Has Google slapped you yet?

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Have you heard about “The GOOGLE Slap” heard ’round the Internet?

It’s official. Google.com is now the new champion of “biting the hand that feeds you”.

I never thought I’d see the day when a company would change the rules FASTER than eBay does, but GOOGLE has done it – and they seem to be getting away with it for now. Only history will tell if the move was brilliant or insane. (Hint: Watch the GOOGLE (GOOG) stock price from now until Feb 07).

So, what exactly is the Google Slap?

To understand the Slap you need to know about the Pay Per Click advertising program that Google offers called Adwords.

Many Adwords users are seeing clicks that used to cost $.10 or $.50 magically jump up over night and suddenly cost $5, $10 or more because Google doesn’t like the website they are advertising.

SLAP SLAP SLAP – OUCH

Imagine going shopping for groceries and on your way to the checkout counter all the items in your cart jump up 500% or more in price. Would you like that store anymore? Now you understand the “slap”.

The SLAP means that Google DOESN’T want your advertising money unless they REALLY like the website you are advertising. Thousands of adwords users are being effectively “shut down” as they are subjected to a maze of impossible rules, standards, and price points that are being applied to their advertising account.

Do a search on any search engine (even Google) to find out more about the Google Slap.

Needless to say advertisers are dropping like flies as a result and Google isn’t flinching.

Strangely it’s only the “small” Adwords accounts that are subjected to the new “standards”. Accounts that are spending several thousand dollars per month need not worry from what I’ve been hearing. Advertising accounts like eBay, Chase Bank, Walmart etc need not panic – Google wants your money…

Who else need not worry?

Google loves CONTENT sites so if your site is full of continually updated fresh original content (who has time to do that for a living) and isn’t selling anything you are okay.

Question for Google: Who advertises a site that doesn’t sell anything?

Google is getting picky about who can and can’t use the Pay Per Click program. In a nutshell if your website is an effective “selling” site (i.e. one page sales letter, squeeze page etc.) you are a potential target to get slapped. Google no longer wants one page sales letters or squeeze pages.

I’m making a video now about the power of squeeze pages so don’t panic if you don’t know what I’m talking about there. Watch the blog for more details on using them.

IS THE SKY FALLING?

No – far from it, but the lesson is that NOW is the time to make sure that your “multiple streams strategy” is in full force. The people who have an entire business running based on Google Pay Per Click traffic are freaking out right now.

Don’t rely on Google Pay Per Click traffic alone to get you traffic. See my recent blog post about how to get traffic for ideas.

And don’t forget eBay… remeber good ol’ eBay?

The most popular non-search engine website on the planet? Now there’s a traffic source for you!

A “multiple streams” strategy continues to be an amazing and simple way to make your Internet biz prosper and avoid over reliance on a third party website to support you. Check out “Silent Sales Machine” to start using that strategy today.

CAUTION: Reliance on any one website for your income will eventually lead to a SLAP. Constantly ask yourself this question: “If website XYZ dissapeared tomorrow what would my business look like?” I’d like to help you answer that question with confidence!

Jim Cockrum . com

  • http://www.auntysforum.com Rich

    Very sound advice, we are firm believers in not putting all your eggs in one basket.

    Seems to me Google are being a bit backward. Everyone has to start somewhere…even the biggest operators started small…even the mighty ebay.

    They should be encouraging the smaller businesses to succeed, as they grow they would spend more on advertising!!!

    Keep up the good work Jim!!

  • http://mike-mcdonough.com Mike McDonough

    Jim,

    I have been a follower of your articles for some time. I purchased your Silent Sales Machine book and was impressed with the content.

    I was slapped by Google on one of my Ad adventures. First day $.45 a click then the next day all my keywords where $1.00 T0 $5.00 EACH TO BE ACTIVATED. I was not a happy camper. Also now the they changed the price structure and you can set different CCP's for contend sites AdWords is really not the way to go any more. Google is out to get the big bucks and leave the average marketer behind.

    Keep up the good work. I now do all my advertising and marketing through the site I have listed it is free to join.

