My business is basically gone, and I just quit my job

[sree94]

So for months now, I have been making about 3 times more with IM than my job, which I really don't like and has awful hours. I put aside 6 months of savings to live off, and decided to put in my notice and do IM full time

Then Tuesday, Google dropped the hammer

They have not outright banned me yet from Adwords, but I have been getting that dreaded "system delay" message for almost 2 straight days now. And I got an email saying my pages are in violation because they have affiliate URL's on them. Unreal

I am going to do everything I can to get around the ban and get a new account, but it is clear to me now that Adwords is not a viable long term business strategy. And this is something I knew, but I got blinded by the potential for the good life

A part of me wants to still give it a shot full time, but someone once said you shouldn't quit a job until you have steady, converting traffic. So it looks like I am going to have to lie and convince my bosses that I can't truly see myself leaving this job

What a nightmare

[tryinhere]

Originally Posted by sree94

They have not outright banned me yet from Adwords, but I have been getting that dreaded "system delay" message for almost 2 straight days now. And I got an email saying my pages are in violation because they have affiliate URL's on them. Unreal

?? they said in black and white you were banned with the words because of affiliate urls ?

[Jill Carpenter]

Yes, adwords alone can not be a safe strategy.

Are you signed up to the ad networks on msn and yahoo?

If you have not been, you've been losing some good traffic. They are cheaper in general and can be pretty effective.

Long term, you really do want to go organic and just build your ranking. If you are promoting products with adwords that may not longer be interesting next year, then just do that on the side and look for some long term niche or product that you can build a real site around.

It is going to take some time to do this right, but it's the right way for the long haul.

[sree94]

I am signed up on Yahoo and MSN. MSN gave me very little sales. Yahoo is a little better, but far from sustainable

[TheMagicShow]

Originally Posted by sree94

So for months now, I have been making about 3 times more with IM than my job, which I really don't like and has awful hours. I put aside 6 months of savings to live off, and decided to put in my notice and do IM full time

Then Tuesday, Google dropped the hammer

They have not outright banned me yet from Adwords, but I have been getting that dreaded "system delay" message for almost 2 straight days now. And I got an email saying my pages are in violation because they have affiliate URL's on them. Unreal

I am going to do everything I can to get around the ban and get a new account, but it is clear to me now that Adwords is not a viable long term business strategy. And this is something I knew, but I got blinded by the potential for the good life

A part of me wants to still give it a shot full time, but someone once said you shouldn't quit a job until you have steady, converting traffic. So it looks like I am going to have to lie and convince my bosses that I can't truly see myself leaving this job

What a nightmare

That sucks...Bigtime! Google can never be fully trusted, adwords, seo...Nothing is 100%, especially with google.

[sree94]

Originally Posted by tryinhere

?? they said in black and white you were banned with the words because of affiliate urls ?

Here is what it said, word for word:

o The sites were disabled because these URLs are: Affiliate sites

[Wide]

I'm completly confused now.
Banned for promoting an affiliate product? Isnt this what most people do on adwords?

[MikeHumphreys]

I'm not an attorney nor do I play in real life but it seems to me that you need to diversify your traffic sources. Relying on only one traffic source is playing with fire... eventually you will get burned.

Spend 1-2 weeks and get multiple traffic sources going to your sites. It would also be a good idea to use a link cloaker to cover your affiliate links, especially to prevent people from hi-jacking your affiliate commissions (i.e. replacing your Clickbank ID in a Clickbank URL with their own Clickbank ID)

If you're doing testing on your sites, then do NOT use Google's tool on your affiliate pages. Otherwise, you are basically announcing the URLs to Google and saying "please ban these pages for me"

[sree94]

Originally Posted by Wide

I'm completly confused now.
Banned for promoting an affiliate product? Isnt this what most people do on adwords?

It's no secret that Google is basically trying to get rid of affiliates. Guess they are tired of policing all the acai and flog scams

I am probably targeted too because I promote downloadable software. It's totally legit, but there are a lot of software that are not. I've heard Google is targeting these as well

[tryinhere]

Originally Posted by sree94

Here is what it said, word for word:

o The sites were disabled because these URLs are: Affiliate sites

? can you pm or post the whole thing so i can see that in context please because that makes no sense ?

[cashcow]

Were you going directly to an affiliate url or to your own website first?

