The Google referral program (beta) is for businesses whose customers and visitors include small to medium-sized businesses, and who want to help those companies become more successful by running Google AdWords, or serving ads with Google AdSense. The program works by giving approved sites unique links to Google, then compensating the referring site for passing on a new AdWords advertiser or AdSense publisher.
("Beta". There's a shocker.)
A trivial (and a bit nostalgic) thing is that their affiliate application is remarkably similar to the Be Free application template that is used on the sites of BFAST clients. I've stared at that template enough in my life to have recognized it's mundane plainness immediately. The layout and wording is the same and the business classification drop list (which I authored) is a dead ringer.
I know that they didn't simply revive their old affiliate program template because there was a different template back in 2000.
There's surely nothing to read into this. They probably just ripped off the app from one of dozens of BFAST clients and tailored it to their needs.
On a bit of a tangent... Google had an affiliate program with Be Free back in 2000 where they offered search boxes for publishers and paid them $0.01 per search.
Managing click fraud surely played no small part in the early demise of their program, which if I recall, lived less than a year. From their old affilaite program page:
As of February 1, 2001, we will be discontinuing our Google affiliate program in order to focus on what we do best: providing the web's most powerful search service. All current affiliates who have generated at least $15 in search referrals will be fully compensated for the traffic sent to Google through the end of the program. Please note that we have lowered the minimum for compensation from the original level of $25 as a token of our appreciation for your efforts on our behalf.
Click-based affiliates programs as a whole disappeared three or so years ago when many faded away and others were forced out when Commission Junction canned the whole model in one fell swoop.
I digress. So Google is going back to the affiliate marketing well with a CPA program. It's no secret that affiliates are a thorn in Google's search-engine-side; the company has had a love/hate relationship with affiliates for years, filling up their SERPS with "optimized" and duplicate content, while lining their pockets with Adwords revenue.
You know what they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Still not sure which affiliates are.
RSS
Google is relaunching their affiliate program, sorry, referral program, offering $20 for a referred advertiser or publisher.
("Beta". There's a shocker.)
A trivial (and a bit nostalgic) thing is that their affiliate application is remarkably similar to the Be Free application template that is used on the sites of BFAST clients. I've stared at that template enough in my life to have recognized it's mundane plainness immediately. The layout and wording is the same and the business classification drop list (which I authored) is a dead ringer.
I know that they didn't simply revive their old affiliate program template because there was a different template back in 2000.
There's surely nothing to read into this. They probably just ripped off the app from one of dozens of BFAST clients and tailored it to their needs.
On a bit of a tangent... Google had an affiliate program with Be Free back in 2000 where they offered search boxes for publishers and paid them $0.01 per search.
Managing click fraud surely played no small part in the early demise of their program, which if I recall, lived less than a year. From their old affilaite program page:
Click-based affiliates programs as a whole disappeared three or so years ago when many faded away and others were forced out when Commission Junction canned the whole model in one fell swoop.
Interestingly, Commission Junction has gone full circle and is offering CPC again on a cautious and limited basis.
I digress. So Google is going back to the affiliate marketing well with a CPA program. It's no secret that affiliates are a thorn in Google's search-engine-side; the company has had a love/hate relationship with affiliates for years, filling up their SERPS with "optimized" and duplicate content, while lining their pockets with Adwords revenue.
You know what they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Still not sure which affiliates are.