Comments on: The new Google UK Adwords Policy – My view on the pros and cons http://www.3wdl.co.uk/2008/04/09/the-new-google-uk-adwords-policy-%e2%80%93-my-view-on-the-pros-and-cons/ James Little writes about Affiliate Marketing, Search engine optimisation, Pay per click, Blogging, Wordpress, Internet Revenue, and other random thoughts Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:44:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2 By: James http://www.3wdl.co.uk/2008/04/09/the-new-google-uk-adwords-policy-%e2%80%93-my-view-on-the-pros-and-cons/#comment-32689 James Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:16:01 +0000 http://www.3wdl.co.uk/2008/04/09/the-new-google-uk-adwords-policy-%e2%80%93-my-view-on-the-pros-and-cons/#comment-32689 Hi Neil, . What I was saying is that before the change, merchants should not have allowed their affiliates to bid on their brand, as they could get it protected easily enough by google. . Now however some merchants may be forced to allow their affiliates (or some of them) to bid on their brand to stop their competition from appearing. This will mean brand terms are more expensive for the merchants and commission will be paid out on sales via the easiest form of affiliate marketing, brand bidding. . A merchant can of course still stop affiliates bidding on their brand by stating this in their affiliate terms but they will now risk competition and competitive affiliates that they are unable to control coming up and sending the traffic elsewhere. . Hope that explains it - as I said, there are pros and cons and this is just one of them. . Cheers James Hi Neil,
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What I was saying is that before the change, merchants should not have allowed their affiliates to bid on their brand, as they could get it protected easily enough by google.
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Now however some merchants may be forced to allow their affiliates (or some of them) to bid on their brand to stop their competition from appearing. This will mean brand terms are more expensive for the merchants and commission will be paid out on sales via the easiest form of affiliate marketing, brand bidding.
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A merchant can of course still stop affiliates bidding on their brand by stating this in their affiliate terms but they will now risk competition and competitive affiliates that they are unable to control coming up and sending the traffic elsewhere.
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Hope that explains it - as I said, there are pros and cons and this is just one of them.
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Cheers
James

]]> By: Neil http://www.3wdl.co.uk/2008/04/09/the-new-google-uk-adwords-policy-%e2%80%93-my-view-on-the-pros-and-cons/#comment-32684 Neil Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:58:40 +0000 http://www.3wdl.co.uk/2008/04/09/the-new-google-uk-adwords-policy-%e2%80%93-my-view-on-the-pros-and-cons/#comment-32684 Fair enough, you didn't say you were annoyed, I said that, sorry. So in your opinion, before this recent change in Google's policy merchants shouldn't have bothered bidding on their own brand name, but now they might/will find themselves in competition with their own affiliates? This might force them to either a) bid on their own terms and/or b) explicitly state it is against their own terms and conditions when the affiliate signs up? But then there will always be the problem of competing brands with similar products though as you mentioned (e.g. ipod vs Archos). Anyways, interesting take on it, and again, I wasn't trying to put words in your mouth! :) Fair enough, you didn’t say you were annoyed, I said that, sorry.

So in your opinion, before this recent change in Google’s policy merchants shouldn’t have bothered bidding on their own brand name, but now they might/will find themselves in competition with their own affiliates? This might force them to either a) bid on their own terms and/or b) explicitly state it is against their own terms and conditions when the affiliate signs up?

But then there will always be the problem of competing brands with similar products though as you mentioned (e.g. ipod vs Archos).

Anyways, interesting take on it, and again, I wasn’t trying to put words in your mouth! :)

]]> By: James http://www.3wdl.co.uk/2008/04/09/the-new-google-uk-adwords-policy-%e2%80%93-my-view-on-the-pros-and-cons/#comment-32682 James Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:39:41 +0000 http://www.3wdl.co.uk/2008/04/09/the-new-google-uk-adwords-policy-%e2%80%93-my-view-on-the-pros-and-cons/#comment-32682 Hi Neil, . I'm not annoyed at all - the post was just providing some of the pros and cons of the changes to google's adwords policy from my POV as an affiliate manager. . I've mentioned a few times on my views of brand name bidding and that it adds no value whatsoever to a merchants campaign but this may very well change when the new regulations come into effect. . Thanks for your comments! James Hi Neil,
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I’m not annoyed at all - the post was just providing some of the pros and cons of the changes to google’s adwords policy from my POV as an affiliate manager.
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I’ve mentioned a few times on my views of brand name bidding and that it adds no value whatsoever to a merchants campaign but this may very well change when the new regulations come into effect.
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Thanks for your comments!
James

