Google adsense plus hotels affiliate program

any negative effets?

[LilyTousi]

I have a travel related website, I just joined the Hotels.com affiliate program (through Commission Junction) and I also have Google Adsense ads on the same site.

I sometimes read that Google doesn’t like affiliates? Does anyone noticed a negative effect on their adsense revenue or ranking or had their adsense account banned because they added affiliate links on their website? especially hotels.com?

[netmeg]

You're more likely to suffer from rankings (and AdWords if you use it) than AdSense for such a site. Just make sure you have plenty of unique content that people don't have to fight through the ads to find.

You didn't ask, but here's a little advice. Personally I have found that mixing affiliate and AdSense on a single site can be problematic. One or the other may work, but generally I don't do all that well with both. For affiliate sales, you really want them to focus and not be distracted by other ads. So just watch out for that. You don't want your AdSense to kill your affiliate income, or vice versa.

[LilyTousi]

Thank you netmeg for the good advice! I just removed the AdSense ads on the page where I have the affiliate ads so they won't compete.

I'm looking forward to see if the hotels.com affiliate program will generate a nice income! I've been on the program for 3 days now and when I go the my Commission Junction account I don't see yet any impressions (but I know the page has been visited hundreds of times), I guess it takes a few days for CJ to begin to display stats (?).

[netmeg]

I don't think so. Check to make sure your code is implemented correctly. Your impressions should be showing up immediately.

[farmboy]

I just removed the AdSense ads on the page where I have the affiliate ads so they won't compete.

You could

1. Have the hotels.com ads and no AdSense
2. Have AdSense and no hotels.com ads
3. Have both AdSense and the hotels.com ads

The first option would be my last preference.

I would test all three options.


FarmBoy

[CMidd]

LilyTousi I also have sites in the travel Niche.

First i would like to say that Hotels.com sucks big time and Commission Junction is bad for the travel niche.

Most big brand use commission junction for free Branding. Your CTR and Conversion Rate will suck, but they will get free impressions and branding.

Way to much cookie stuffing on big travel sites and commission junction for you to get credit for any commissions.

What I would recommend is joining Expedia.com Directly, and Joining Trip Adviser on Commission Junction, and Joining IHSAdvantge for Hotel Bookings.

Second always use Adsense on a Travel site, along with Affiliate Offers, Pay Per Call, and Pay Per Lead at the same time.

Sample Layout:
Top = Pay Per Call Number + Promo Code "Expedia"
Top of Page = Book it now button "IHSAdvantage"
Middle = Another Book it now button "IHSAdvantge"
At Bottom = Adsense & Pay Per Lead program "Trip Advisor"

Use a 300x250 or 336x280 at the botton plus a horizontal Link Unit, and a 160x600 on the side bar that is below the first book it now button.


Next here is a free 4 year lesson for travel affiliates.

You need:

1. Your Our Branded White Label Site
2. Your Own Hotel Content "Pre-Sale" Pages on YOUR site
3. Book It Now buttons on your site, not just a Affiliate Banner that show the Brans Name
4. You need an affiliate program that has a phone number
5. You need pay per lead monetizing options.



1. White Label:
IHSAdvantage or Expedia will give you a white label. A white label is a website that uses you own domain name example "reservation.yoursite.com or hotels.yoursite.com"

A white label will get no SEO beneift but it will allow you to build your own brand and build your own returning visitors and have your site shared "instead of the brands sites"


2. Content:
IHSAdvantage has a webpage builder that will build you some pages with Hotel Info on them for an entire city or state.

Hotel Information is public and available from Expedia in a CVS file and you can built content pages for the world.

Make sure you either
* Add Unique Content
* Or Block Google From Indexing the Pages "Blocking is best"

3. Book It Now Buttons:
Don't be lazy and just put up the code you got from commission junction "That's what they want you to do". Know the difference between Call to Action and Branding. You will not convert and they will get free impression on your site and free Branding.

When you want someone to book, use a Book it now "or Book Now" Button on you site that sends them to YOUR White Label Site.

It's best to send people to specific hotel "Direct Linking" then sending them to a search form or list of all hotels.

This is where pre-selling comes into play. buy a book on Copyrighting and learn it. It's could the different between $1,000 a Month vs $5,000 a month.

4. Phone Number:
Expedia or Priceline will give you an number with your own personal promo code, but Expedia's is the best. Operators Answer fast, and really help the customers.

Put this number everywhere in big letter, with pictures of an operator.

Put it:
* Top of all Hotel Page
* As the Phone Number of all Hotel
* On your White label Site

You will "or any travel affiliate" be shock at how many people call that number and how much you make.


5. Cost Per Lead:
Trip Advisor has a pay per lead/revenue share program. You send people to Trip Advisor "using Review Button at bottom" and when people go to Trip Advisor they click on an Ad you get paid. If people inquire about rental property "condos/Houses being rented by owners" you get a lead fee "$2.50".


Here is how you set it all up.

www.yoursite.com "You Site"
www.yoursite.com/hotels/City/etc "Your own Hotel Content"
reservation.yoursite.com "You White Label Site"
hotels.yoursite.com "Redirect links to your hotels and affiliate offers"

Your Own Hotel Content links to your reservation.yoursite.com white label.


Make your reservation.yoursite.com private from robot.
Block Google completely, they have no business on Your White Label Site.

using .htaccess redirect for your affilite links.
2 Reason:
* Easy URLs instead of long ones
* Block Google From Following them.

Example " afdjahe.ajdfhd.com/index.jsp?blah?blah=blah etc = hotels.yoursite.com/City/Hotel

Block Google from the hotels.yoursite.com subdomain using robots.txt and even use .htaccess to send permission denied to bots. ALWAY USE NO FOLLOW ON ALL LINK"

do the same thing for all Trip Advisor Links.

Pick and choose what you want google to index. don't let google index everything, Hotel info is wide spread, only allow google to index your unique content and block Google Index bot, but Allow Google Adsense bots.


Use Top Ten List, people Love them when it come to booking a hotel.

Seperate by Price Ranges. Low - Med - High

Sale, Sale, Sale. Don't thing booking will just come, alway ask for a booking.


Use Expedia Deal feed to find hotels having specials, and promote those specials.

If Possible, Create a Sub Affiliate program/ Referal, where other people can send booking to your site and you give them a small cut.

Use IHSAdvantage. They allow you to set you booking fee and services fee as high as $500 dollar and pay each week.

I have a ton more info, but I'm tried of writting LOL. inbox me for more.

[LilyTousi]

Thank you very much for all of your help and advice! Some great ideas to try!