PPC - Is Affiliate Marketing Dead On Google?

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Has Anyone Else Run Afoul Google's "Bridging Page Policy"?

I had a successful ad/landing page combination running on AdWords for the better part of 2 years only to have my QS lowered to 1 last week.

When I emailed support to find out what was going on, they replied that my landing page was deemed to be a "bridging page" and, as such, was not allowed.

The format for my page was the following:

Headline and Offer
Product image
Testimonial
Product Options (with links)
Included Bonuses (with purchase)
Opt-in box with more bonuses for opting in

As you can see, my page had little by way of text. The keywords selected were "buyer" keywords, so there was no need for a review or any persuasion.

So, according to Google, this was a bridging page because it's sole purpose was to get the visitor to click through to the vendor.

I then re-designed the landing page- updated the look and feel and included it in a blog layout. The landing page is now a site with links to product reviews and competing products in the left margin. I kept the landing page format the same otherwise.

This is what Google told me next:


Is that it? The end of affiliate linking for PPC?
#search engine optimization #affiliate #dead #google #marketing #ppc
  • Well, they've never liked Bridge Pages. You can fake it if just a bot checks, but they never hold up under manual review.
    Try this. Get a new domain and put the redisigned site on it. Create a "new" ad and use the new domain.
    The old site has been slapped and will take forever to recover.
    • [1] reply
    • I checked and it looks like all the other affiliates that had bridging pages have dissapeared from this niche as well. In their place are catalog sites with shopping carts.

      So, unless you try to game Google, landing-page affiliate marketing using AdWords is a thing of the past.

      What's next, the death of affiliate marketing using SEO (articles & back-linking)?
      • [1] reply
  • It's not dead but you have to be much more creative.
    It's taken several accounts for me to get a setup that passes.

    More content + creative forms / LPs

    The mass banning in November was a big wake call that got me to try more sources but its hard to walk away from the Adwords volume.
  • I guess you lost me on this Gene. You had an adwords campaign... did it advertise your site or an affiliate product?

    Then, regardless, the ad took the user to your site, right? And what Google is saying is that you need the "buy" button for the affiliate product on your site, that an affiliate page can NOT be opened?
    • [1] reply
    • Exactly.

      It's against Google AdWords policy to allow affiliate marketers to put up landing pages with the primary purpose of getting the visitor to click through to another website to complete the purchase.
      • [2] replies
  • I never keep the same thing running to long on adwords. I switch things up frequently cause I know Google doesn't like affiliates and to many competitors trying to spy on your campaigns.
  • Banned
    [DELETED]
  • Google has no problems with affiliates. You just have to play by their rules:

    Not allowed:
    ad >>> mysite.com with links to >>> affiliatesite.com

    Allowed:
    ad >>> mysite.com with links to >>> affiliatesite.com/order.html

    Allowed:
    ad >>> affiliatesite.com

    Not allowed:
    ad showing display URL as mysite.com >>> mysite.com auto-directing to >>> affiliatesite.com

    Allowed:
    ad showing display URL as affiliatesite.com >>> mysite.com auto-directing to >>> affiliatesite.com
    • [2] replies
    • I'm not so sure about this one:

      Allowed:
      ad >>> mysite.com with links to >>> affiliatesite.com/order.html

      Here, again, is the exact message from Google:

      "
      • [1] reply
    • ? that one would not apply, if it did, people would not be able to place any ad blocks on a land page / or is that in g rules for adwords ?
  • Would google allow a landing page that does not have an affiliate link, but instead had an opt in form? I was considering just doing that and emailing the list with offers, but i am not sure that would work now.
  • I asked the question a few months ago to a Google employee what needs to be done in order to comply. I already knew that linking from your own sales page to the merchant's sales page does not work. Asking specifically about sending to the order page (many here and elsewhere doubted my response), she said that's exactly what you have to do. The worst thing is for the visitor to be shown another sales page. By clicking on your link, they are saying they are sold and ready to make the purchase (or at least one step closer). Therefore, link to the order page.
  • I guess the AM is dead, at least the old modal. The new model is to have a blog, sells nothing on the website. LOL
    • [1] reply
    • Affiliate Landing Pages Are Dead! Long Live Affiliate Landing Pages!
  • I always find it funny when people say things are "dead". Things rarely die out, but they do change.

