Google Adwords landing page requirements?

by 52.ct
9 replies
  • PPC/SEM
  • |
Assuming there are non other Adwords policy violations:
Is it now against Adwords's rules to have an one page landing page as the final destination for an ad click?
Is it possible to use a optin on your landing page?

If the one page landing pages are not allowed, then how many pages content does the website need to contain ...2, 3, 4, 5, etc plus pages?

Would using content from article directories be enough to satisfy Adwords website content requirements?
#adwords #google #landing #optin #page #requirements
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  • Profile picture of the author dburk
    Hi 52.ct,

    There is no problem having a single page website, or a single page landing page.

    For many of my clients I setup a custom landing page and do not link to the client's main website. This approach often helps to dramatically improve the conversion rates for lead generation campaigns.

    You do need to include the basic requirements to have a page that is compliant with AdWords policies.

    Your single page lander needs to include adequate information about your product or service, a way to contact you, and it must identify who is behind the business. You cannot setup a page that hides who you are, or how your business model works. You need to be upfront and clear about what you offer, why it is needed by your prospective customers, and who is behind the offer.

    In addition, there needs to be a clear way to contact you via contact form, email, phone number, or mailing address. Also, any terms and conditions of you offer must be easily discovered, and you should have a privacy policy if you are collecting any information about your visitors.

    Meet all of those requirements, as well as complying with all other AdWords policies and a one page lander is just fine. I use one page landers all the time, I have hundreds of them live currently.

    HTH,

    Don Burk
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    • Profile picture of the author 52.ct
      Originally Posted by dburk View Post

      Hi 52.ct,

      There is no problem having a single page website, or a single page landing page.

      For many of my clients I setup a custom landing page and do not link to the client's main website. This approach often helps to dramatically improve the conversion rates for lead generation campaigns.

      You do need to include the basic requirements to have a page that is compliant with AdWords policies.

      Your single page lander needs to include adequate information about your product or service, a way to contact you, and it must identify who is behind the business. You cannot setup a page that hides who you are, or how your business model works. You need to be upfront and clear about what you offer, why it is needed by your prospective customers, and who is behind the offer.

      In addition, there needs to be a clear way to contact you via contact form, email, phone number, or mailing address. Also, any terms and conditions of you offer must be easily discovered, and you should have a privacy policy if you are collecting any information about your visitors.

      Meet all of those requirements, as well as complying with all other AdWords policies and a one page lander is just fine. I use one page landers all the time, I have hundreds of them live currently.

      HTH,

      Don Burk
      Thanks for your informative reply. Is it true what people say the Google Adwords hates affiliate marketers?
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      • Profile picture of the author dburk
        Originally Posted by 52.ct View Post

        Thanks for your informative reply. Is it true what people say the Google Adwords hates affiliate marketers?
        Yes, and no. AdWords will work with affiliate marketers just like any other advertiser, as long as you follow the rules.

        An AdWords rep once told me that "affiliate marketing" is a questionable business model.

        When marketing as an affiliate you are affiliating your own reputation to the merchants you represent. You have to carefully vet the merchants you choose to affiliate with as you will be held personally accountable for everything they do.

        You cannot pass the responsibility to your merchant affiliate, you are on the hook for any violation they make while you are affiliated with them. You are also on the hook for any violations made by other affiliate marketers that are affiliated with your merchant. So at best, it is a risky venture. AdWords will hold you accountable for anything that goes wrong within your affiliate network. Vet your merchants very carefully.

        HTH,

        Don Burk
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        • Profile picture of the author 52.ct
          Originally Posted by dburk View Post

          You are also on the hook for any violations made by other affiliate marketers that are affiliated with your merchant. So at best, it is a risky venture. AdWords will hold you accountable for anything that goes wrong within your affiliate network. Vet your merchants very carefully.

          HTH,

          Don Burk
          Could you elaborate? Is this official, citationable Adwords policy or is this "unwritten rules" you learned form experience?
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          • Profile picture of the author dburk
            Originally Posted by 52.ct View Post

            Could you elaborate? Is this official, citationable Adwords policy or is this "unwritten rules" you learned form experience?
            There are at least a hundred cases documented on this forum, I have helped, and tried to help many people over the years that have gotten their website's suspended, many due to merchant account sales pages that weren't compliant with AdWords policy.

