4 Keys to AdWords Approval of Your Affiliate Site

[wolfmmiii]

It seems like every other day, there is another thread about affiliate sites and AdWords. If it's not someone complaining about his site being banned, it about whether or not Google hates affiliate sites. If it's not about either of those, it's about how to get a site/landing page approved or how to improve quality score.

Folks, there really are just 4 keys to successfully promoting affiliate sites via AdWords. I've taken some excerpts from my Affiliate Sites for AdWords ebook and posted them below for your reading pleasure.


Landing Page Design

Many folks build their landing pages and include nothing but a bit of scraped/copied content and a handful of affiliate links and then wonder why their AdWords account was banned. What I do is include 300-400 words of original content surrounded by additional content in the form of presentations, RSS feeds, and user interactivity. If I’m feeling ambitious, I’ll even include a custom AdSense for search.

By including all of this additional content, the site becomes one that readers (and Google) find useful. This fact is not lost on AdWords reviewers when they check out your site.

SPECIAL NOTE:

Always pay attention to how your site fits a typical browser window. You want to fit as much monetization ABOVE THE FOLD as possible! If you choose your keywords carefully, those finding your site are looking for very specific information. By providing this information ABOVE THE FOLD and properly monetizing it, you will significantly improve your conversion ratios.


Branding

Which domain do you think AdWords reviewers look more favorably upon: gpsreviews.com or blackwoodentvstands.info?

Although fairly generic, gpsreviews.com is clearly the more brandable domain name. Although it’s my own personal opinion, I feel that brandability of a site is something human reviewers consider when looking over a site.

By building a brandable site, you build credibility in the eyes of a human reviewer and that can be the difference between an approval and a rejection. Making an attempt to put together a quality site may well earn you the benefit of the doubt if any part of your site is ever questioned.


Content Quality

Three hundred to five hundred words in the form of an original review and product features should suffice, provided your landing page includes other useful content and interactivity. You’d be surprised how much Google favors interactivity when reviewing a landing page/site for an AdWords campaign.

While the main content area of my landing pages includes 300-500 words in the form of product reviews, I include other types of content in the sidebar. Such content is multimedia in nature and almost always includes strategically-placed affiliate links. I also provide users with the opportunity to provide their own feedback. This type of interactivity and multimedia content works wonders when seeking AdWords approval.


Content Diversity

In addition to unique and helpful content (usually in the form of a product review), content diversity is also critical to gaining AdWords approval. Remember, Google only approves sites that provide value. Throwing up a few articles (especially rehashed ones) does not provide the value that Google is looking for.

You have to go the extra mile, especially since you are already walking a fine as an affiliate. By providing diverse content on your landing page, you are providing the value that Google (and your users) are looking for.


There you have it, in a nutshell. There are, of course, other pieces to the puzzle that is AdWords. However, these really are the key ingredients.

As always, feel free to drop me a line if you have questions or comments.


Tom

[stevenalowe]

Excellent advice. I would just add that for a 'true' landing page (one with no distractions/options other than accepting your compelling offer), more content is better than less content - no only for quality score, but also for visitor engagement.

Think about what your visitor wants, and write content that amplifies that want into a burning desire. Keep the content tightly relevant to your keywords, and echo the phrasing of the original ad, especially in the title and subtitle.

Google is trying to ensure that visitors to adwords sites receive relevant, useful content; that's the purpose of the quality score.

I suspect that having your landing page off the root of a relevant site helps the quality score. I also suspect that the bot that scans adwords landing pages is much 'smarter' than the standard google web crawler. I have noticed a significant jump in search-result ranking for an entire site after only a one-week low-budget adwords test campaign.

But since I don't work for google, I can't prove any of this ;-)

[wolfmmiii]

Originally Posted by stevenalowe

I would just add that for a 'true' landing page (one with no distractions/options other than accepting your compelling offer)

Thanks. I agree with most of what you said. However, a landing page like the one quoted above will almost always get tagged and disabled as a "bridge page" by the AdWords team.