    Internet marketing is always going to change, and the only ones that survive and continue to grow their businesses are the ones that accept this and know how to change with it.

    Also, Google Adwords has had their Bridge Page Policy for awhile now, so them coming down on those that use them is something to be expected.

    It's a good idea to take a close look at the TOS for anything before investing your time and money into it.
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
    • [2] replies
    • No doubt. In my case, my campaign had been running for 2 years unchanged... so, I guess it was due for a slapping.

      It looks like some others in this forum are also now waking up to see their long-running campaigns suddenly stomped on.

      Ignorance is bliss- until reality kicks you in the ass.
    • Finally, a grown up comment in this thread.

      I find if you actually bother reading their TOS and guidelines, it's very easy to work with Google.

      If you can't think how to make money using Adwords and monetizing with affiliate offers, then either you're not actually sitting down and thinking things through creatively enough, or you really aren't cut out for online marketing.

      I'm not assuming either, and I don't mean any offence as I'm sure you're a smart guy, but c'mon man... just think a little harder about it.

      Stop thinking with the blinkers on.

      It's not all about bridge pages. Affiliate marketing via PPC isn't dead just because you can't use your preferred "lazy man" method of making money online... it just means you have to add value to the market place.

      You need to think about how real businesses work. There are lots of companies selling the exact same thing, but they don't get Google slapped. Why is that? I'll give you a clue... they have a unique selling proposition and in the context of their websites, they offer original content.

      If you read Google's TOS and guidelines, you'll see that's one of their main policies on quality score... if you're selling the same product as other people, then you must have original content that visitors cannot find elsewhere.

      That's not the only issue you're facing here, but it's one of them. The other issue is you're making it hard for the visitor to take action.

      Put enough hurdles in front of the best athlete, and he's gonna trip eventually.

      Think harder...

      ... who says you have to sell anything right there and then?

      Ever heard of building a list?

      Do you know that the average lead to customer cycle is three months?

      That's fact, based on a recent study of over 1000 B2B marketers online.

      What does that tell you? It tells you that collecting and nuturing leads is the way real businesses make money... not by sticking their hand in front of the cash register and making people take an extra step.

      Google is actually doing you a favour, by forcing you to market products in a way that is intuitive and effective... affiliate or not.

      All you gotta do is think outside the box a little, that's all.
      • [1] reply
  • Hello there-no, it isn't dead. Play by the rules, don't try to bend them; use your creativity otherwise (content, etc.)
  • Hmm, it sounds ambiguous on boths sides to be honest.

    Google seem to have different guidelines for different people - but I think it comes down to who is reviewing your site over at Google HQ.

    When they say " your page must not have links to other sites " that doesn't seem right at all. As long as the sites you're linking to are relevant and legal, then it doesn't make any difference.

    HOWEVER...

    I think what they mean is - you musn't be linking to pages that replicate or duplicate what you're already offering. In other words, linking to affiliated sites with similar content/purpose etc.

    If that IS the case, then yes, they're basically saying they don't like the way you're using their service to conduct business.

    AKA - They're sick and tired of fake review sites that merely serve as "disguised" bridge pages to make affiliate sales.

    They'll never tell you that, but sometimes you have to read between the lines. They don't want their advertisers to be pushed out by all the competition who are slapping up very similar looking, similar worded, thinly disguised affiliate sites.

    Yes, even review sites get lumped into that category... usually because the reviews are thin, clearly fake, and don't actually provide useful content that can be trusted.

    Sure, if it were 2005, you'd be killing it with that method right now... sadly, it's not.

    Once again, is this the "end of affiliate marketing on PPC"? No.
    Is this end of lazy money scraping methods on PPC? Yes.

    I'm not saying YOU are lazy, but if you want to generate real business online these days, you need to actually operate like one in the eyes of Google and you visitors.

    You can still do affiliate marketing via PPC, but it's the way you approach it that makes the difference, especially if you want Google's blessing.

    As I said before, all you have to do is think outside the box a little bit.

