simonj007

Hello,

What are your thoughts on the following received from Google:

From google: I have checked this site and found it to be
non-compliant with policy. We do not allow advertisements for sites that
contain free trials that lead to automatic opt-in to subscription
services, or "free" trials that you are charged for at the end of the
trial period. As such, this site would not be allowed, nor would others.


- Quite alot of CPA offers on networks are 'Free Trials' and re-bills and these are the higher payout offers.

Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on Google's policy? Are you now completely avoiding promoting these kind of offers or is there a solution?

Thanks,
Simon

Looking For Cannes French Riviera Accommodation? http://RivieraCannes.com &
http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p96689 - Follow Me on Twitter!! http://twitter.com/simonj007

PPV Guru

I promote this crap out the water still. You just have to use a completely different approach. You would have to take them on a longer path. Like for example, for the Acai product.

Something like Acai Berry Blast. I wouldn't even promote the product on google. Instead, I would promote free health tips or free weight loss tips on google. Then, on your landing page, recommend a great program for that will aide them but don't mention what the program is.

When they click the image or link to the mysterious program, it goes to your acai berry blast landing.

Then the rest is history.

sanjid112

Google also rejected my site too. Nah, just looking for another way-out.

PPV Guru

Promote on PPV. If you have a good landing, it converts just as well.

Catalyst eMarketing

I made a big post announcing this new policy on 10/9 and someone moved it to the PPC forum.

IMPORTANT TO READ! Rebills can still be done but you need to get the merchant/advertiser/network to comply with Googles new rules.

ALSO in the post below, are other "Unacceptable Business Practices" Google will no longer allow including fake celebrity endorsements.

Adwords to Ban CPA Affiliate Free Trial/Rebill Offers and Fake Endorsements?

"on the page where a user enter their billing information" so that means, not the landing page you control, but the purchase page the advertiser controls. Adding this will also kill a lot of conversions.

(I'm against shady rebills so I think the disclosure is good, I just think a lot of advertisers are going to be unwilling to do this.)

Linda Buquet :: Google Places Optimization Specialist :: Catalyst eMarketing
Google Places Optimization :: ADVANCED GOOGLE PLACES TRAINING Available
Google Places Optimization & Local SEO BLOG :: Latest Google Places News and Tips
BEST Google Places Software & FREE Local SEO Tools

Fraggler

The advertisers will adapt if they aren't getting the sales any more. If they still are making money then you just need to find out what the affiliates are doing to get them that money. This might be SEO, mailing lists, CPV etc.

PPC-Coach

Google doesn't like them, but Google doesn't like a lot of stuff.

The solution.

Don't use Google. Be creative.

ben565

your forgetting that google do not allow bridge pages with affiliate links on them.google will see straight throught this method

PPV Guru

So far I'm in the clear. Been doing this for months and google hasn't stopped me. Maybe you just don't know what you're doing.

SeattlePurple

I got rid of adsense. After far too long of making 3-5 dollars a day...

I switched to CPA banners and now make 50+ a week =)

ben565

IT is part of googles new policy and sooner or later you will get banned,so maybe you should do your research first before shooting of at the mouth

tmedocianis

Hey Hey Hey, let's all be nice here. Can't we all just get along? I been dying to say that one. :-)

Kenster

There is always a way to work with Google. Sit down for literally 10 minutes (start a timer) and think about a way to satisfy Googles terms while still promoting your product. There is ALWAYS a way you may just need to be a little creative or sacrifice your conversion ratio...deal with it.

As mentioned above, one way is to lead visitors on a longer trail before they see your offer. This has been a trend from the very beginning of cpa. Direct linking was great when cpa first started and then it evolved to having to create a landing page, then a site, and now its one step deeper.


At the end of the day, there are still ways to satisfy Google and still make money and plenty of people including myself are still making money from these with google traffic.


And I leave you with this...Adapt this mindset and you will be fine in this and any other business. Think about change and hurdles as opportunities. Many people sit here and say oh well, i will stop using google because they implented this policy or that policy making it more difficult to do what I was doing. I think about this as an opporutnity. If I can figure out how to work around the rule and still satisfy it, thats more traffic for me and cheaper clicks because a ton of people gave up at the obstacle. Thats why obstacles and barriers are sometimes the greatest opportunties for those that are a wee bit creative.

to your success

Catalyst eMarketing

Even though Ken's post was so good I thanked him for it, I still felt the need to quote part of it. Great winning attitude Ken!

Linda Buquet :: Google Places Optimization Specialist :: Catalyst eMarketing
Google Places Optimization :: ADVANCED GOOGLE PLACES TRAINING Available
Google Places Optimization & Local SEO BLOG :: Latest Google Places News and Tips
BEST Google Places Software & FREE Local SEO Tools

williamrs

It's possible to promote free trials on Google, you just need to be smart. If you use landing page with a review of an acai product with a link pointing to that product Google won't allow you to promote that site through PPC. However, if you create a landing page with 500+ words of useful content and an opt-in form you will be ok. Then, you just need to reach a high opt-in rate and promote your free trial offers using an autoresponder series.