]]> By: Neil http://www.3wdl.co.uk/2008/04/09/the-new-google-uk-adwords-policy-%e2%80%93-my-view-on-the-pros-and-cons/#comment-32679 Neil Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:34:00 +0000 http://www.3wdl.co.uk/2008/04/09/the-new-google-uk-adwords-policy-%e2%80%93-my-view-on-the-pros-and-cons/#comment-32679 Thanks for the response, I kind of figured that might be what you meant. I guess I don't understand what the problem is really. I suppose to me it sounds like you are annoyed by only providing info to the potential customer when they are in research mode but not getting the sale when they are in buy mode? Perhaps you need to tailor your PPC/websites to buy mode? Thanks for the response, I kind of figured that might be what you meant. I guess I don’t understand what the problem is really. I suppose to me it sounds like you are annoyed by only providing info to the potential customer when they are in research mode but not getting the sale when they are in buy mode? Perhaps you need to tailor your PPC/websites to buy mode?

]]> By: James http://www.3wdl.co.uk/2008/04/09/the-new-google-uk-adwords-policy-%e2%80%93-my-view-on-the-pros-and-cons/#comment-32603 James Tue, 15 Apr 2008 20:36:37 +0000 http://www.3wdl.co.uk/2008/04/09/the-new-google-uk-adwords-policy-%e2%80%93-my-view-on-the-pros-and-cons/#comment-32603 Hi Neil, . Essentially one of the problems that affiliate marketing has faced over the past year or two is the increase in programs allowing brand name bidding. . The problem with brand name bidding is that it is damaging to content affiliate sites. Imagine that you are a camera review site and you have spend a lot of time on writing a review on the latest kodak camera. You've then linked the article off to Jessops and a customer comes to your site (finding it via the natural listings) and goes though tot he jessops site, a cookie is then dropped. . The customer doesn't buy straight away (perhaps he goes to look for some more reviews) but comes back to the Jessops site shortly after by searching on google for Jessops. A brand PPC bidder has placed the ad and the cookie that you're site set is overriden. . Not a great scenario but it happens every minute - one of the problems is that we're likely to see this happen more and more with the changes in google's policy. . Thanks for your comment. . James Hi Neil,
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Essentially one of the problems that affiliate marketing has faced over the past year or two is the increase in programs allowing brand name bidding.
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The problem with brand name bidding is that it is damaging to content affiliate sites. Imagine that you are a camera review site and you have spend a lot of time on writing a review on the latest kodak camera. You’ve then linked the article off to Jessops and a customer comes to your site (finding it via the natural listings) and goes though tot he jessops site, a cookie is then dropped.
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The customer doesn’t buy straight away (perhaps he goes to look for some more reviews) but comes back to the Jessops site shortly after by searching on google for Jessops. A brand PPC bidder has placed the ad and the cookie that you’re site set is overriden.
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Not a great scenario but it happens every minute - one of the problems is that we’re likely to see this happen more and more with the changes in google’s policy.
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Thanks for your comment.
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James

]]> By: Neil http://www.3wdl.co.uk/2008/04/09/the-new-google-uk-adwords-policy-%e2%80%93-my-view-on-the-pros-and-cons/#comment-32574 Neil Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:14:40 +0000 http://www.3wdl.co.uk/2008/04/09/the-new-google-uk-adwords-policy-%e2%80%93-my-view-on-the-pros-and-cons/#comment-32574 Sorry for being a numpty, but on your "More Brand bidding / Overridden cookies" section I don't really understand what you are implying might happen? Could you explain in a little more detail please? Sorry for being a numpty, but on your “More Brand bidding / Overridden cookies” section I don’t really understand what you are implying might happen? Could you explain in a little more detail please?

]]> By: Two Wrongs Don’t Make A Right - Or Are There Exceptions? » Affiliate Marketing Blog http://www.3wdl.co.uk/2008/04/09/the-new-google-uk-adwords-policy-%e2%80%93-my-view-on-the-pros-and-cons/#comment-32385 Two Wrongs Don’t Make A Right - Or Are There Exceptions? » Affiliate Marketing Blog Sat, 12 Apr 2008 12:33:46 +0000 http://www.3wdl.co.uk/2008/04/09/the-new-google-uk-adwords-policy-%e2%80%93-my-view-on-the-pros-and-cons/#comment-32385 [...] The new Google UK Adwords Policy – My view on the pros and cons [...] […] The new Google UK Adwords Policy – My view on the pros and cons […]

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