Weird keyword behaviour

[BoogalooDude]

Ok, my ad groups have been hit hard by the landing page quality change just like everyone elses with Google wanting stupid money for most keywords.

However, I have keywords that are currently disabled but are still converting.

How does that work, I thought that they were disabled for search but they're still getting clicks??

[Caydel]

Are they getting some content clicks?

I've had that happen before too, where search keyword keep getting clicks at low cost. I guess it is just a bug at their end. Not that I'm complaining...

[BoogalooDude]

Are they getting some content clicks?

I've had that happen before too, where search keyword keep getting clicks at low cost. I guess it is just a bug at their end. Not that I'm complaining...

Nope I have content disabled on all my campaigns except for the ones where I'm actually getting paid by the click for traffic rather than conversions.

[gen5media]

They don't actually get disabled completely - at least that is what I have seen. It seems that G gives you a chance to improve your landing pages so it does show them sporatically. I got slammed by the new quality criteria, but once I rewrote my landing pages and tighened the campaigns, ALL my keywords were reactivated fully over a period of 2 days without having to raise any bids at all.

[BoogalooDude]

They don't actually get disabled completely - at least that is what I have seen. It seems that G gives you a chance to improve your landing pages so it does show them sporatically. I got slammed by the new quality criteria, but once I rewrote my landing pages and tighened the campaigns, ALL my keywords were reactivated fully over a period of 2 days without having to raise any bids at all.


Thanks, that's useful to know.

Unfortunately, none of the landing pages are mine, they're all procash sites.

[gen5media]

I think you'll continue to have quality rating problems if you send traffic directly to merchant sites - without super focused landing pages it may be difficult to keep many keywords active.

Merchants will need to step up and retool their sites otherwise I think we will all see continued frustration in PPC ad requirements - at least from G.

[BoogalooDude]

Yeah I think that you're right.

I don't particularly want to use my own landing pages because even if you've got an angle, like a review site, it's still just another layer between the visitor and a sale.

[gen5media]

Yeah I think that you're right.

I don't particularly want to use my own landing pages because even if you've got an angle, like a review site, it's still just another layer between the visitor and a sale.

Yes and No...it depends on the ANGLE and the landing page of course. The real questions is - Can you do a better job of promoting/describing the product than the merchant? If so, then you can create your own landing page or even whole site and use an unpublished clickbank link to go right to Step 1 in the clickbank purchase script.

And now with the new quality requirements with PPC, you probably CAN describe the product better - at least in the eyes of G - so that your ads continue to run uninterrupted.

[BoogalooDude]

If so, then you can create your own landing page or even whole site and use an unpublished clickbank link to go right to Step 1 in the clickbank purchase script.

How does that bit work, can you explain a little more?

[Biff_Tiberius_Farnsworth]

I've heard of putting the affiliate link in a tiny IFRAME to set the cookie and use the link ...

http://ITEM.VENDOR.pay.clickbank.net (http://item.vendor.pay.clickbank.net/)

to send the user to the payment process when they click. If the page uses a frame breaker like...



<script language=”JavaScript1.1″ type=”text/JavaScript”>
if (parent.frames.length > 0) top.location.replace
(document.location);</script>


Then your page will suddenly go to the vendor sales page (still setting the cookie for you)

I'm not sure how this technique jives with the TOS at CB or Adwords.

Your Pal Biff

[IM-Mike]

There is some software that will do this for you. Affiliate Cloner I believe is one. Not sure about TOS issues but asking permission from the merchant would probably be a good start...

-Mike

[BoogalooDude]

I've heard of putting the affiliate link in a tiny IFRAME to set the cookie and use the link ...

http://ITEM.VENDOR.pay.clickbank.net (http://item.vendor.pay.clickbank.net/)

to send the user to the payment process when they click. If the page uses a frame breaker like...



<script language=”JavaScript1.1″ type=”text/JavaScript”>
if (parent.frames.length > 0) top.location.replace
(document.location);</script>


Then your page will suddenly go to the vendor sales page (still setting the cookie for you)

I'm not sure how this technique jives with the TOS at CB or Adwords.

Your Pal Biff

Thanks Biff but I'm not sure I'd use that as Java script is not very accessible and I don't like to cut out any part of my potential demographic. I try to only use server side scripts.