Of course, it's not a very simple task. There are many variables involved and it's easy to go wrong. However, it's 100% possible if you have some experience and money to test a couple offers and landing pages.


William

andrecr7

Brilliant response. Just think of the possibilities in this, you have a list targeted to a niche. You can promote a CPA offer, but also affiliate products in the long run, as well as establishing a relationship with your list.

You can actually apply other strategies in this, the possibilities are endless. Just think outside the box, and you will reap the rewards.

Mário Gomes

In your autoresponder series would you promote the direct link for the offer page or how would you do it?

Should you pre-sell or not? Would you pre-sell in the e-mail series or you direct them to a specific pre-sell page?

williamrs

It depends on the niche. But, usually, I create an informative email series. Let me give you an example to make it clear.

Let's say that I'm promoting a weight loss product. On my landing page I tell people that I'll show them how I lost X pounds in X days, they just need to opt-in and start receiving emails from me. Then I create an autoresponder series with 4 or 5 emails:

Email 1 - "How I lost the first X pounds"
Email 2 - "The next X days, more X pounds lost"
Email 3 - "Incredible! I made me lose more X pounds!"
Email 4 - "X pounds lost. But I don't want to get them back!"
etc...

Using this autoresponder series I promote my main offer and also some other products (but don't exaggerate and flood your emails with dozens of products!). However, I don't simply promote a product or write all the emails to tell people that they need to buy that product. I make some research to write the emails and always try to offer useful information, something that will help them even if they don't buy my product. It helps a lot with credibility (people know when what they are reading is just crap). Also, make sure that you don't send the content in the email itself, but give people a link to click and go to your site.

This kind of campaign works very well for me. My avg. opt-in rate is 50% (I'm preparing a short a report about landing pages and I'll post it for free on the War Room soon), which is very good, and I always try to start a relationship with my customer. This way, I expose only 50% of my visitors to my offer, but the conversion rate is pretty high in comparison with common review/presell pages.

Of course, I'm not going to lie and tell you that you can start making huge money with this kind of campaign if you have a couple bucks to spend on AdWords. In order to really learn how it works you will need to test different offers, landing pages and verticals. You will have to spend some money on your campaigns, so you need to have another income source to pay your bills while you try to fogure out how it works. However, it's a mistake to think that Google hates affiliates and we can't market cpa offers with them anymore. Google just wants to offer a good experience to their users and make money, so if people start clicking on their ads an finding crap on the other side Google will have problems. So you just need to use relevant information to the user and start a relationship with them. Google won't slap you if you're giving people what they want.


William

Mário Gomes

William,

1) You use your e-mails to redirect them to a website where you provide the information?

2) How do they reach the final offer page?

3) You use a single 'homepage' to do the opt-ins or you use different opt-in webpages according to different keywords?

williamrs

1) I send them an email with a link. Then they click that link and go to a page where I provide the information.

2) I promote the offer in the 1st email of the email series. (Sometimes in the 2nd email)

3) I use only one landing page with 500 - 800 words of unique relevant content. However, this landing page is not my homepage, with AdWords I always use a complete site with homepage, privacy policy, contact, about and 15+ content pages.


William

Mário Gomes

Hi William,

1) You say you promote the offer in the 1st email of the email series. (Sometimes in the 2nd email), but you give a link to where you have the information. Do you mean that you promote the offer exclusively in the e-mails and not on the site itself (where the information is)?

2) Do you think the conversion is lower using this method instead of the older one without opt-in (offer directly on website) ?

Thanks a lot!

Cash37

I turned my back on Google a while ago. There are billions of impressions online I can buy that Google doesn't control

Mário Gomes

Do you find it easy to work with the other networks?

williamrs

1) There is a link to the offer on the page where I present the content. The email has only a link to this page.

2) I don't know... I think it depends on the case. Chances are that it will happen initially, because you will expose less people to the offer. However, you will have the chance to start a relationship and build trust with people who join your list, and it can skyrocket your conversion rate. I think that if you do it right the conversion rate of your opt-in page will be similar to the conversion rate of a review page, for example, but besides making sales you will be also building a list of customers that will make you money for months or even years to come.


William

williamrs

Although Google still is my favorite PPC company, I agree 100% with you. AOL and Bidvertiser, for example, are very good, too.

Now, I'm trying to test some simple things (mobile, games and dating offers) with Facebook, for example. I have never used their platform, so chances are that I'll lose some money until I figure out how it works, but I'm sure that FB is also a great alternative.

I think that a good idea is to test offers with smaller PPC companies (direct linking or using simple landing pages), and then move on to Google if you find a winner. It's because testing campaigns with Google can be a little expensive, you need to build a complete website, have a lot of content on your landing page and also work with a higher cpc. So it's much easier if you alread know that your offer converts.


William

holidayrentals

yes we need to be creative

holidayrentals

oh yes there are many others that are really good

volkansen

Well said..