does Google. Give 'em what they want and you'll get plenty of airtime.
Perry Marshall
(Again, special thanks to Glenn Livingston for shaking down the data and bringing it to my attention.)
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Thanks for the advice.
I'm new to internet marketing and hope my blog has more quality information that Google likes!
do not fall into trap of big name products.. traffic secrets, frank kerns.. or what so ever…
DO NOT BUY ANY OF THOSE PRODUCTS.. if you are new in internet marketing i am sure you will learn it in 1-2 months..
This is probably a follow up to the crackdown on get rich quick scams abusing the Google brand name, where many cpa affiliates gort their adwords accounts suspended (permanently):
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/AdWords/thread?tid=0e9732d93b7e65bc&hl=en
http://strangelyperfect.tv/4308/google-revolution-different-name-same-scam/
However there still appear to be plenty of flogs and fake news sites appearing in adwords – most of which are not only deceptive and misleading but so are the offers they are promoting:
http://www.jayweintraub.com/2009/06/the-perfect-storm.html
Little wonder Google 'hates' affiliates when they clog up adwords with this garbage.
When it comes to "make money ads" on adwords,I'd estimate at least 90% of them are 'scams',scary".
So in my humble opinion,when it comes to make money opportunity ads then google is the ultimate advertiser of scams".
Perry,
As always, thanks for the heads up and the insight.
- Darrel Hawes
I agree that I think this is good for everyone in the long run – certainly it will give Google users a more efficient experience, which is Google's goal. Most of the review type affiliate sites that are on the net are thrown together in 5 minutes and, as you say, visitors can spot them a mile off! Let's hope this reduces the competition on Adwords a little for those companies that do have some substance to offer.
Many people seem to be talking as if this is some kind of benevolent act by google. The only reason google is doing this is to increase its profits. Which is interesting as the affiliate marketers are paying customers. It would seem that Google believes that affiliate marketers are devaluing Adwords to the point that they would rather not have affiliate marketers' money. i.e. The cruddy ads put up by affiliate marketers are so bad that they discourage people from clicking on the Adwords. The last thing that google wants is for the average idiot web surfer to realise the difference between organic and commercial listings.
I always thought this day would come. Thanks for the article!
I see this as a good thing for the internet, but for guys like me just starting out.. I would imagine there is going to be yet another learning curve on how to make this work. I am still trying to earn my first dollar online, after 6 mo. Currently, I am trying to build my list up so I can try to market to those people, but it is slow going.
Clint
I'm actually glad to see this. As a someone who is not against doing the extra work and adding value, I'm hoping this will clear out some of the "other" competition.
Hi Guys Great Post…
And so so true…
The big hammer is about to drop on any affiliate that is not prepared to take their business model seriously…
As an affiliate marketer for more than five years I have slowly but surely noticed these changes and had to adapt to building huge content sites with very little affiliate links especially as stated above on the landing or homepage.
Don't follow the path of the Dinosaurs you need to evolve or become extinct. I said this would take around another three years but it is plain to see by the post that it is happening much faster.
Ron
This sounds great since I'm so brand new to all this technology and thank you for bringing it to my attention. I'm looking forward to adding value to google! I hope (!)
You mean we need to be real and add value to the internet now?
What are things coming to?
The more I see things like this, it reminds me of what many of the good marketers already know… a lot of things are just tricks and gimmicks that run out. If you build a real business and add value to the prospect every step of the way, you are on solid ground. If you just run around trying to figure out the latest idea for generating traffic, you will get left behind.
Not that review sites are necessarily like that, but as mentioned, now you need to ad value. Maybe create a relationship. Like always, the hard working people will come out ahead of the game.
Thanks for the info Perry.
When you say landing page, exactly what do you mean? If you mean where people land after an adwords click, there must be more to the slap, than just having an affiliate link. I send my ads to a blog which has affiliate links and my quality score went up.
Regards,
Miles
Several salient points in the affiliate marketing space here which may be related:
- Google bought DoubleClick and has their own affiliate network now as a result
- Amazon.com has stopped (April 2009 announcement) paying commissions on direct-linking campaigns (N. America)
- the "channel" has to add value to justify it's existence
It's about time !
There is nothing worse than trying to get an honest review of some software or ebook or course only to have to wade through 50 very obvious affiliate sites – who all say it's great of course!
If this change makes my quest for real reviews easier and makes the vendors – and it's sales people (affiliates) – more honest then I applaude it.
And if it also help weed out the poor quality products that only survive because they offer 50% commission even better.
Richard
Web Designer Australia
I am a Manufacturer/Marketer of my own products. Google AdWords is currently experiencing a "technical difficulty" where they are double-billing some customers. Lucky me…I'm one of them.
So Google double-bills me for an astronomical amount. The payment bounces–Google's fault. They turn off my ads. And because I'm not the only one, my Google AdWords team can't get through to the billing department to help me get my ads turned back on.
Again, Google's mistake. My ads are turned off. I'm losing THOUSANDS of dollars per day. I'm NOT an affiliate.
My takeaway after 3 years of Google's antics? Using Google AdWords as a primary source of traffic is a BAD BUSINESS MODEL NO MATTER WHAT YOU'RE SELLING.