            I believe it was around 2007 that Google really cracked down and permanently banned thousands of affiliate marketers due to landing pages that weren't compliant. It's a long standing, well known issue for affiliate marketers, especially those that were promoting a lot of ebooks on Clickbank that made exaggerated, or unrealistic claims without credible 3rd party citations.

            In each case Google does not make a distinction between the affiliate marketer and the affiliate merchant. In fact the only person they can ban is the advertiser, in this case that is always the affiliate marketer.

            So take note if you plan to do any affiliate marketing and advertising on AdWords.

            HTH,

            Don Burk
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            • Profile picture of the author 52.ct
              Originally Posted by dburk View Post

              There are at least a hundred cases documented on this forum, I have helped, and tried to help many people over the years that have gotten their website's suspended, many due to merchant account sales pages that weren't compliant with AdWords policy.

              I believe it was around 2007 that Google really cracked down and permanently banned thousands of affiliate marketers due to landing pages that weren't compliant. It's a long standing, well known issue for affiliate marketers, especially those that were promoting a lot of ebooks on Clickbank that made exaggerated, or unrealistic claims without credible 3rd party citations.

              In each case Google does not make a distinction between the affiliate marketer and the affiliate merchant. In fact the only person they can ban is the advertiser, in this case that is always the affiliate marketer.

              So take note if you plan to do any affiliate marketing and advertising on AdWords.

              HTH,

              Don Burk
              IMHO, it is a stretch to make affiliate marketers responsible for the reputation of the merchants we represent. But, it's passive aggressive, insane troll logic to make us on the "hook for any violations made by other affiliate marketers that are affiliated with your merchant." It's like they don't want affiliate marketers, but, for what ever reason will not ban them out right. So stack the rules against them so it is near impossible that a affiliate marketer will not be in violation.

              Anyways the only thing that makes a marketer's website an affiliate website is the presence of affiliate links?

              What if an affiliate marketer's landing page contained no affiliate links and a simple optin call to action. Would this not make us affiliate marketers in the eyes of Adwords if our landing page does not contain affiliate links?
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              • Profile picture of the author dburk
                Originally Posted by 52.ct View Post

                IMHO, it is a stretch to make affiliate marketers responsible for the reputation of the merchants we represent. But, it's passive aggressive, insane troll logic to make us on the "hook for any violations made by other affiliate marketers that are affiliated with your merchant." It's like they don't want affiliate marketers, but, for what ever reason will not ban them out right. So stack the rules against them so it is near impossible that a affiliate marketer will not be in violation.

                Anyways the only thing that makes a marketer's website an affiliate website is the presence of affiliate links?

                What if an affiliate marketer's landing page contained no affiliate links and a simple optin call to action. Would this not make us affiliate marketers in the eyes of Adwords if our landing page does not contain affiliate links?
                Hi 52,

                No they have not stacked the rules against affiliate marketers, Affiliates must follow the exact same rules as everyone else. The problem, if there is one, is that affiliate marketers are not able to advertise for bad merchants and pass the responsibility.

                Haven't you ever heared the expression "you can delegate authority, but you cannot delegate responsibility"? It's that same principle. You, not the merchant, are the advertiser that must comply with all of AdWords policy. The affiliated merchant isn't running the advertising, the affiliate marketer is.

                AdWords cannot ban, nor otherwise hold the affiliate merchant responsible because the merchant has no direct dealing with AdWords. You, as the advertiser are the only entity that has an AdWords account and is advertising the "bad offer", non compliant landing page, or working with the "bad affiliate merchant". You choose who your affiliate with, therefore you are responsible for that decision.

                I know you don't like it, but it's not a hard concept to understand.

                Look at it this way, lets say you take your vehicle to auto service center for an oil change, and the mechanic puts the wrong kind of oil in the engine. You return to the service center and ask the manager to make it right, and he replies, "it's not my fault it was a bad mechanic, so don't blame the service center, blame the mechanic, which by the way no longer works here." Are you just going to accept that? No, you are going to expect the service center to be responsible for the mechanics they hired to perform the task.

                Same thing goes for your advertising, Google is going to hold you responsible for whatever offer you chose to advertise. You paid for the ads, you are the responsible party, and the only party that Google can hold responsible, so they do.

                HTH,

                Don Burk
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            • Profile picture of the author grandetourer
              Got it, thanks
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        • Profile picture of the author grandetourer
          That is good advice.
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