[Biff_Tiberius_Farnsworth]

Thanks Biff but I'm not sure I'd use that as Java script is not very accessible

I wasn't clear. The Javascript isn't for you. It's a way vendors can protect against this technique if they oppose it.

Here is how you would do it with the locatepeople.org site from ProCash. I take no responsibility for anyone getting in trouble with this. It is very easy for the vendor to notice. As IM-Mike says...


Not sure about TOS issues but asking permission from the merchant would probably be a good start...




<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" />
<title>Untitled Document</title>
</head>

<body>
<iframe height="1" width="1" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"
src=http://BOGGALOODUDEAFFILIATEHERE .procash5.hop.clickbank.net/>
</iframe>

blah
blah
blah
blah

<a href="http://001.procash5.pay.clickbank.net">Please...Try my product</a>
</body>
</html>

[gen5media]

There is actually a much simpler way:

"http://www.clickbank.net/sell.cgi?AFFILIATEID_VENDORID/ITEM#/Description_Of_Item"

Just replace AFFILIATEID with your clickbank ID, VENDORID with the merchant's clickbank ID - The underscore acts as a parse field for clickbank to distinguish the two. Item number is usually 1 unless the vendor has multiple products under one ID, and description of item can be anything you want - underscores are treated as spaces during the checkout process to the buyer.

You can use this in a plain hypelink, or use it as the Form Action in a BUY NOW, or something to that effect, button.

This also bypasses the storing of cookies so you get a commission even if someone has cookies turned off.

[Biff_Tiberius_Farnsworth]

Wow! Thanks

[gen5media]

NP :)

Keep in mind - this is an UNDOCUMENTED AND UNSUPPORTED method of sending visitors to the checkout process. I read somewhere that a couple of years ago it stopped working, then shortly thereafter was reactivated by CB. If you use it, keep an eye on your sites and test it to make sure your affiliate ID appears on Step 2 of the payment page.

[Biff_Tiberius_Farnsworth]

Ooops nevermind. I just did a test.

Followed a link someaffid.breakfree1.hop.clickbank.net

Went to shopping cart and at the bottom saw...
affiliateid=someaffid

Clicked on the link ...
"http://www.clickbank.net/sell.cgi?MYAFFID_breakfree1/001/break_free"
as per

"http://www.clickbank.net/sell.cgi?AFFILIATEID_VENDORID/ITEM#/Description_Of_Item"


took me to the right page to purchase (enter zip and country) but when I went into the shopping cart at the bottom it said....
affiliateid=someaffid
NOT
affiliateid=MYAFFID

Whereas if I do that with the web page I presented above, it works.

Got my doubts

~B

[IM-Mike]

If I read your post correctly Biff it looks like the cookie you set previously (with the clickbank hoplink) superseded the AFFID that was used in the straight link.

Is this what happens if someone has a previous cookie set and you use this type of link?

-Mike

[Caydel]

I've read of this - the cookie definately superceeds the AFFID variable...

[gen5media]

Nice catch guys - I didn't see that. Here is the simple fix. Make your payment page a frameset with a hidden frame that sets the cookie before going to the CB step 1 payment page:

<frameset rows="100%,0" frameborder="NO" border="0" framespacing="0">
<frame src="http://www.YOURDOMAIN.com/JOIN-PAGE.html" name="mainFrame" scrolling="yes" noresize>
<frame src="http://AFFID.VENDORID.hop.clickbank.net" name="bottomFrame" scrolling="NO" noresize>
</frameset>

I tested this and it works perfectly.

[carr11]

Thank you all for the information. Real Helpful and very much appreciated!

[Caydel]

Isn't this a major no-no from the google end of things? I thought they disliked hidden frames?


Nice catch guys - I didn't see that. Here is the simple fix. Make your payment page a frameset with a hidden frame that sets the cookie before going to the CB step 1 payment page:

<frameset rows="100%,0" frameborder="NO" border="0" framespacing="0">
<frame src="http://www.YOURDOMAIN.com/JOIN-PAGE.html" name="mainFrame" scrolling="yes" noresize>
<frame src="http://AFFID.VENDORID.hop.clickbank.net" name="bottomFrame" scrolling="NO" noresize>
</frameset>

I tested this and it works perfectly.