GOOGLE IS EVIL.
This is phase 1 of ALL affiliate marketing going down the tubes (Think: AMAZON killing its affiliate relationships). Anyone dependent on big checks as an affiliate will soon need to develop products and customer lists, etc.
Anyone who is keen on making big affiliate checks is already creating products anyway (as bonuses)….
This has long been the case.
So, you're saying that all of the multi-page sites with excellent content, navigation, site maps, high clickthrough ratios get slapped because they had uncloaked affiliate links?
i just checked, and most of my affiliate review pages just went up in Google's keyword ranking for "product name review" type searches. i don't know if that's because i advocate putting unique content on review sites or because i use redirects for the affiliate links. but clearly not all affiliate review sites are being dealt a bad hand. mind you, i don't do PPC so i can't comment about quality score changes.
Perry -
I appreciate you for getting Dr.Livingston's findings out to the community for consideration and action in our own businesses. Google has a simple primary objective, to provide their user with the best experience by presenting relevant search results. When their customer lands on a thin affiliate site that doesn't add value, they will seek to take action and enforce slap – eventually every time.
I will not lump all affiliates into one category as I know several full time affiliates who produce content rich sites, provide meaningful reviews and add value for the user. The difficulty is that to separate those who do and those who don't is more monumental than simply changing the algorithm and letting the advertisers figure it out.
The basic tenet of entrepreneurship is that entrepreneurs are compensated for the problems they solve and the value they provide. There is no doubt in my mind that professional affiliates who honor the rules add value.
The challenge now for them is knowing the way forward.
Thank you for the great information and insight!
James
http://Twitter.com/AskJamesHolmes
Perry and Glenn,
Great article! I've been expecting Google to slap the review sites. Too many of them lacked quality.
It's essential to build your business with a diverse marketing model and cultivate deep relationships.
- Michelle Murray
http://www.B2BCopywritingQueen.com
I am glad to hear these fantastic news. It's about time people stop getting robbed with false reviews.
At the end of the day, if a client is convinced into buying things that are of no value, they will get Pssss!!!D off with the internet and we will all suffer.
Well done Mother Google
Thanks for the timely advice, Perry.
The way things keep shaking out reminds me of the great tips Ken Giddens always gave us… especially to do what is "natural" and makes sense and you will be all right.
Just today, before reading this, I declined to bite on two products that look like they use strategies that may last a month or so.
Reading your article just confirmed that I did the right thing – and saved some money to boot as well.
Keep up the good work.
Dave
I just searched a few of the most popular affiliate programs and still see all the cheese. Google just wants cash and the people clicking those ads are filling their pockets.
Affiliate marketing is not leaving. Just how you're going to be able to promote is changing.
Creativity almost always wins.
Man…what an eye opener. Reviews Smeviews…These sites are following a long list of failed Internet marketing techiniques.
FFA Submissions.
We Submit your site to thousands.
Only 29.99 to get your website listed.
Business in a box websites.
Link Farms.
And so many more.
Paul
Affiliate sites add very little if any value to the sales process. And, they try to do this with as little effort as possible.
Think back to the aluminium siding salesman of the past. At least he booked a sale and brought in the estimate. Yet, he was reviled as a leech.
Owning the means of production, no matter what it is, is the key to financial wellbeing. It might be as simple as owning the only lawnmower in the neighbourhood for a high school student. The fact is, only he can do the job. Anyone running around stuffing flyers into a mailbox for lawn mowing services can soon be replaced. The one who saves his money and buys a hedge trimmer to go into partnership is the smart one.
Lot's of smaller websites with a product have been approached by investment bankers. Affiliate sites? Not so many.
on the other hand. do we want google to say what is quality and what is not. do we need to have a site that google wants. how many people have i had to talk out of having a fancy nice flash site, but cant cause google wont like it. and if affiliate marketing becomes the person who owns the site, the merchandise etc, then you dont have affiliates you have separate businesses. affs can be a good thing and to squeeze them out and lump them all in as the same is a great danger.
keep bowing down to them and it will only continue.
Question. The way I read Glenn's letter about this new Google slap it seems that it applies to affiliate marketing through AdWords. Has it had or will it have an impact on organic results and SEO? Will flimsy review sites get pushed down to page 50?
Thanks in advance for any insights or comments.
I don't think we're going to be seeing the end of affiliate marketing anytime soon. People will just have to be smarter about doing it.
I think there are sites google likes that contain affiliate links which aren't flogs.
Say for instance a selling skin care products. A person might have an article on their website giving advice on how to get clear skin with affiliate links on the website.
At least that's what I think and I'm sticking to it.
Too bad they haven't found the cloaking sites yet. When a site has content it hides from visitors and shows only to bots to improve the score, especially when many times this cloaked content is scraped and unintelligible to humans, it just makes honest people take it in the shorts. I see nothing wrong with being an Affiliate what I do see wrong is 'reviewing' a product as if you are recommending it out of experience. That takes credibility from everyone. If you want to advertise a product, fine, but do it honestly. Either 'buy this product because I need the money and you might like it' or Buy this product because I used it and it was better than most or all of the others I have used'; but be honest about it. Link redirects are the result seem to be a necessary evil, without which, we might very well have a recession on the internet. Lol.