    To your Success

    Mike McDonough

  • http://news.reviewandbuyub.comh Sylvia Jayakaran

    Jim:

    First off, I would like to commend you on the informative articles that you always present to your subscribers.

    The sad fact is that if your business is Google-centric you need to be as dynamic as they are, make smart moves diversifying your income streams. Google and dynamic changes always go hand-in-hand as far as I have know them.

    Wouldn't it be better for PPC marketers to have a fair share of search marketing results from yahoo and other search engines…

    Looking forward to your video and what you are about to convey!

    Regards,

    - S. Jay
    http://news.reviewandbuyhub.com

  • http://www.ezarticles.info Gary Gresham

    Hi Jim,

    This is great advice and I use several different ways to get traffic to all of my sites because I don't want to be out of business overnight.

    Anyone who is smart should diversify their business from where you get your traffic to what makes you money.

    You have to have Google in the mix because they deliver so much traffic. But they are just one of many sources available and it's just good business to have a variety.

    You have to ask yourself if Google was completely gone tomorrow would my business survive? Sometimes I'll use Yahoo and MSN because they will deliver more traffic to my sites for certain niches.

    It's hard to get away for Google because they deliver so much traffic. But once you test other ways of getting traffic, you'll be surprised at how well they work.

    Gary

  • http://www.simplemethods.net/freesoftware Fermin

    Hi Jim,

    You are so right about having a multiple streams of income strategy. Right now I am personally feeling the Google slap in one part of my business. Thanks to your strategies I have other areas of my business doing great!

    On another topic:

    Excellent information in your new eBook! And at a great price too, free! Well only those of us smart enough to have taken advantage of your generous offer. Keep up the great work!

    All the best,

    Fermin Suero
    http://www.simplemethods.net

  • http://www.sportsticketsecrets.com Jeff Howard

    I stopped PPC a while ago and focus instead on articles, content, links, etc. While I've still got a ways to go to fully implement these alterative forms of traffic generation, I've already seen my site numbers climbing, so I don't miss Adwords right now! I get very angry at the large companies who think they can walk all over the little guys. eBay also "slaps" small sellers, so it's not just limited to Google.

  • Lisa

    Hi Jim,

    Great stuff all around! But let me help you all relax on this one. . .humans ARE NOT looking at your squeeze pages, spiders are. Simply throw an article or content "below the line" and it will make Google Spiders happy. They will see the content (doesn't matter where it is on the page….so wayyyyyy at the bottom works well-put your sales/squeeze at the top). Google is looking to make their user experiences better which is why they are doing this. As marketers, OF COURSE we can "do better" and have Google-Friendly pages :)

  • http://www.flea-market-vendor-resources.com Melissa

    Hi Jim,

    I totally agree with the multiple streams of income. It seems that google is going after the few large companies that can afford to pay the higher prices for advertising. Yet ignoring the possibly millions of small businesses that can only afford to pay a small amount for advertising. It reminds me of the long tail of marketing.

    It may prove to be in googles best interest to focus on the few large companies that can pay the high prices so they can be almost guarenteed to list only "trust worthy" companies. However, just because a large company is well known does not mean that they provide better services and/or products and such that they are more trust worthy.

    In my opinion it would be more worthwhile for a ppc search engine to focus on providing advertising for the numerous small businesses. Watch for yahoo, msn, and other ppc search engines to become more popular with the small business folks.

    However, only time will tell on how this will all play out. Will yahoo and msn follow suit with google? Lets watch and see what happens.

    Great article, as always, Jim!

    Sincerely,

    Melissa Oaks

    http://www.flea-market-vendor-resources.com

     [[reply from Jim]] Great to hear from you Melissa. Speaking of long tail…I just wrote an article in the latest newsletter about the long tail of niche market opportunities in the Self Publishing arena. Look for it. 

    It is odd to see Google burning their own long tail like this. I think it might come backto really hurt them. We will just have to see how it pans out…My guess is they'll want to get a little kinder in a few months.

    I've never been over reliant on Google nor do I think anyone else should do so. If that is your strategy you don't have to worry either way. 

