Comments on: Are You Ready for the Next 5 Google Slaps?

By: Allan Gardyne

Allan Gardyne — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 09:16:05 +0000

Jeremy Palmer has written a detailed, 10-page report on how to get good Quality Scores – http://www.quityourdayjob.com/qualityscore.pdf

By: SEO Tools

SEO Tools — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 09:13:26 +0000

Even if my Quality Score on my Adwords keywords are high – OK to Great, I’m still being slapped by Google. There is more content on the website I am promoting than products. I used to make money, but since getting slapped all the time, I guess I need to find another way to promoting websites.

My Adwords Ads have since stopped since since I need to pay at least $6 for each keyword.

By: moves

moves — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 19:01:26 +0000

Excellent post Amit! I’m currently building a site from scratch that will encompass the strategies you’ve mentioned here and in previous posts. What I will have working against me to a certain degree however, will be the age of my domain that I registered only a few weeks ago.

By: KirstyM

KirstyM — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 04:38:53 +0000

Brilliant points well made Amit.

I’ve been working on the strategy you mention for a few months now. Many of my PPC landing pages are now sites with unique content. A lovely side effect of this has been that I now generate a reasonable amount of organic sales to help keep my margins healthy.

I was amazed at the number of affiliates who were slapped during the last adwords algo change who just didn’t want to listen to the fact that thin content pages just ain’t gonna work any more. No skin off my nose. There’s more traffic and sales now for affiliates who lift their game to deal with every Google slap.

I’ve lost 50% or more of my income around 3 times now. Has it stopped me? Nope. Why? Because I’m prepared to accept I have to change how I operate to fit Google’s requirements. If I don’t, my business dies and I have to stop going on exotic holidays.

I think not!!!!

By: andrew wee

andrew wee — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 00:44:51 +0000

Linda: Although the short term definitely hurts, your point “So while quality score updates make it harder for affiliates that want it quick and easy, I do think it forces the cream to rise to the top.” certainly moves the industry towards more long term and long tail campaigns.

-
sam: “wondering if andrew took those into account when creating the keyword list [and/or] landing page to his new “launch and scrap””

> I’m on a different traffic gen model here, using social traffic/networking and referral traffic. No plans to use PPC or SEO strategies as yet. (short term as you’ve mentioned, hence the /temp/ directory), so the CS/QS issue doesn’t come in.

By: Kieron Donoghue

Kieron Donoghue — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 20:41:23 +0000

I wrote about this some time ago here: http://www.here.org.uk/google-adwords-landing-pages-how-to-build-a-page-that-wont-get-banned-with-examples Basically mini sites are the way forward instead of landing pages. Even better, build your mini site into a full site and watch the organic traffic come in for free!

Whilst Google is making things harder for a lot of affiliates it will ensure that the cream will indeed rise to the top. So from my point of view its a positive step that Google are taking.

By: Linda Buquet

Linda Buquet — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 17:24:34 +0000

Good points Amit and all. Let’s think about the end consumers too, the ones that ultimately pay us… I’m sure that’s a big part of Google’s concern.

If quality wasn’t controlled and a “flood of affiliates with ugly one page landing pages they throw together with frontpage” was allowed to happen, I’m sure fewer and fewer consumers would even be clicking on sponsored ads. Joe Surfer would eventually learn it wasn’t worth even looking at “those side ads” and everyone would lose out.

So while quality score updates make it harder for affiliates that want it quick and easy, I do think it forces the cream to rise to the top. Affiliates like Amit, Jeremy and Andrew in the end will be able to generate more revenue, with less competition, as they take the time to build quality sites and landing pages that pass the big G test and benefit the consumer.

By: sam

sam — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 17:17:53 +0000

wondering if andrew took those into account when creating the keyword list [and/or] landing page to his new “launch and scrap” site:http://www.whoisandrewwee.com/temp/harrypotter/

By: Tim

Tim — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 17:05:16 +0000

I would have to agree with Andrew (and Amit, of course) about one-page landing pages. Unless it’s a lead where the user just has to enter some very non-specific information about themselves, I have always had a hunch that multi-page, “real” sites are way more effective in terms of conversion. So many of those sales letter type pages come off to me like a used car salesman in a polyester suit with slicked back hair. Still, they do seem to work on some people. I know the one-page landers do still work, but for how much longer? I never would have believed they worked in the first place!

By: andrew wee

andrew wee — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 06:20:17 +0000

Hi Amit,
I think the undertone to your post is to build as organic a website as possible. Make it look and prefably be a content site with relevant content. The converts with a 15 page content site may not be as high as a single landing page, but I think the overall user experience will be enhanced.

Re: The user point of view. I’ve been to a number of single page landing pages and I guess I don’t quite feel fulfilled submitting my details…Maybe it because there’s no “About Us” page (one of the first things I look at at a new site), or no “Contact Us” page. (Both of which are factors in CS, as well as a privacy policy).

You might seen it as twisted on G’s part, but perhaps one of their secondary intentions (after satisfying shareholders and advertisers) is to make their pages more human user friendly, rather than just satisfying SE algos…