Thanks Perry for giving the heads up on this one. I thnk that this was a long time coming anyway and I'm not shoched about this. By the way, of cource affiliate marketing is here to stay; at least I hope so.
Truby
I'm in the camp that isn't sure Google's algorithm should be the internet god to supposedly distinguish between real content and fluff. I'm all for getting liars and cheats off the front page ranking, but I'm not sure I trust Google to do it accurately and fairly.
Part of my concern is the conflict of interest that is inherent in them playing multiple parts in the game.
This blows. Plain and simple. Not only are the shady sites going to get slapped, but now the legit ones are getting blown away too.
Screw Google, advertise on something that will take your money.
The news is the same old news – keep on adding value to what you offer, and make it unique. If that means affiliate marketing moves off landing pages and onto private pages, opt-in email and newsletters, so be it.
Or, you could just ditch PPC and Google altogether. They aren't even 35% of all internet traffic. They are small. Affiliate marketing isn't going anywhere.
What are your thoughts on the Google Affiliate Network?
There are affiliates making mid 8 figures man. Grasp all sides of the story before you spew your Googlecentric bs.
I've just been looking the last few days at the different review plugins for wordpress, not for ppc purposes but 'ordinary' websites, I'm wondering now how long it is before these sites get slapped rankings wise in serps….
I guess the days of the PPC/CPA Arbitragers is over. You know, I think a good product geeks would love to read would be the evolution of the quick buck online online and the influences google plays on the process. It really is survival of the fittest out there.
To the top,
Daegan
I appreciate this exposé. Your news is sweeping the Internet tonight among the marketers.
It is also quite logical that Google would do this in order to improve the relevance and credibility of their search engine versus Microsoft's.
However, the problem I have is proof. I'd like to see this:
(a) not just be a glitch that gets remedied in a week
(b) be shown to have a broad enough test here of marketers to prove that indeed this is true
I have a number of affiliate sites and have not seen any slaps on them yet.
Then again, I do proper test and comparison sites that add value for the visitor.
I'm guessing the ones that have been slapped are the ones that write 2 sentences on every product and then simply recommend the product that pays the highest commission.
Great information.
I am just getting started and this is going to make it more difficult but… it will also mean we can all be prouder of our industry.
Thanks a bunch.
I have just set up a new "Review Site" and thankfully, the reviews center only around products or opportunities that I am personally a member of and are what I consider to be honest, showing both advantages and disadvantages.
Interestingly, with the time taken to set the new site up, I have neglected other sites of mine. One of which was up until now gradually climbing the pr ranks. It is crammed full of affiliate links but also offers some good content. The site in question now has 0 pr.
Now I understand why!
Thanks for the enlightenment.
Graham
I am a novice to the game, but correct me if i'm wrong; didn't google give these pages all the juice to begin with. Doesn't the buyer beware apply online. How does this affect googles affiliate network? Have they tested and slapped it as well? I'm sure they won't disclose that. I for one still plans on pursui ng this field, being disabled vet and a felon makes it hard out there. I do enjoy the research aspect and the thought of providing quality content. I am not moved by the IM make money game either. I would like to pose a question to Perry and Glenn, since you both have affiliates how are handling your business model. I think people should check out Harlan Kilstein's slideshare presentation on google; it's very interesting. I really like your material and I have learned a lot.
Don't get me started. Does anyone ever question anymore the business model that has one commercial entity (google) in control of the flow of, "virtually", all Online commerce. WOW!! Now, I know, nasty Online scams, flogs and the like do exist, just as they do in all forms of offline media. In the non-virtual reality, who polices offline media? Who crafts the algorithms everyone has to dance to? Extensions of the elected entities we have ourselves inadvertently empowered- the FTC,FCC,FDA..or any other F's you can conjure? Yes, there are laws of land and agencies to protect JohnQ from fraud and thievery. Yet, if you were to take the total sum of all the local, state & federal policing entities, it would represent an unmentionalbe fraction of the technocratic power google muscles across the vast Online commerce horizon. To have empowered a technocracy so pervasive and self-propagating to govern "virtual" commerce, media and culture is sheer lunacy and our own undoing.. yet, we all acquiesce and continue to feed the the monster for one numbing reason….to make a damned buck. For those of you elite that have already made yours and ceremoniously sit in judgment, don't tell me you aren't or haven't been in the game for the same.
"Build a business that benefits people first, then work to offer them something they can buy."
I seem to have heard this somewhere before…
Oh yeah, I remember. You said it 6 years ago.
Thanks for always being the voice of reason and wisdom Perry!
Warmest,
Jonathan
http://www.ThreeMoneyMethods.com
This is interesting because we run ecommerce sites for bricks and mortar enterprises (including our own) and have them set up to link (or deep-link) to affiliate sites when products are out of stock.
We noticed a Google slap of some sort on this about 6 weeks ago which has pretty much wiped out the sites that represent most of our income.
Why? Low quality site that spoofs the consumer. No – because we tried to make sure that when products are out of stock our customers could find an alternative.
