Anyone else got Google as an affiliate?
Smiley
Sticky me with more details if you can.
Thanks
hmmmmm
Well, one way of earning extra money and increasing advertiser bids! Interesting to see how this pans out.
JOAT
This is starting to make Adwords feel like Looksmart's intro to PPC all over again...
This is very unfair, as it is impossible to compete with companies who can appear TOP in PPC environments without having to pay for them.
If this continues, there will be no PPC affiliate market left for us lesser morsels! Business is business, but surely this is monopolising a market and should be illegal - IMO obviously ;)
First, Google makes everybody identify their 'affiliate' status in their program...then, when they see that is how people make money online they sign themselves up?
Really, really cute.
Google *definitely* has the potential to make LookSmarts foray into affiliate marketing look amatuerish...but then, why wouldn't Google (as a business) want to do it?
There's money involved, they know which niches work - so they don't have to sign up for bad programs, because they can track all the *stuff* that is being sold by how many adwords are bought & by whom. Making the affiliates identify themselves gives them easy access to a vast amount of market research, and not only that, they make money while getting the great research.
Interesting. If they can't go direct (or make *enough* money on a merchant) they can just sign up as an affiliate, and make serious $$$.
Can. Of. Worms. ;)
Googleguy, this thread could continue forever and will probably spiral downward along the way. Perhaps some comments on this subject?
JOAT
Basically they are teaching the runners of affiliate programs how to advertise.
Would not be suprised if they then, after a while, offer a set of proven adwords to the runner of the affilitate program. Google can always "outwit" the affilitates and slowly weed them out, in favor of the "real manufacturers".
Technically correct, PR wise?
[edited by: korkus2000 at 4:59 pm (utc) on Nov. 5, 2002]
I have no problem with Google doing this, in effect they’re managing an adwords PPC campaign with us as a customer.
Google like any other business need to turn a profit. If they’re re not viable then they will fold, along with the 1000's of free referrals we get.
Although I can see the impact on professional affiliates if Google start taking commission only schemes through adwords.
Heh! My exact thought was: *Sigh* Here we go ...Looksmart deja vu.
Hmm...yep, HUGE can of worms.
Makes the whole cache issue look at lot different now. How would you feel if a 'run of the mill' competitor used your content WORD FOR WORD, images and all, to sell their stuff?
Exactly.
I have no problem with Google doing this, in effect they’re managing an adwords PPC campaign with us as a customer.
Yeah, I'm sure I'd feel that way too, if Google was out there running an Adwords campgin fueling my business.
Example: Google finds your program - Google signs up - you don't need to worry about marketing any more - they have the reach, they know how Adwords work, and they deliver your information / products to as global an audience as you can sell to.
And, there would be the added benefit of not having to worry about your rankings anymore - if the program proved profitable enough, I'm sure Google would take very good care of you. :)
Anyone messes with your site and send the google boys round...
Respect da family! ;)
The best that I can figure is an ad network bought ads from adwords and redirected to a merchant or affiliate site.
The adwords editor may have missed that redirect and not canned the ad for TOS violations.
Lets clean up our act around here - if they're doing something strange, get proof and call 'em on it with evidence.
Granted, I'll jump ship on Google anytime... If they are in the wrong. If not, and there's nothing to stand on - let them be.
Knowing that Mackin and others have put out some feelers on this, let's see what turns up.
If Google wanted to sell STUFF, as Netscape has done from time to time, they would contact the merchant and get a fully branded site and a much bigger piece of the pie than an affiliate would get.
Competing and using the CONTENT which has been MODIFIED and provided by the web FOR FREE.
Googlebot respects robots.txt. Easy to keep her away if you don't want give her your content for free.
Even if they did this on a large scale, which I doubt very very much, I consider it perfectly legit. (Maybe because I am not an affiliate.)
To be an affiliate is probably more profitable than to be paid by an affiliate. Yes, it is not very compatible with their current ppc scheme, but it would be legit.
Google, if you are interested in my affiliate scheme, drop me sticky ;)
Like I said, Google wouldn't be setting a precedent. It's all been done before.
>they would contact the merchant and get a fully branded site
I'd use a privately-held, independent subsidiary ...the rest would be bookkeeping.
>other people are jumping to conclusions.
No, they've stopped --teasing/hazing a bit, but not jumping to conclusions.
(now waiting until merchant provides details)