[gen5media]

I guess technically it *could* be considered as a hidden link, but that is up to interpretation. It is not a redirect of any kind, it's just a simple frameset whose sole purpose is to set a cookie - I don't think there is anything wrong with it.

[carr11]

I agree with gen5media all the way but then again who knows what the heck google thinks.

[Biff_Tiberius_Farnsworth]

I still think the single IFRAME tag is cleaner.

~B

[gen5media]

I still think the single IFRAME tag is cleaner.

~B

I think you're right, but if the user does not have cookies enabled, the commission will not be credited unless you use the sell.cgi link.

[BoogalooDude]

I haven't got a clue what you guys are talking about but I'm glad it's useful info for you.

At the risk of steering this thread back on topic, does anyone know why my disabled keywords are still generating sales for me?

[Biff_Tiberius_Farnsworth]

I think you're right, but if the user does not have cookies enabled, the commission will not be credited unless you use the sell.cgi link.

Yeah.

I did an expirement once not too long ago. I was arguing with a friend that we miss all of the people with cookies turned off.

She said spend a day with cookies turned off on your browser. I made it for 2 hours before having to turn cookies back on. It is a terrible browsing experience and I find it hard to believe that more than one in 10,000 visitors have 'first party' cookies turned off.

~B

[Biff_Tiberius_Farnsworth]

I haven't got a clue what you guys are talking about but I'm glad it's useful info for you.

At the risk of steering this thread back on topic, does anyone know why my disabled keywords are still generating sales for me?

Hi Boog!

They aren't 'disabled' they are 'inactive' which means if Google needs them to fill in an empty space on a results page, they will use it. This is the main reason that they changed it last summer from 'disabled' to 'inactive' . Every summer they shake up the algo. Weeds out the 'bad blood' ;)

~B

[BoogalooDude]

Hi Boog!

They aren't 'disabled' they are 'inactive' which means if Google needs them to fill in an empty space on a results page, they will use it. This is the main reason that they changed it last summer from 'disabled' to 'inactive' . Every summer they shake up the algo. Weeds out the 'bad blood' ;)

~B

ah ha! Muchas gracias mi amigo :)

[Caydel]

I love how it took 30 posts to get a simple answer to this question...

Long Live eWealth! :)

[Biff_Tiberius_Farnsworth]

I was answering this question...


Quote:
Originally Posted by gen5media
If so, then you can create your own landing page or even whole site and use an unpublished clickbank link to go right to Step 1 in the clickbank purchase script.



How does that bit work, can you explain a little more?

That's TWO TWO TWO THREADS IN ONE!

[IM-Mike]

I haven't got a clue what you guys are talking about but I'm glad it's useful info for you.

At the risk of steering this thread back on topic, does anyone know why my disabled keywords are still generating sales for me?

Biff pretty much summed it up. I have a bunch of this going on in my account where Google raised to outrageous cpcs. What used to happen is if you got a few clicks and raised the overall CTR the bid price would drop and the keyword would show active again. Now they seem to hate a high CTR in my account since the latest changes so I guess that won't be happening anymore. :shoot: Google

-Mike

[BoogalooDude]

I was answering this question...

That's TWO TWO TWO THREADS IN ONE!

:lol: Yes, I steered it off topic in the first place didn't I, naughty me. :innocent:

[Biff_Tiberius_Farnsworth]

Does this make it Three Three Three GREAT THREADS IN ONE ?
:)
~B

[BoogalooDude]

Does this make it Three Three Three GREAT THREADS IN ONE ?
:)
~B


Could be, one about the keywords, one about masking links and one about what the thread was supposed to be about....

[andrebreton21]

I got slammed by the new quality criteria, but once I rewrote my landing pages and tighened the campaigns, ALL my keywords were reactivated fully over a period of 2 days without having to raise any bids at all.It seems that G gives you a chance to improve your landing pages so it does show them sporatically.

[howtogetrid]

It seems that G gives you a chance to improve your landing pages so it does show them sporatically.

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[lfortmillsc]

It seems that G gives you a chance to improve your landing pages so it does show them sporatically.

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