Thanks Perry
I've been wondering for some time now if Google would start to take action against the "fly-by-night" type affiliate marketers – looks like this is it! I reckon that Glenn's comment about "… it's safe to conclude Google's on the war path against affiliate review sites" is right on the mark!
This set me to wondering "Whats next?" I believe that your question: "What if you directed Google ads to a content rich website?" is really the answer. I cannot believe that Google wants to penalize all affiliates, just those who don't take the time to put together a "value-added" site. So wonder what you would think of putting up an e-commerce "store", with each product with its own landing page, and making an arrangement with the vendor of the product to allow an "affiliates" direct link from that page to the payment page on the vendors site. That way, the affiliate would become more of an "sales agent" for the vendor, and would still receive the commission. The Affiliate would then have to make sure that the e-commerce "store" was adding a unique contribution to the product of the vendor being promoted.
I'm still a relative newbie at all this, but I'd like to hear your thoughts on this.
Thanks once again for the "heads up",
Regards
John
From the above replies and similar 'slaps' from Amazons' CB etc… It seems the remaining business model left must still be the original concept of@the Money is in the List' As long as you have that whoever slaps you and for whatever reason you can always start again or continue using a different marketing method but still using your LIST
Cheers for sharing
Charles
Hi perry,
I cant even remember how I reached this page ( of course I have known you and your adwords info for about three years),But aim very grateful that I have.
This info is going to help me so much. I didnot expect that Google can do such as thing and I had sites, with good and quality content but with affiliate links.
I am going to work on them as soon as possible and I hope if they have been affected, Google will later re evaluate them. (Is it possible by the way.)
Any way, this slap is going to affect the livelihoods of many people and I am aware many will take long to learn about them.
Thanks.
Mary Janet Namuli.
This is pretty sad news to many people who rely on making money through their review sites and I know of a few.
They will just have to think outside the box again and find new ways of getting traffic and making those lazy sales.
Tal
Thanks for passing this down the line.
It has the potential to change a *lot* of the visible web.
Does this mean the end of price comparison sites that carry no original or user-generated content to speak of?
How about the insurance aggregators (one or two of whom do, arguably, provide a useful service.)
Conversely, how about many excellent content sites that monetize through promoting relevant high-quality offers?
Logically, perhaps Google should even slap anyone showing Adsense too!
I'll look forward to seeing what's left when the dust blows over on this one
Kind regards,
Alex
I knew it wouldn't be long. Anything that gets used in excess will eventually fall. There are hundreds of ebooks and videos telling affiliates how to use this technique and sure, it works… But, if Google does not believe that's what their users want, then they will put a stop to it. And let's be honest with the data they have at their fingertips who are we to argue with them.
I couldn't agree with you more Perry!
Affiliates today 100% have to be adding value to the equation and themselves. Its all about building relationships and increasing your value, and once you've done this properly you can direct your traffic to any product / service you desire and make big money.
Thats what happens when your customer knows, likes, and trusts you… great post Perry!
Brian Fanale
http://BrianFanale.com
It must be a scary thing to have your income decimated by Google's flick of a switch.
Google needs competition so they think twice before doing this sort of thing.
Go Bing, Go Bing!
frankly i think this is good…
i say to google "bring it on" don't come shooting with guns .. bring the tanks and everything else you got in stock..
with so many new ppc courses touting cpa marketing as the greatest thing since sliced breads.. jacking up bid prices.. google is just doing what normally happens in business…
it's creating a new roadblock to entry to the affiliate marketing business model.. causing the old affiliates to up their game.. and new ones to really work hard at it…. or just simply turn back and go somewhere else to make money ..
this is a great opportunity for those that stick with google and gives them what they want with little competition since many will throw their hands in the air and just give up ..
remember the first slap? people just found a way around it ..
Assuming that you have a content rich site and offer some of your own info-products and/or coachign services, if you have a web store that also features affiliate products, does this have the potential to get "slapped?" Or does this fit the "unique content" model described at the end of the post?
You forgot, (or just plain left out), the fact that google slapped sites, (all sites not just review sites), that used the "Google" trademark in their product name.
It wasn't all review sites. A bunch of review sites were promoting these products that Google didn't give permission to. So they naturally slapped them silly.
To spin this to "Google hates review sites" is not accurate at all. They actually love review sites that provide value and don't promote products that rip off their name.
Of course google is going to clamp down on this kind of thing…
…It would appear that they're heading towards some form of amalgamation of natural on page SEO and CPC quality scores.
Take home message: Make a good content based site, and we'll reward you with lower CPC, because the end user is less likely to bounce back to us…
Refinements by Google are challenges for us all, but we will survive and come out stronger.
Can't you just hear of the "new" products that will come out to match Google's new requirements and the "new" secret sauces. Yep it's just around the corner as we all know.
Enjoy your day and welcome to the new side of Google.
- Roger Whittaker
http://www.boostwebsiteconversion.com
Google is such a SLUT
Whitelabel setups can be used to fight this, and probably will.
Hmmm can't say I'm surprised by this. I'm fed up of landing on poor review sites when looking for products.