[MaverickUK]

What sort of offers would you promote with AdWords? I've never dabbled with PPC but plan to in the near future, but i don't really see what affiliate landing pages could be promoted - a lot of them are 'banned by Adwords' as i've seen people say hundreds of times before.

[wolfmmiii]

Originally Posted by MaverickUK

a lot of them are 'banned by Adwords' as i've seen people say hundreds of times before.

When I use it, I promote Amazon review sites. You've seen hundreds of "banned by AdWords" complaints because most affiliate marketers either suck at landing page design or simply ignore TOS and then claim "woe is me".

I'm good at it and have very few problems.

If most people followed the advice in the "Google Hates You" thread in my signature, they'd have far fewer issues.

[stevenalowe]

Originally Posted by wolfmmiii

Thanks. I agree with most of what you said. However, a landing page like the one quoted above will almost always get tagged and disabled as a "bridge page" by the AdWords team.

Interesting - because the AdWords team told me to send ads for my book to a landing page instead of to Amazon directly!

Might be a catch-22 situation here...

[elijahcamp1]

ok you might be right.

[wolfmmiii]

Originally Posted by stevenalowe

Interesting - because the AdWords team told me to send ads for my book to a landing page instead of to Amazon directly!

Might be a catch-22 situation here...

Well, not really a catch-22 (although awfully close). Amazon forbids direct linking. A landing page is a must. However, unless you know how to design a proper AdWords-approved landing page, you risk being declined by AdWords for use of a "bridge page".

So yes, a QUALITY (ie. AdWords-approved) landing page is required when promoting Amazon via AdWords.

Unfortunately, I sometimes feel like I'm one of the 3 people on the planet that knows how to design an AdWords-approved landing page for Amazon promotion.

[stevenalowe]

Originally Posted by wolfmmiii

Well, not really a catch-22 (although awfully close). Unfortunately, I sometimes feel like I'm one of the 3 people on the planet that knows how to design an AdWords-approved landing page for Amazon promotion.

Hmmmm... that sounds like a good ebook! Let me know when you have a WSO for it

[wolfmmiii]

Originally Posted by stevenalowe

Hmmmm... that sounds like a good ebook! Let me know when you have a WSO for it

haha. Already have a free ebook out there. I'm not to into WSOs. I do just fine consulting.

[stevenalowe]

Originally Posted by wolfmmiii

haha. Already have a free ebook out there. I'm not to into WSOs. I do just fine consulting.

don't make it free - if it solves a problem (which it does), people will pay for it

[wolfmmiii]

I thought about putting together a paid WSO but it would be super expensive and I'm not sure how to market that kind of stuff. I can be far more helpful consulting folks and designing sites and landing pages.

[stevenalowe]

Originally Posted by wolfmmiii

I thought about putting together a paid WSO but it would be super expensive and I'm not sure how to market that kind of stuff. I can be far more helpful consulting folks and designing sites and landing pages.

I'm confused - a WSO costs $40, and making an ebook (PDF) costs nothing but time...?

[wolfmmiii]

I meant that any WSO I sell will be expensive (probably in the $100-$200 range). It would be a comprehensive product covering all aspects of AdWords promotion of affiliate sites and the strategies I use.

TBH, the more I talk about it the more I'm actually considering doing one.

[stevenalowe]

Originally Posted by wolfmmiii

I meant that any WSO I sell will be expensive (probably in the $100-$200 range). It would be a comprehensive product covering all aspects of AdWords promotion of affiliate sites and the strategies I use.

TBH, the more I talk about it the more I'm actually considering doing one.

If an ebook contains information that I can't readily find elsewhere, and provides value far in excess of its costs, it can be sold.

Example: Naomi Dunford's "How to Sell the **** Out of Your Ebook" sells for $97, and is well worth it.

If you've got the numbers to prove it, people interested in that angle will likely happily pay for it.

But perhaps a test-market is appropriate first (a mini-launch, based on the tactics in Naomi's ebook) - something small and free to build a list of excited people to tell you exactly what their problems are and what they want.

good luck!

[Glowrry]

Outstanding opinion ….I also believe that the both scans ad words landing pages more than good from Google web crawler…

[Goath]

Nice tricks