[sree94]

Originally Posted by cashcow

Were you going directly to an affiliate url or to your own website first?

My site first, which has affiliate links on it

[dave147]

Originally Posted by MikeHumphreys

I'm not an attorney nor do I play in real life but it seems to me that you need to diversify your traffic sources. Relying on only one traffic source is playing with fire... eventually you will get burned.

Spend 1-2 weeks and get multiple traffic sources going to your sites. It would also be a good idea to use a link cloaker to cover your affiliate links, especially to prevent people from hi-jacking your affiliate commissions (i.e. replacing your Clickbank ID in a Clickbank URL with their own Clickbank ID)

If you're doing testing on your sites, then do NOT use Google's tool on your affiliate pages. Otherwise, you are basically announcing the URLs to Google and saying "please ban these pages for me"

Exactly what I was gonna say

[KenThompson]

People above gave the most important advice which is to
diversify your traffic/marketing sources. So in that spirit,
I highly recommend doing PPV marketing sans middleman
with this WSO by Profit Smart:

http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...seriously.html

Also, just as an example of what can be done, a Canadian
gentleman named Gauher Chaudry was heavily vested with
adwords for his CPA businesses. He's made a tremendous
amount of money with CPA.

After Google really went off the deep-end over a year ago,
or further back, Gauher decided to wisely start moving away
from heavy dependence on adwords. I read on his blog that
he wanted to reduce his adwords traffic to about 15-20% of
his total and he accomplished that. Then, after he did that he
decided he wanted to reduce it even more.

So it can be done, but I understand you're a bit under the gun.
I highly suggest you look at Jordan's (profit smart) WSO. You
can be up and running in a day/two if you hustle.

Good luck.

[tryinhere]

Affiliates and resellers are welcome to advertise with AdWords.

What should I know if I'm the parent company of an affiliate or reseller program? - AdWords Help

well that is still on googles site and until it is shown in full context its hard to call, and it would be the first email of any kind i have heard of where G states up front not to use affiliate links, which makes the statement on their site null and void.

[Damz]

Yeah Sree;
Your posts were always impressive and Im so inspired...I'm watching you since your 1st IM success post "Article Marketing with EZA-Your earned around $800 first month".and then your $1000 a day post. I think you've built your list and improve the number of subscribers using other free traffic methods you already familiar with..Don't frustrate bro..That's life..We all have to face success and failure at times...Remember there are plenty of alternatives out there...Good luck to your business!

[Lilach]

Well, firstly you have a business. And the biggest mistake people make in business is "putting all their eggs in one basket".

That could be with either having 1 large client, and then they disappear for whatever reason or like what's happening with you in that your main (and perhaps only) form of marketing has gone pear shaped.

There are other options, yahoo, Facebook etc. I'm not a google ad word expert but perhaps you could set up new lead capture pages etc. (and follow their rules this time?) not sure if its as simple as that so forgive me if it isn't.

I think this should be a huge learning curve to you. There are so many ways to market your business and although google ad words has a place and is quick for getting results, it doesn't build a profile presence of you and when it stops (or the money runs out) so does the sales...

I wish you the best of luck with what you decide to do.

Lilach

[Nick Brighton]

If you can convert Google PPC traffic (cold) then you have a killer sales process which works, and you can be sure to make a lot more money by targeting the other 80% of online traffic which is free, and much warmer...so don't lose hope just yet

Here's the ironic thing...

Google is quick to ban people who use affiliate links. But affiliates are directly responsible for some of Adword's largest clients' growth...

...such as the mighty Amazon.com themselves.

Cutting off affiliates is basically one step towards cutting off their own client's revenue. And when clients lose revenue, they might just start easing up on their advertising budgets too.

Talk about burning bridges.

[sree94]

Originally Posted by DamZ

Yeah Sree;
Your posts were always impressive and Im so inspired...I'm watching you since your 1st IM success post "Article Marketing with EZA-Your earned around $800 first month".and then your $1000 a day post. I think you've built your list and improve the number of subscribers using other free traffic methods you already familiar with..Don't frustrate bro..That's life..We all have to face success and failure at times...Remember there are plenty of alternatives out there...Good luck to your business!