I also particularly detest the voucher code sites that pretend to give money off vouchers if you click through to the site. I REALLY hope Google clamps down on those too very soon…
Hope this will end the business of selling ready made reviews site templates by dozens: all with the same products the same reviews and the same ranking.
Hopefully this will bring an and to the sale in "review" templates, themes and web sites.
All with the same text, reviews and results…
I am glad to see someone with high authority on this subject speak out on what I have been telling others for quite some time.
I first found success online with pay per click, so I know plenty about the "Google Slap."
I kept telling my peers they should begin "controlling the process" because eventually The big "G" was going to weed them out. That's why I started creating my own products and building a brand of my own because as long as I am in control of the process, I have more control over my business.
I still use PPC and Google because it is a great way to get instant quality traffic. But instead of using affiliate links, I am building lists and creating relationships.
The main thing I think people should take from this is that if they want to make some real money online, cut the "fast buck syndrome" and build a real business.
Once again, the mighty google decides what is good and what is bad.
I create good quality review sites with over 30 pages of unique and valuable content.
I buy the products I review and give my honest opinion. My sites also have good general info on the product that people get good value out of.
So, how is that bad? I am providing real value on my 30+ pages and an honest review page or 2…
I can understand these pissy little sites that throw up a few pages and provide no content or value or cloak the links etc.. well Slap them.. NOT the guy who is trying to provide a great service while trying to make a few dollars from each of his sites to feed his family.
Not all review sites or content niche sites are crappy sites guys.. Google sux.
One thing I am confused about is what will they do with the google affiliate network links?
Google promotes its own affiliate network full of vendors.
I just started a review site, and the idea is that it will be honest and consumer-driven. There are affiliate links in some of the reviews (the positive ones). Should I be "slapped" for promoting products that my users like?
It's a fine line. I started the site because I hate — absolutely hate — all the fake review sites. So I'm actually with Google on this one, but I hope their almighty algorithm can figure out when sites are honest and when they're scammy.
To all those talking about adding value.
Let me ask you this….how does a guy that slaps our site knows much about "value" on the market he/she probably have no or little idea about?
What is value to Google anyway? Honest reviews? How do you know if it's an honest one?
How about lots of free content…hmmm aren't reviews providing free content? We don't charge for them right? (yea, we earn money but so does Google by offering "free" AKA scrapped content)
How about this, not a SCAM. AGAIN, how does Google knows if its a scam or not? Did they buy every product and test it out if it works? If they do, they won't be "happy slappers".
Ok, so what does Google wants? Glenn says Google doesn't slap pages that don't have affiliate links. This is not true according to my campaigns. (lots of it with cloaking and lots without)
My guess? It's a human review process, targeting accounts. (not niches like some "guru" suggest)
What accounts? Accounts that promotes affiliate offers
That's just my guess, and I'm testing a few things to confirm…but again, all the talk about "value" this and value that. I'm surprised people eat this up without even thinking.
This is the best news i have received all year, this is going to separate the boys from the men. Its going to remove alot of rubbish from the industry, increase barriers to entry, and create this new chapter in affiliate marketing. More reliance on email and relationship building is going to occur (as said above) and content like said by many high fliers in the past still remains the supreme KING.
A way around this slap might be to create a pdf containing your product reviews containing your affiliate links and place a link to the pdf on your landing page.
This is good news, makes room for the folks who are doing it right. I hope they nuke direct linking next. (from the keyword destination url obviously, not the ad destination)
It begins to make a lot more sense that affiliate marketing as a business model needs to "look different" and these changes aren't far fetched.
The challenge, as you point out, will be to properly qualify sites, but that is going to be up to the gurus at Google and, I dire say, Bing….
We were getting ready to start a review site because it is so hard to get honest reviews of a lot of the products out there. We expect to purchase the items and test them before we give our reviews. If the reviews are honest and driven by our own testing should we be penalized. I expect we will have some affiliate links to the items we recommend. How do we keep from getting the google slap and still make some money with affiliate sales?
There is an interesting thread going on over at Lynn Terry's forum (http://www.selfstartersweeklytips.com/members/showthread.php?t=144). She believes good review sites that use an SEO model to drive traffic versus PPC should be fine. I agree, but cloaking your affiliate links or using a php redirect is probably a good idea anyway.
Hey Perry,
"Fact: Google doesn't like affiliate links all that much."
If they didn't like affiliate links all that much, I guess having an affiliate network was a bad idea.
http://www.google.com/ads/affiliatenetwork/
Jerry West
This makes me very happy. Content is not equal – about time someone took a wrecking ball to those sites that offer us trash as information. As a journalist, I work damn hard to write fresh, accessible, bespoke content that people pay for. Content is king!
Darn, this puts a dent on my chiseled jaw secrets promotions! The funny thing is I'm making more affiliate money from my organic traffic than I am, or have been with Adwords.
How much is this change going to affect google's revenue. I would think it would take a pretty big hit. It would be very interesting to know, how much the affiliate industry brings in advertising revenue for google.
Google have been doing this for some time on the SEO side. They are just balancing up the right hand side of Google to the left. They are also full of hot air! When are they going to deal with the Nextags and Kelkoo's of this world? When will they stop the likes of "United Internet" bidding on "domain name" and "web hosting" using no less than FOUR different brands? Never! This is on top on the millions earned from PPC arbitrage scams using parked domains, which fleece PPC newbies of so much of their cash on poor quality traffic.
