Google Adwords + Squeeze pages - Ban?

[EntreP]

Hello,

I'm just wondering why Google Adwords has banned advertisers who want to advertise their squeeze pages. I think many marketers used to advertise with squeeze pages to get new leads, but now that isn't possible anymore. What's a good alternative method?

[Don Schenk]

Huh? I'm still advertising my squeeze pages! I guess they forgot to tell me there is a ban.

:-Don

[GuerrillaIM]

Google changed their policy on "thin" websites a while ago. You are allowed to use squeeze pages, but if your website is just a squeeze page for the purpose of affiliate marketing with no content then you run the risk of falling foul of their "thin site" policy.

[EntreP]

Okay thank you very much. I didn't know that. Any idea of how much content I need to put on the squeeze page in order to meet the guidelines?

[Sue McDonald]

Google emailed me last month to say they were giving me a final warning about adsense. I emailed back to say I had not advertised with them since last October - been using MSN - and now they have not answered me. It has been over a month now so I would have thought it would have been followed up by now.

[Fraggler]

I am using AdWords to promote a Squeeze Page also. I include a footer link to my main blog which is related to the squeeze page and my adverts so this might give it a bit more relevance. I also use the content network where landing page quality isn't really a concern.

[GuerrillaIM]

Originally Posted by EntreP

Okay thank you very much. I didn't know that. Any idea of how much content I need to put on the squeeze page in order to meet the guidelines?

Its not so much the actual squeeze page but the site in general. If google deem your site to be of no beneficial value and just a spam trap for affiliate products then they may decide to deny your use of adwords.

Also be very careful which affiliate products you choose. Google doesn't like many of the re-bill offers or offers that make dodgy claims like water4gas.

I have seen people who blatently break every rule in the book and get away with it. i have also seen people get banned for no clear reason.

For me Google adwords is my bread and butter so I take their TOS seriously. But to be honest, if you concentrate on delivering value to the visitor then you should be ok unless you promote a product they dont like.

[tryinhere]

Originally Posted by EntreP

Okay thank you very much. I didn't know that. Any idea of how much content I need to put on the squeeze page in order to meet the guidelines?

with so many Grey lines it is difficult to know exact requirements, first look at G terms. a bridge page is not allowed, a bridge page is any page that has a sole purpose to send a person to another site and is mainly used in affiliate marketing.

Next is a little more Grey and that is the skinny site term, this is the old single page site, and this needs to have privacy policy / terms / about us and other relevant pages for a better q score / avoid slaps or in short a mini site over a page.

how much content is one of those Grey lines as i have not seen any official guide to numbers of words required, so the best you can do is work with what is known

build a mini site with the pages needed by g terms, (the links can be at the bottom or side as discussed but they must be there)

avoid building bridge pages by providing content relative to the search, you can add an affiliate link and or a data capture if it is not the only purpose per say / content.

avoid listing product types as explained as not acceptable by google, ? shady re bill offers / unrealistic health or money making schemes and what ever else is listed by G

avoid shonky URL redirects / i frames

? covered most of it here so keep n mind if you do throw a poor q score then delete the keyword / ads do not pause them as this in effect keeps them active in g eyes.

some people claim you can throw money at a poor keyword , i am yet to have any keyword fixed by throwing money at it, a personal view only.

[kindsvater]

Google does not ban squeeze pages per se. If you do this you should be fine:

- Clearly explain what a person will receive in return for their email address

- Include full contact information on the page - including your company name, address, email, and phone number.

- Include links to a privacy policy, terms of use, and a disclaimer.

(In other words, have full disclosure, be a real business, and not a shady unknown.)

- And finally, try not to use a squeeze page on an Internet marketing product. Have something Google perceives as 'real'. Most squeeze pages are by the IM crowd. It isn't necessarily just the squeeze page, but the underlying product, that Google does not like. That is why you hear so many IM'ers whining about Adwords bans and squeeze page problems.

.

[BobJutsu]

Never had a problem. Normally, I throw together a landing "site", though. That means a TOS, Privacy Policy, Contact and Copyright notice, as well as about 5-10 pages of content. Plus, this way it is super-duper easy to split test pages, and build half a dozen different landing pages for different adgroups. Of course, I don't do hardly anything in the IM market, so that may make a difference.

[Jamian]

I think Google doesn't like affiliates anymore. Plus a lot of people abused the

system. Did you see the FTC rules lately?

[BobJutsu]

Originally Posted by Jamian

I think Google doesn't like affiliates anymore. Plus a lot of people abused the

system. Did you see the FTC rules lately?

Google doesn't like thin affiliates...and they never did. So, you have to either learn to be either fully transparent, or substantive; appear to be invisible, or appear to be providing substance. Neither one is difficult. Remember, big G is our friend, those who learn how to make the rules work for them make the money, those who don't write ebooks about it.

[John Hocking]

Google does not like Dead ends.

Give the user the information they are looking for without forcing them to opt in.

Provide links to contact us or other parts of the website or other sites for those that do not choose to opt in and you will be fine.

[tloti17]

What about image ads on the content network? I tried running a campaign in the finance market recently. Quality score is not an issue with image ads, I got ads approved and I started getting impressions. Then boom it just stopped. The ads are still approved but none of the keywords will trigger the ads. I have a squeeze page with a video explaining what they will get for their email address. I have a disclaimer, contact us, and a link to my home page is this not enough?

[vikramd]

There is actually a good WSO released that cover this (no affiliation BTW - I liked it and found it useful):

http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...lly-197-a.html