Thanks for the support

Honestly, I have not focused on list building as much as I should... primarily because my main niche is of the "desperate" variety and not the best for backend sales

I had planned to really focus on more "backend" niches once I was working FT in IM. Looks like the days of getting off work and then working for 5 hours at home are back!

[Jill Carpenter]

Originally Posted by sree94

Here is what it said, word for word:

o The sites were disabled because these URLs are: Affiliate sites

Are these one page websites?

Are they knock off sites that were handed to you?

Do they have any valuable/unique information on them?

I know technically it shouldn't matter, but this is what Google is looking for.

You might get away with adding blogs or some additional pages of information for some of those.

Hard to say.

[cashcow]

Well, that all stinks, but I have a feeling that you will come out on top and even stronger than before!

I think it's smart that you are going to try to get your job back. I would probably go for it full time even without the IM income .... Oh wait ... that's what I did do when I got laid off!

[LeapingHorse]

I'm still confused about the ban - is there just one product that you're promoting? I can see Google not allowing promotion of certain products, but I've never heard about them flatout banning affiliate links

[marklyford]

I have learnt my lessons hard about not having multiple streams of income , i wont be doing it again. hope you situation turns around mate.

[sree94]

Originally Posted by avenuegirl

Are these one page websites?

Are they knock off sites that were handed to you?

Do they have any valuable/unique information on them?

I know technically it shouldn't matter, but this is what Google is looking for.

You might get away with adding blogs or some additional pages of information for some of those.

Hard to say.

These are not one page sites. They are based on the Conduit Method by Chris Rempel

I basically make my money off three products. All are computer repair software. Two separate sites

[entrepenerd]

I'd really take to heart what's being said about email list building here.

Before you give up altogether and head back to a JOB. Try sending your PPC traffic to a lead capture page. You just need to make sure it's quality score friendly, but this time it won't have any affiliate links on it, so Google can't complain about that. If you're dangling the right carrot, you can snare a pretty high percentage of sign-ups. And, with the right auto-responder series, you can quickly convert even "desperate" prospects into customers. Not only that, but you'll have built a list that you can continue to promote offers to when you find something that they might be interested in.

You can also send the visitor that signs-up directly to the vendor page after they've completed the sign-up form. Google won't see this because they won't sign up after the form. All they care about is what page the clicker is going to land on.

I ran a little experiment a while back in a small desperate niche and was able to build a list of several hundred subscribers in a just a few days for little cost with PPC traffic only.

It's worth a shot.

Good luck

Originally Posted by Lilach

Well, firstly you have a business. And the biggest mistake people make in business is "putting all their eggs in one basket".

That could be with either having 1 large client, and then they disappear for whatever reason or like what's happening with you in that your main (and perhaps only) form of marketing has gone pear shaped.

There are other options, yahoo, Facebook etc. I'm not a google ad word expert but perhaps you could set up new lead capture pages etc. (and follow their rules this time?) not sure if its as simple as that so forgive me if it isn't.

I think this should be a huge learning curve to you. There are so many ways to market your business and although google ad words has a place and is quick for getting results, it doesn't build a profile presence of you and when it stops (or the money runs out) so does the sales...

I wish you the best of luck with what you decide to do.

Lilach

[Paleochora]

Don't forget that Google is not the only act in town.

Get an account with Clicksor (pay out via paypal net 15), Admanage, Adbrite (or whatever they are know as these days) or Adoptim.

All have good enough reach whether you are an advertiser or a publisher and many cost less to advertise than Adwords and pay out better than Adsense.

[sree94]

Originally Posted by entrepenerd

I'd really take to heart what's being said about email list building here.

Before you give up altogether and head back to a JOB. Try sending your PPC traffic to a lead capture page. You just need to make sure it's quality score friendly, but this time it won't have any affiliate links on it, so Google can't complain about that. If you're dangling the right carrot, you can snare a pretty high percentage of sign-ups. And, with the right auto-responder series, you can quickly convert even "desperate" prospects into customers. Not only that, but you'll have built a list that you can continue to promote offers to when you find something that they might be interested in.

You can also send the visitor that signs-up directly to the vendor page after they've completed the sign-up form. Google won't see this because they won't sign up after the form. All they care about is what page the clicker is going to land on.

I ran a little experiment a while back in a small desperate niche and was able to build a list of several hundred subscribers in a just a few days for little cost with PPC traffic only.

It's worth a shot.