  • http://www.awebbiz.smmsite.com Ray

    Hi Jim,

    It was great meeting you and Ron in San Diego. It was a fabulous location and I took plenty of notes, especially on the Google Slap problem. Thank you for all your insights.

    Regards,

    Ray

  • http://www.LandingPageCashMachine.com Mark Widawer

    Pardon my assertiveness, but I think you are all missing the point here.

    Google knows that if it has traffic, it can find advertisers.

    But the converse isn't true.

    If all Google has are Advertisers, then there's no guarantee at all they'll have traffic.

    Why is that important?

    Google's MOST valuable asset is its traffic, and the chunk of the public's mind that it owns. Just as kids grow up with a space reserved in their brains for all things Disney, so do adults have a chunk of their brain now set aside for Google.

    The value of that is incalculable.

    The issue is that Google understands their traffic, and their traffic's behavior. If people search for Flowers, only to click on an ad that takes them to a page full of manufactured articles, flower store popups, or more Flower ADS, and this happens a significant portion of the time, these people will stop relying on Google for their searches. They'll go elsewhere.

    And that chunk of the brain reserved for "Googling" something will shrink, and will soon come to mean something negative rather than something positive.

    And as the traffic dwindles, so too will traffic to Google's Advertisers.

    And that means you.

    Jim, your point about multiple streams of income is dead-on, and I'll be looking into your materials to perhaps share with my own readers. You also said that Google loves content, which is true. But you go on to say "who has time" to create that content.

    Clearly YOU do, as evidenced by this helpful blog. And I assert that your readers can find the time, too.

    I have an entire website all about this topic, at http://www.Googleicious.com, where I've written about this several times.

    You and your readers may find some value and additional perspectives there. And I welcome your comments there as well.

    Best Wishes.

    –Mark Widawer

    [[reply from Jim]]: Great points Mark – You can't really hold it against Google for doing whatever they think is in their own best interest long term but there are a lot of very relevant advertisers getting effectively kicked off Google because either they aren't BIG enough ($/month) or they don't offer CONTENT as part of their advertising.  The new model for pleasing Google sounds like it might be "content advertising". I'm curious to see how it all shakes out. The biggest issue I have with the whole change is the seemingly inconsistent way the new rules are being applied…just like with eBay the big boys play by different rules than the rest of us. That's disappointing.

  • http://adminwomensbusiness.net.au Tricia

    hi jim,

    you mention ebay for more traffic. Well here in Oz ebay has slapped the sellers around with huge store fee and FVF increases. Hundreds have closed their stores, and now even core listings are down to bare minimum. Not only that buyers have left the corridors of power as well.

    check out the ebay.com.au community boards/round table and you will get the idea of what's happening down here. Seems ebay does not care about it's power sellers or little people either. I'm dissillusioned.

    [[reply from Jim]] I hear you Tricia…you have to beat eBay at their own game! Take all emotion out of your thought process and just look at the numbers. The fact is that more and more SHOPPERS are going to eBay every day. Imagine in your head tens of thousands of first time sign ups EVERYDAY on eBay. That really is happening. These are all potentially YOUR CUSTOMERS. No matter how many eBay sellers drop out because they don't like eBay anymore the fact remains that the SHOPPERS are still there. EBay is spending millions to get the CUSTOMERS (when is the last time you saw an ebay advertisement trying to attrack SELLERS?)

    This means that sellers who know how to maximize their marketing dollar on eBay will win. That's why it's important to treat eBay differently than most other sellers. You MUST see eBay as a source of leads and life time customers and not just a source of one-at-a-time sales.

    That is the theme of ALL my books below (especially 'Silent Sales Machine'…use eBay as a TOOL not a destination!

    Jim 

    A Part Time Plan for Massive Success Using eBay and the Internet

    http://www.PartTimePlan.com

    (Jim's latest top seller)

    The Silent Sales Machine Hiding on eBay

    http://www.SilentSalesMachine.com

    (The all time best selling eBay eBook in the world)

    How to Turn Auction Traffic Into Cash

    http://www.AuctionTrafficCash.com

    (Use eBay and autoresponders to grow a HUGE mailing list fast)