I'd like it if Google went further and got rid of those useless and irrelevant national price compraison and aggregation sites that always popup when I search. They've been there for years. They are still there now. I wonder why…
Oh, I nearly forgot: those sites pay Google $$$$$$'s each month and have mid-level a/c mgrs looking after both their interests. I wonder what'll happen to those sites.
Google are both Judge and Jury. Their success gives them monopolistic power. There's not much you can do if you end up on the wrong side of their (subjective) judgements.
Thanks for the great information. Definitely gives one lots to think about when promoting affiliate sites. These change so fast, its not even funny.
I have to say I'm with Google on this one. I'm so tired of searching for objective product reviews and finding nothing but affiliate sites in the top 10 results. How can I trust someone who reviews only what he/she gets paid for?
On a somewhat related front, many (most?) of the news and commentary sites rely on newspapers and broadcasting networks for their content. Wonder how they'll manage once newspapers are dead. They might actually have to hire their own writers and editors. Imagine that.
You're so right. The real Web 2.0–or is it Web 3.0?–is the evolution of the web from parasitic feeder to provider of real sustenance.
While i agree with most that has been said here. It should also be mentioned that most buyers look for a review site before making a purchase. I know I do so its a loss/loss situation i guess we will just have to wait and see what happens
Looks to me like Google is starting to give preference to sites that mainly incorporate it's own Adsense program which is an affiliate program itself… maybe it does'nt like the competition. Hmmmm… I mean, if affiliates are pulling high ranks organically, why would advertisers pay Google for Adwords when their getting free exposure through their affiliates anyway, right?
If you really think that Google is altruistic and really cares about it's users experience, think once again. But you see, Google really does care. They want relevency for their so called positive user experience so that they can sell extremely targeted market advertising to interested advertisers and not give free results to thier (so called free loading) organically grown affiliates. The fangs are really starting to show.
Most affiliate programs give you a crash course on promoting their product or service which of course includes PPC. It's the actual affiliates that do most of the marketing and expenditure in advertising and promoting products or services and not the program operators themselves.
If this gets rid of most of the stupid and completely worthless "REAL HONEST Review" and "Is It a Scam?" pages online I'll be very happy.
I am very tired of trying to find a review of a clickbank product and no matter what the headline states (Honest Review Here, No BS – Just My Honest Opinion, Product X – Is it Worth the Money?", etc.) when I click to the site it's the same old thin affiliate b.s. They know people want to know if the product is worth buying so they use headlines that will get their attention. Then 99.99% of the time they go on to recommend the product with their whole heart, body and soul and conveniently provide a link (with their affiliate id) for me to click on to buy the product. I have no respect left for people who market this way. They do not care about anything but making money and that is a sad excuse for a human being. It's now to the point where I don't even bother trying to find a review of a product. I already know they are all b.s. so why waste my time, right?
Another thing I wish Google would do is go beyond the affiliates and target the publishers. If there wasn't some new "Learn the secrets to affiliate marketing and finally you can escape that job you hate" product being launched every day there would not be so many thin affiliates out there. I read one guy's ebook (who has made quite a name for himself online in the I.M. industry the past couple of months) where he actually states you should never have an original thought of your own. Just find what others have done and copy it. What kind of nonsense is that. It's these kind of product publishers we need to get rid of.
Okay, now that I have vented and shared why I agree with Google with taking this action (if they truly are) let me say I also hope they do not get rid of all affiliate sites. That would be plain insane. There are many sites I have been to where the content is so awesome I appreciated it so much I'd gladly buy pretty much anything they asked me too. I mean that is just the way it should be in my opinion. They are GIVING me something of real value. I want to give back.
This is information the entire on-line world needs to hear. Gary, your venting makes a lot of sense.
Dave,
1. What do you suggest then?
Do you think people are going to write a 30 page site for free?
Its a win win situation.
I have sites that have great content and yes it has affiliate links.
I am sick and tired of the FREE mentality.
Just say I start a forum on dogs.. believe me.. I want to make money with it.
Do you really think that I am going to pay the hosting and upkeep for free.
No, I will place advertising or affiliate links on the site.
2. Also, do you realise the current economic climate? Do you not want to help the guy out by buying through his link so he can make a few bucks to put food on the table?
If he writes a bad review then look for another one. And if you can not find a good review… then I say that is the perfuct market to go into.. and all you need to do is write a really really good review with LOTS of content.
Look at the bigger picture here folks.
What is the objective? do we want just FREE FREE FREE or are we willing to pay a few bucks for great content and great reviews.
Hey Glenn,
I have also been reading that Google doesn't like Google Adword campaigns that have crappy low conversions and low click through rates, which explains why many experts suggests that we should start new campaigns in a new account. I did just that and my quality score went way up. Interesting…I feel as if I am always trying to jump through an Adwords hoop.
Thank you for the post – very helpful.
Kristie
So many of you think you've got it all figured out by having people opt in to get the info. You are also on Googles hit list. They hate opt ins as bad or worse than review sites. There are good review sites out there, but now we've gotten whacked because of all the teeth whitening and acai berry crap.