Good luck

I would definitely be open to this... if I could even get back in to Google

I also don't want them to fill my position, so I probably will go in today and beg for them to let me keep it

[tryinhere]

Originally Posted by sree94

I would definitely be open to this... if I could even get back in to Google

I also don't want them to fill my position, so I probably will go in today and beg for them to let me keep it

you said in your open post you were not banned, so you only need fix what is broken, also g have no problems with affiliate links, but they do have problems with certain types of sites or layouts etc that some affiliates use, this is the part that needs fixing

[dmtaylor247]

Was your site known as an "affiliate bridge" or a "thin affiliate site" ? I have a massive campaign in google ready to go but have been looking into what google will and won't accept.

The two sides to the story I have heard is that there are too many cloned sites in adwords and search results are showing to many simmilar sites? do you know if people have been cloning your campaigns? have a look.

The other side of the coin is Google getting greedy and wanting to be the top dog affiliate. Look at Google base...OK it's not affiliate, but many think it soon will be and it's not really any different to other comparison shopping sites out there. It has copied and republished datafeeds so google is also guilty of the duplicate crime.

This is the only way I have though of overcoming this, by first writing a blog, building a thousand or so backlinks and gaining some trust, slap plenty of unique content on there and then in 2 months or so convert a page dedicated to affilaite sales and re publish with adwords.

Was your site also considered to be a framed site? meaning that it is identical to the redirect? Google doesn't like sites that only have one affiliate link too and its better to have a few, which is why I have been thinking about building a comparison site.

Personally I think that their explanation of why you got pulled isn't adequete enough.

[sree94]

Originally Posted by tryinhere

you said in your open post you were not banned, so you only need fix what is broken, also g have no problems with affiliate links, but they do have problems with certain types of sites or layouts etc that some affiliates use, this is the part that needs fixing

The sites that they did not like, I actually deleted them, and emailed Google to tell them I was doing this

[garyv]

Originally Posted by sree94

These are not one page sites. They are based on the Conduit Method by Chris Rempel

I basically make my money off three products. All are computer repair software. Two separate sites

You might want to try changing up your niche. Many of the "computer repair" softwares out there are known to be carrying adware, and other hidden cookie stuffing softwares that google really hates. If your site has links to a product that has been complained to them about a lot, then they'll just block you until you remove it.

[ktmurf]

Originally Posted by sree94

The sites that they did not like, I actually deleted them, and emailed Google to tell them I was doing this

Google has a system in place where you can resubmit your sites for approval after an incident like this. They know that it's people like you that keep their two major ad systems working, they want you advertising with them, or posting their ads no matter what. You should be fine, they're pretty forgiving when it comes to minor things like this.

[Jill Carpenter]

Originally Posted by sree94

The sites that they did not like, I actually deleted them, and emailed Google to tell them I was doing this

You just deleted the campaigns and not the sites, correct?


There are other ways to drive traffic to them - especially if they are converting.

[sree94]

Originally Posted by avenuegirl

You just deleted the campaigns and not the sites, correct?


There are other ways to drive traffic to them - especially if they are converting.

No, started new campaigns with new domains on different Adwords accounts

I probably didn't cover my tracks as well as I should have

[Jill Carpenter]

Originally Posted by sree94

No, started new campaigns with new domains on different Adwords accounts

I probably didn't cover my tracks as well as I should have

LOL, I shouldn't be laughing - sorry.

No, you may want to rethink that strategy.

Well, here is what I'd do.

Take that converting copy what ever it is and use it as a front page or top blog post.

Whip up some quick articles on the topic, give yourself some blog posts, and set that review/sales page as the front page of the site.

You can pay someone to make some articles for you in a jiffy or rewrite some plr.

I'd also stick an autoresponder on the sidebar.

When you pay for traffic, you may as well collect the names of those passing by if you can.

Get a quick report or ebook put together as a free giveaway.

You'll be able to push your products several more times if people are on your list.

Then, I'd sit down and think about a serious long term site that you can build a sustainable business on - if lets say adwords ever shut down your account.

Go for something you can start building links to and a niche you want to go into long term.

[tryinhere]

Originally Posted by sree94

No, started new campaigns with new domains on different Adwords account
I probably didn't cover my tracks as well as I should have

OK as mentioned above its probably the product you were promoting.

