Utah Business

Imagine my surprise the other day when I open an e-mail from Google AdWords and found this amazing note.

“We are writing to let you know that your Google AdWords account has been disabled due to one or more serious violations of our advertising policies related to Landing Page and Site Quality. As a result, your ads will no longer run through the Google AdWords system and we are unable to accept advertising from you in the future. Please note that future accounts you open will also be disabled.

As part of our commitment to making the AdWords experience safe and effective for our users and our advertisers, we routinely review the landing pages that our advertisers promote through our search and content networks. If we find that an advertiser has submitted a landing page that egregiously violates our policies, we reserve the right to take immediate account-level action.”

?Yep, I was banned for life for an unnamed infraction on an unnamed page. It was even more curious because I have had no ads running on Google for several months. I run several sites and did not even know which site was involved in this heinous (egregious) crime against humanity.

Now I must admit, initially this did not seem like much of a gift. Somehow I had angered the Google Gods. I quickly replied to the e-mail only to learn that the Google Gods do not necessarily respond to mere mortals. So, I began to look into the process of advertising on Google and quickly the huge gift became apparent.

Here is the quotation from the Google Support Page titled About Suspended Accounts.? These are the infractions on your landing page(s) that can get you banned for life:

“Data collection sites that offer free items, etc., in order to collect private information

?Arbitrage sites without relevant and original content that are designed for the purpose of showing ads

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Affiliate sites without relevant and original content that are designed to drive traffic to another site with a different domain

“Get-rich quick” sites

Malware sites that install software on a visitor’s computer

Poor comparison shopping or travel sites whose primary purpose is to send users to other shopping/travel comparison sites, rather than to provide useful content or additional search functionality”

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Now if you are an internet marketer who has their entire business running on Google AdWords, this list should prompt a panic attack. Why?

• Item number one is also called a squeeze page, something virtually every marketer has running

• Items 2 and 3 require original content, something virtually no marketer has. It may be relevant but it’s mostly all borrowed from e-zine articles floating around the net. Has Google banned duplicate content on landing pages?

• Item 4 – “Get rich quick” sites is completely undefined and according to Google will remain undefined.

• Item 5 does not define “malware”. Of course we all despise viruses, Trojans, worms and the like, but what about tracking cookies? Malware? Maybe not now, but Google won’t say.

• Item 6 does not define a “poor” site, what constitutes useful content or additional search functionality.

In other words, Google will decide (based on their undisclosed internal “filtration methods”) if you get to remain in business.

So, why this is such a great gift?

Google, you see, has just given me the gift of education and awareness, one of the biggest and best gifts you can ever receive.

I always look for the fundamental business my clients are in. Google has now made clear to me that they are not in the business of search, or even in the advertising business. I feel that Google is in business to shape the Internet to its own internal vision and needs, regardless of their customers needs. They are successful in doing this because they are not motivated by money.

So, now I have a solid case study with which to counsel my clients. If you account for more then 20% of your income through Google AdWords, or AdSense, you are playing with fire. Picture waking up one morning and find yourself banned for life from Google. For some marketers their entire business would be gone. For others a very large part of their income would disappear.

Could you somehow get Google to reverse their decision? I understand that some have done that, but it is a long and difficult process. Most abandon all hope and try to sneak another account in through a back door using another name, computer and IP address.

So, I am sharing this valuable gift with everyone. Diversify your marketing as much as feasible and do not rely on Google for more of your income then you can afford to lose, because, just like gambling, it could be gone in the blink of an eye.

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Social networking sites where originally intended to be merely online communities where people can gather and share interests and opinions. Due to the growing popularity of many social networks they soon caught the eye of the internet marketing community. A social platform with a large membership base represented fertile grounds for marketing goods and services.

Now many entrepreneurs have flooded these social sites for the purpose of marketing online.  The splash they have made however has often times been awkward and unwelcome by many site members. The need to keep in mind that these online communities are really intended for socializing is crucial. There is a way to effectively conduct your business in a way that is less awkward for you and more welcomed by site members.

Here are 3 points you’ll need to keep in mind when approaching any social platform for the purpose of marketing online:

You Can’t Please Everybody

If you’re use to hiding behind copywriting then the interacting can be a bit of a shock. Guess what, that is why they call it ’social’ marketing. Remember this is how you interrelate with people offline … has it been that long?

Expect a healthy amount of ‘give and take’ in and amongst site members. This interaction should also include you and don’t expect that everybody will agree with your views or opinions. What makes social marketing so effective is the immediate feedback you can expect and this likely will be directed right at you. Take nothing personal and learn to benefit from any criticism you may receive.

Engage in Discussions

When I mention engaging in conversations I don’t mean listening in on them. Make yourself known and offer input where you feel you can contribute in a positive manner. If the subject is popular yet you’re not that familiar with it then listen up and learn.

Don’t be afraid to ask a question being this is a great way to meet and bond with others. The person you ask questions of today may be your customer or even mentor tomorrow!

Don’t Overextend Yourself

As you become more comfortable interacting on various social networks you may be tempted to join some others and you should. However do keep in mind that to get the most out of any one site will take some time and effort on your part since you need to be building relationships with the other members. Be reasonable with the number of sites you choose to become active at so that you don’t overextend yourself thereby diminishing your own efforts.

To conduct business on any of the social networking sites you first need to gain the acceptance of other members. Participating in discussions and making positive contributions with your comments or opinions is a key first step. Social sites are based upon the members building relationships.  If your initial focus is business any future marketing efforts likely will be ineffective. So make yourself comfortable, make some friends, and then use this base to grow your business into the future.