Getting someone to opt in doesn't work for all instances anyway. Someone wanting a review of an electronic gadget or mineral makeup is not going to opt in to get it. Opt ins work in the internet marketing space, because we are conditioned to put up with it. We can't all be in the internet marketing how to make a buck space.
"All Truth passes through Three Stages: First, it is Ridiculed… Second, it is Violently Opposed… Third, it is Accepted as being Self-Evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer
(1778-1860)
I do believe we're in the third phase
If you are a legitimate affiliate, you should have your own 'warm-up' landing page. You should not link directly to a landing squeeze page.
1) you want to get them to opt-in to your auto-responder maze!
2) you need to warn them of what to expect, but that going thru a 32 page landing squeeze page is worth it.
3) don't send people to crap. If you use the products or services you promote, then you will get a sale AND an email address to market to down the road.
AsI see it.
It all started with the "Is X a Scam?" that the "Rich Jerk" proliferated in 2005 or so. Now its evolved to fake news, fake blogs, etc.
What's more, I know several big name affiliate gurus who have made a good chunk of their income from flogs, and creating their own auto-rebill/hard to cancel teeth whiteners, acai berry offers, etc.
Some of them also continue to game systems (like adsense), black hat cloaking, etc. Yet they go on to publicly preach the "good guy" route, so they can sell seminar tix and their courses on how to become a seminar speaker like them someday.
You can identify a lot of these snake oil salesmen by simply going to twitter and following the guys with the most followers in the IM industry. We all know who they are. It's all disgusting to me.
The term "Google slap" is a bit misleading.
I think a better analogy is "Google SNAP!"
It's the sound of traps, laid by Google to catch rats gnawing their way through its walls, going off and snapping the necks and backs of those rats' "businesses".
Been caught?
Look closer at your face in the mirror. Those whiskers, pointy-nose, beady eyes and furtive movements are a tell-tale sign if you can recognize them for what they really are.
Thank you for your post,Google Technocracy. Beware, the monster seeks its own share…self-serving as it promotes its own. I would like to believe that Google has the most noble of intentions for our customers;I would like to know who is monitoring Google's affiliate program??? With regard to product review…who thinks that the insurance salesman has purchased a policy from every single company he represents?…has the shoe salesman personally worn every shoe he sells?…has the waiter or waitress eaten every dish on the menu???…some knowledge of the products have to come from research that the affiliate does on the product, customer review and very possibly from personal use. If every product had to be personally tested, can you imagine….what would WalMart or Target have to do to comply? How do you think buyers for these stores operate? Do you think that they test each product ordered or do you think that they get information from the vendor about the product? Beware…honest people are going to be hurt if care is not taken with these "new" policies….which are cloaked with "integrity".
Thanks for remind us to be carefull about this issue, i have some blog as review product website too.
Thank
David
After going thru your article Perry i was relieved. The time has finally come when the good and the ugly will be disintegrated.
I'm sure affiliate marketers will find ways to hoodwink google. A lot of them are ex-black hatters.
Just came here off affilate jump which is a new website product by mike filsane as someone mentioned perrys article and blog regarding google,
Mike has got some new product out that he reckons is a 3 click system to Cpa however on the blog he could not memtion anything about price or how google would look if 10,00000 people had the same landing pages in mr G's backyard…
Im glad i read up on this and saved my pennys for a rainy day, thanks for the infomation
andy
Just want to clarify. Does this slap affect Organic rankings also? – or is it purely directed at Adwords landing pages?
This does not necessarily have anything to do with the organic side. That's a whole 'nother kettle of fish.
We have affiliate review sites ranking #1 for "Keyword Review" for more than a year which were slapped to QS 1 by Adwords.
Just because Google Search likes a page means zero for quality score in Adwords.
True there are lots of fake review sites. But email doesn't always work because it breaks the immediacy and impulse of purchases. Many people filter email, don't click thru, etc.
I'm not sure how many people and gurus would agree with me on this:
Behind everything you see in Google, there is ONE MAIN INTEREST: It's called ,MORE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS A YEAR. To achieve this they seek more Power = Control and Domination. And here comes the bad news for many of us: APPROACH TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS.
For years, I've been eying Googles's deep feelings and the game they are playing. I perceive by Google actions that they still want (interest) more control, more domination and more money. And its unsatisfiable thirst for more billions of dollars a year is leading it to a yet more aggressive, abusive and destructive approach toward those techniques it marks as threats to its own interests. They are seeking more and more profits from their Ad-words and Advertising Networks. Money that you are taking away from them when using certain techniques.
In other words, people, anything that sucks in money Google believe they should be making or they are not taking a "fare" share of, they will rip it off and of course, THERE IS ALWAYS AN EXCUSE FOR IT THAT SOME DUMP WILL TAKE IT AS LOGICAL. Now, they will not destroy all of these techniques at once because otherwise, they might find themselves into trouble. THEY ARE DOING THIS GRADUALLY! I T ' S C A L L E D P R O C E S S.