Be thankful you still have your account if you have done all of this, do a little digging there are hundreds if not thousands upon thousands of products you can promote with no problems and still make money from with adwords.

when you find the products like this one plug in your alternate cpc options with other networks and traffic systems, so in many ways also as above above have many traffic streams to your offers and then like a power board in the home plug in the ones that suit that offer and your going to be good to go.

[entrepenerd]

Seeing now that you're in the computer software niche I'd definitely look deeper into building a list. These leads are very desperate as you mentioned, but re-selling them later is not as hard as you might think. You'll find that those that are desperate for computer help now are going to be just as desperate later because they're going to keep doing the same things that caused them issues in the first place.

Originally Posted by sree94

I would definitely be open to this... if I could even get back in to Google

I also don't want them to fill my position, so I probably will go in today and beg for them to let me keep it

Originally Posted by entrepenerd

I'd really take to heart what's being said about email list building here.

Before you give up altogether and head back to a JOB. Try sending your PPC traffic to a lead capture page. You just need to make sure it's quality score friendly, but this time it won't have any affiliate links on it, so Google can't complain about that. If you're dangling the right carrot, you can snare a pretty high percentage of sign-ups. And, with the right auto-responder series, you can quickly convert even "desperate" prospects into customers. Not only that, but you'll have built a list that you can continue to promote offers to when you find something that they might be interested in.

You can also send the visitor that signs-up directly to the vendor page after they've completed the sign-up form. Google won't see this because they won't sign up after the form. All they care about is what page the clicker is going to land on.

I ran a little experiment a while back in a small desperate niche and was able to build a list of several hundred subscribers in a just a few days for little cost with PPC traffic only.

It's worth a shot.

Good luck

[Lisa Gergets]

I certainly can't give better advice than all that's been given here, but I will say this again and again: diversify, diversify, diversify...

Get back on the horse...you say you have three months saved so that will save your butt while you get yourself back up and running...

Much luck to you!

[sree94]

Originally Posted by allsabqat

why you do not search some altenative to adwords. you may create another website put your links over it & promote this.

NOTHING works better for me than Adwords

For a year, I busted my butt daily with SEO. I had one day where I made $200. Most days I was lucky to make 2 sales

The second day I did Adwords, I brought in $200.

[John_Edwards]

Originally Posted by sree94

So for months now, I have been making about 3 times more with IM than my job, which I really don't like and has awful hours. I put aside 6 months of savings to live off, and decided to put in my notice and do IM full time

Then Tuesday, Google dropped the hammer

They have not outright banned me yet from Adwords, but I have been getting that dreaded "system delay" message for almost 2 straight days now. And I got an email saying my pages are in violation because they have affiliate URL's on them. Unreal

I am going to do everything I can to get around the ban and get a new account, but it is clear to me now that Adwords is not a viable long term business strategy. And this is something I knew, but I got blinded by the potential for the good life

A part of me wants to still give it a shot full time, but someone once said you shouldn't quit a job until you have steady, converting traffic. So it looks like I am going to have to lie and convince my bosses that I can't truly see myself leaving this job

What a nightmare

Hi,

Adwords was something i was thinking strongly about when starting out, but after following courses from the likes of Perry Marshall and Howie Jacobson, i realised it takes a lot of time to learn the formula, and it`s a big step to go full time with?

If Google pull the `slap` out of the bag the business is gone, i strongly recommend you create your own product put it on Clickbank, get a blog going as your hub site catering to a supply and demand niche for info use the internet to research and learn the best niches monetise it, then build your brand organicly on the Google, for your niche product and blog!

As regards to the product, simply wash rinse and repeat the process, build your online empire that way, then when you have secured the foundations to your business, then use PPC as an extra income stream, but first get your job back to fund all this?

Check out John Thornhill on Google, he has an excellent course on product creation!

Good luck....John

[euhlir]

For a year, I busted my butt daily with SEO.

Until you get yourself back on track I'd get back into your article marketing. I remember your post about doing 10/day and making some decent sales. Build your list while doing that and you'll be able to figure out where to go from there soon enough.

There's always Facebook, Yahoo, MSN, Twitter, and a ton of other PPC platforms you're probably not utilizing to the fullest.

Hope things work out for you.

[Amir Rimer]

Yes, I agree John Thornhill is amazing.