    P.S - If you're dead set on review pages, try a different ad network. There's thousands of them out there, and many are a lot cheaper. Sure, it will take a few weeks to set up all campaigns on dozens of new networks, but the cumulative effect should be worth it.
    • [1] reply
    • I agree that Google can seem very cryptic. But that is exactly what they mean.
      • [1] reply
  • As in most cases like this, there's usually ambiguity on both sides.

    I do not believe for one second that Google officially states that "you cannot link to other pages from your landing page."

    That's just being silly to assume that is what they meant. Obviously, if that is a direct quote, then the support staff member has used unfortunate wording to make their point.

    I can't speak for Google, but I can only speculate that what they mean (in the right context) is that you can't bridge to affiliate pages with the particular methods the OP is using... for whatever reason they stipulate in their guidelines.

    It's nitpicking, it's harsh, but I can understand 100% why they take that line.

    But there's no way they actually mean that "someone can't link to other pages/sites." as a general rule.

    There's nothing in the guidelines or terms of use that reinforce that, so it's purely taken out of context, or misunderstood, or simply not been explained properly by the Google representative.

    (I wouldn't put it past any of those possibilities)
  • Nick, Pete and I have been stubbornly discussing this for what seems like a year. As you say, people take things out of context, misunderstand or explained to them wrong.

    You're right. Google doesn't state, officially or otherwise that "you cannot link to other pages from your landing page".

    What they are saying is that they don't want your landing page to be one where you promote/sell a product only to have links going to another page doing the exact same thing, selling that product. This is bad user experience.

    Does this mean Google hates affiliates? No. It means you have to do things a certain way.
    • [ 2 ] Thanks
    • [2] replies
    • Precisely.

      I think the whole "Google hates affiliates" mantra is a clever sales and marketing twist for the upsrising traffic getting courses that have risen from the aftermath and ashes of the whole Google Slap era.

      But to seriously believe that Google hates affiliates for no reason is more than childish. I mean, seriously, it sounds childish to type or say it out loud, let alone actually believe it.

      Affiliates make Google millions of advertising revenue each month. They're pretty cool with affiliates on the whole.

      But as with anything, there are good eggs and there are bad eggs.

      Some affiliates "get it", some don't.

      For others, it takes a couple of years to really grasp why these kinds of rules are set in place by big companies... and why these PPC networks would cut out millions of dollars of revenue for the sake of quality.

      Big losses in their (Google's) ad revenue don't happen because "Google just hates affiliates." They are taking one step back, then two steps forward. Eventually, they will get a new breed of advertisers who are unique to each other, provide a rich user experience and deliver great value.

      The naive affiliates will shout and protest that "Google is out to get all affiliates"...

      ...and the experienced affiliates will say "ah ok, that makes sense... this is obviously based on user experience which is what I need to excel on if I'm ever gonna make good money online"
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
    • Lucid, yes i see what your saying and agree, it is confusing more than not, some black n white would be good, because from what i see it is possible to have a land page with a affiliate link on it, just the way its done i suppose.

      ?
  • Ok, so what if I create my own salas page for the product? Like this I send my PPC traffic straight to a salespage and not to a review page. Most of the vendors would allow you to create your own sales page to promote their product. This way you can control your conversion on the salespage and improve it, split test.., what is a huge advantage especially in micro niches, where you can find really unprofessional salespages.

    So what if everyone starts to promote products like this? You going to see 8 ads on the right side of Google search first page pointing to different salespages, but promoting the exact same product. Is it a good user experience? I don`t think so.
    Google doesn`t want to see the same product on the first page of Google search in every ad position (I think they have an exact rule for that), what they wanna see is a healthy race between different products competing to each other.
  • Astron, I totally agree with you. However, a few points.

    First, how many people really promote an affiliate product in the first place? Not that many.

    Second, of those, how many use Adwords? Fewer still. Most affiliates don't seem to want to use PPC. Therefore, there wouldn't be 8 ads on the right side all promoting the same thing.

    Third, it's no different than any other product. I have a client selling a specialized item. He doesn't make it. Let's say it's an HP laser printer. He's got a few competitors also using Adwords selling the same exact thing, all trying to grab your attention so you buy from them. Is that any different? I think not except that for affiliates, if I click on your affiliate link and those of others and landing on yet another sales page which is obviously the same for all, that's the bad user experience.
    • [2] replies
    • Yep, there are definitely LESS than there were a year ago. But there are still many thousands of affiliates using PPC. Not sure what difference that makes to the OP's thread, but still.