The SHOCKING SAD & TRUTH is that before, Google needed support from Gurus, Affiliates and many computer literate people to help build what today Google is. But that's not the case anymore. A big part of the world has become computer literate and as new generations growth the world will become a more computer and Google-literate place.
If you are one of these people who once help build Google, guess what? Google don't need you anymore. And the techniques that you were used to use for making money, will all be destroyed GRADUALLY (if they haven't been so far).
This is a Wake up call to those that have been sleeping to understand and see Google's deep feelings, main interest and more importantly, the approach it decided to take to achieve its purposes. And of course, there is nothing wrong with its main interest: Money. What I see wrong is their aggresivity toward affiliates, gurus, and people that once help Google be what it is today.
My Final Reasoning:
Google has become TOO GREEDY it don't care about anything and anyone but it.
Other Current Major Players appear to be just like Google.
It would take an army of these same people and new ones who once help create Google (with Gurus at front) to dethrone it. And the worst is that they don't see such an enemy getting close anytime soon.
Google's purpose is to make money. It does that by providing relevant search and advertising opportunities.
It will change the game based on what it thinks is best for its customers. The problem many Adwords users have is they believe they are Google's customers.
Google doesn't. Their customers are the people who use Google to find what they need. Adwords is simply a way to monetize it. You are an advertiser in their traffic stream.
If your product provides value to Google's customer, they will benefit you. If you try to beat the system and provide little to no value, you get slapped every so often.
Just as magazines control the quality of the advertisers in their magazines, Google works to control who advertises in its traffic stream.
If people see Adwords as crap, they stop clicking and Google goes out of business along with many affiliates and review sites.
Understand that you don't own the game, Google does in this case. As long as they provide value to their customers, they keep growing. They can change the rules at any time.
Check out Google's latest. All of my keywords are 10/10. All affiliate links are through php redirects and my sites are all 50 plus pages of non salesy content.
The problem is that if we blow the money for a course on how to solve the problem now…a year or 2 later they will do it all over again and we will have to buy yet another e-book to fix it. I say we stop using them and learn how to make more money with someone who wants to play ball like MSN.
It has come to our attention that you have submitted several ads for landing pages considered to be of a poor quality per our Landing Page and Site Quality Guidelines. Please remove any ads and landing pages in your account that may be in violation of these guidelines, and do not create new ads that are in violation. If you need more information about our Landing Page and Site Quality guidelines, please visit http://adwords.google.com/support/aw/bin/answer.py?answer=46675&hl=en_US.
This email serves as a final warning. Any additional discovery of ads in violation of these guidelines will immediately disqualify you from participating in the AdWords program.
As noted in our Terms and Conditions, Google reserves the right to terminate advertisements for any reason. To view our Terms and Conditions, please visit https://adwords.google.com/select/tsandcsfinder.
We appreciate your cooperation.
Hmmmm…What other company on this planet treats their customers like that. And on top of all this there is no longer possible to reach AdWords by phone and they will not answer e-mails.
Googles CUSTOMERS are its ADWORDS ADVERTISERS.
Googles USERS are its READERSHIP.
Like the phonebook, newspapers, and I'm sure other analogies.
Newspapers are having a tough time. Part of it is because readership is stagnant or falling.
But the main reason is, the advertising revenue has fallen off a cliff. (who buys an overpriced classified when you can put it online for free etc.)
G also needs to realize basic business common sense: p/o'ing or banning customers is not a good long-term strategy.
Tom,
I'm sorry but you have it backwards.
I understand what you're saying but it's their commitment to their READERSHIP that is the reason why they have the ability to give customers to businesses.
The day they forget that is the day they REALLY start to have problems.
Perry
All said and done if google wants to ban people or get rid of people using affiliate links its fine. Done use the PPC in google but there are countless others which offer better CTC.
I dont know why they made this decision they might lose billions of dollars.May be they are fearful of another search engine gaining the trust of people.
My Adwords account has been dropped to QS1 – not banned but account QS1 which appears to be from too much Adsense on Landing Pages. – No affiliate links here! So not just affiliates getting whacked.
I think google is right in slapping websites which provides fake reviews, But what I can not understand is, how do they track which sites are fake review websites. Though some people might be using top sites to promote their business , so how does Google handle them ? They take action on individual pages or just the whole website ?
Google makes a subjective judgment, generally for the whole website.
I'm not sure I agree with everything you've said here, but the one thing that does stand out is what you said about 'adding to the equation'. THAT is the key for good affiliate marketing. If you want to stand out and attract eyeballs, what you've said it one the money. Anything short of that and you're just another 'me too' site.
To be clear, I create sites that are affiliate based and that feature unique, personal reviews of products. If I don't own the product (rare…I buy them just to review them), I call that out. Otherwise, yes, I own it and if it is crap, I'm going to say it's crap. That being said, my objective is to get people to click through and buy…otherwise, I don't make any money. From a long-term perspective, however, it does me no good to BS everyone with phony reviews. Visitors will see through that immediately and my site(s) will become known as garbage – not a good long term strategy.
I don't think Google has any problem with affiliate sites. They have a problem with affiliate sites that duplicate content, spam potential customers, and attempt to trick the Google ranking algorithms.
This is just BS, why doesn't google like us affiliate marketers?