With the new and improved Google, I've been told that we don’t rate very well with their new landing page scoring system. I’ve contacted my Google representative and told them that we are very limited on the content we can add to our landing page. Our representative has told us that when you pass though the client to the parent, Google does not view this as a good landing page. What? This is the foundation of affiliate marketing. You attract interested parties to your web site, and then when they buy from the parent, you get a commission. Am I missing something here?
So my question to you, is Google trying to kill affiliate marketing? If we are limited on what we can put on our web sites, how can I satisfy Google?
Any and all input will be appreciated.
Thanks,
So my question to you, is Google trying to kill affiliate marketing? If we are limited on what we can put on our web sites, how can I satisfy Google?
I don't believe that Google is trying to kill affiliate marketing per se. However past statements by Google documents and spokespeople have indicated that Google isn't interested in promoting affiliate sites or pages that don't add velue in the form of useful content.
Do your landing pages have to promote specific products? Couldn't you use those landing pages to dispense information or advice that would qualify as useful content in Google's eyes, with links to partner-approved promotional pages or your partners' Web sites? If that isn't practical or cost-effective, then maybe you're out of luck. But it might be worth considering and testing a limited "content strategy" instead of just "passing through the client to the parent" if the latter is causing you problems with AdWords. (And who knows--the credibility that you'd gain by providing useful content to visitors might give you a competitive edge over other affiliate sites.)