I have been through all his courses, and his content is outstanding.

[badboy_Nick]

Call Google first. If you did nothing wrong they will re-activate your accounts. But I suggest to go part-time and still concentrate on IM as life really IS great!

[FrankBowman]

Originally Posted by sree94

I would definitely be open to this... if I could even get back in to Google

I also don't want them to fill my position, so I probably will go in today and beg for them to let me keep it

Its easy to get another adwords account......PM me if you want

[Rod Cortez]

Originally Posted by sree94

.....A part of me wants to still give it a shot full time, but someone once said you shouldn't quit a job until you have steady, converting traffic. So it looks like I am going to have to lie and convince my bosses that I can't truly see myself leaving this job
What a nightmare

Any financial advisor / planner would say the same thing. Do not quit your job until you have steady income and at least 6 months worth of living expenses. Props to you for having saved up for a rainy day, most people don't do that.

Google Adwords is great if you're able to keep up with their constantly moving targets. There's also places like Yahoo and Bing. You can also buy impressions from a plethora of media networks. You can also buy traffic directly from website owners in many situations. The key is to diversify all of the big 4:

Paid advertising
Content traffic
Free publicity
Strategic relationships (example: joint ventures, cross-promoting, cross-branding, etc.)

Very few people /organizations do all four well. While you don't have to do all four, once you have traffic coming from 3 to 4 of the big 4, you wouldn't be able to turn the traffic off even if you wanted to.

Good luck,

RoD

[bgmacaw]

First, contact the Google Complaint Department and voice your concerns over this action.

Basically the message from the big Internet companies, from Google to eBay, has become "Go Big or Go Home". That's why a company like TheFind.com or NexTag.com can get away with essentially wafer thin scrapped content affiliate sites while us regular Joes/Janes get slapped around by Google and others. Overall, I've come to believe that the best long term strategy is to build a brand of some type supported by your own product base rather than on an affiliate relationship.

[amitjain]

Why you worry so much about Google adwords? join other ad networks and carry on with your dream job (IM).

[LilBlackDress]

I am so sorry this happened to you. The power that Google has is really scary. Sometimes I wonder if Matt Cutt's sweetheart said "hey honey I am selling product X could you please get rid of the competition" if he would send out letters banning them.

Regardless I hate to say this but yes yes yes yes yes yes go get your job back. It is a terrible job market out there as you know. I have a brilliant daughter who worked so hard in college and can't find a job. I read about people making over a hundred thousand who are now delivering pizzas. There are a lot of people looking for work.

You do not know what will happen with your online businesses and how long it will take you to build them up again. If it was a different economic climate my thoughts would be different.

My advice - Get that job back! At least for now.

[LilBlackDress]

Originally Posted by bgmacaw

First, contact the Google Complaint Department and voice your concerns over this action.

Basically the message from the big Internet companies, from Google to eBay, has become "Go Big or Go Home". That's why a company like TheFind.com or NexTag.com can get away with essentially wafer thin scrapped content affiliate sites while us regular Joes/Janes get slapped around by Google and others. Overall, I've come to believe that the best long term strategy is to build a brand of some type supported by your own product base rather than on an affiliate relationship.

Like what kind of product? Do you mean developing something like Fat Loss 4 Idiots and getting affiliates to work for you?

[sdentrepreneur]

Originally Posted by sree94

So for months now, I have been making about 3 times more with IM than my job, which I really don't like and has awful hours. I put aside 6 months of savings to live off, and decided to put in my notice and do IM full time

Then Tuesday, Google dropped the hammer

They have not outright banned me yet from Adwords, but I have been getting that dreaded "system delay" message for almost 2 straight days now. And I got an email saying my pages are in violation because they have affiliate URL's on them. Unreal

I am going to do everything I can to get around the ban and get a new account, but it is clear to me now that Adwords is not a viable long term business strategy. And this is something I knew, but I got blinded by the potential for the good life

A part of me wants to still give it a shot full time, but someone once said you shouldn't quit a job until you have steady, converting traffic. So it looks like I am going to have to lie and convince my bosses that I can't truly see myself leaving this job

What a nightmare

That is one of MANY reasons why I don't like Affiliate Marketing and CPA Marketing.
There is so much money to be made online that doesn't involve both of those methods.
Good luck my friend, I hope it works out for you !!!