      Urm... ever heard of locality, deliver times, delivery costs, additional bonuses, incentives, rewards, better customer service, longer guarantees...?

      Plus, most of these sites have their own content... unique content. Some have searchable databases or lead qualifiers to target the visitor and provide a useful tool at the same time.

      These are just some of many examples.

      These are also hints.
    • I`m not sure what do you mean exactly.

      Yes, but we`re talking about PPC here and Adwords and about Google`s new policy.


      Of course you not gonna see every time 8 ads promoting the same product, not for every search term. But check this for example:

      niche: Weight loss / 6 pack abs
      product: The Truth About 6 Pack Abs

      This product is one of the most popular e-book on CB. The creator already made a few million dollars in profit...

      Everybody and his mother is promoting this product in this niche, becouse this is the most profitable and best info product.

      So if you type keywords like this into Google:

      6 pack abs
      how to get flat abs
      6 pack abs diet, workout, training etc..

      you going to see ads promoting the same product, and if the affiliate marketers gonna use their own sales pages, than nothing gonna change about user experience.

      Also, there are lot more products like this, in different niches with millions of search traffic monthly.
      • [1] reply
  • My experience (after some trial and error) is that if you set up a large review website google will allow it. (review multiple products on your site instead of just one.)

    That way your not a bridge page, your an information site.

    So far I've had no complaints, you may want to think about that.
  • Hmm, it`s more then wierd I would blindly think that there gonna be load of ads, couse I know this product very well. There used to be lots of ads on G search for this... Maybe most of the affiliate marketers gave up after getting 0 quality score.

    I`m talking about this policy change:

    Google Slap for Product Review Sites
    • [2] replies
    • I'm extremely skeptical about that blog post.

      I have had no hate from google on my review site, in fact I've had a lot of love instead.

      Please remember that the author of that post is selling something.
      • [1] reply
    • can you show me in google where they state a policy change ?

      and can you then explain this memo which is from google in relation to review / land pages and how what google says is now wrong ?

      • [1] reply
  • I think we need to start to master the list building through PPC and the email marketing
    So you can sell the product to your list, you can downsell, upsell with your own products or with other affiliate products for more comission...while your competition only makes 1 sale you can make 2-3 and even more.

    Perry Marshall made the point here:

    "people need to move towards a deeper list building/relationship building strategy and/or a strong e-commerce model"
  • the info was from google not perrys blog, you quoted a policy change ? but there is not one.

    you quote big changes but there are none,

    you write that after g writes this, next the sky will be falling

    there are no changes and even though in that post people had land sites, it probably is a fair bet they still had a basic bridge page, just adding some pages around it was never going to work, it seems facts are lost in translation.

    there is nothing new at all, and the only thing is G seems to be picking these pages up more.

    as for forums full of full of free info from newbies ? there is more talent floating around here than you can poke a dozen sticks at on any given day.

    maybe some of what is written is no more than smoke and mirrors on a misty morning, but nothing new in what you write or what is happening at G.
    • [1] reply
    • It should be noted that Google's strictness with landing pages extends to B2B landing pages designed to get opt-ins in exchange for white papers, reports, etc.

      A client of mine in an highly specialized financial services niche for mid-market to large companies had a hell of a time getting their landing page to stay above QS of 2.

      The landing page was/is a tastefully designed mini-site with prominent link to parent company (logo), privacy statement, about us page, and contact page (in addition to the landing page itself).

      As for the landing page, it followed the design and copy principles as taught by Marketing Experiments (short-form). It averaged 15% opt-in which is pretty good.

      It also followed basic SEO tactics and relevancy steps (related keywords, LSI keywords, etc.).

      Then Google knocked QS down to 1.

      I then made the landing page long-form and now QS is back up to 3 and individual keywords vacillate between 2 and 4 without rhyme or reason which indicates to me that some sort of algorithmic thing is going on as opposed to a human reviewer toying with the account.

      Although we haven't had that much time with the long-form version showing, it looks like the conversion rate is going to be lower. ... sigh.
      • [1] reply
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