I wasn’t even aware that Google had its own affiliate network until more recently. Even though I was aware of it, I didn’t really look into it until the other day and then I signed up.
If you have an approved Google Adsense account, signing up for Google Affiliate Network up is a breeze! If you do not have an AdSense account, you will need to sign up for one of those first. Both are free.
One mistake I made when signing up for the affiliate account, I put in a wrong email address and was denied. Be sure you sign up with your Main Email address for your AdSense account. After signing up, it takes about 24 hours to get approved.
So is the Google Affiliate Program worth signing up for? Yep! Is it the best thing since sliced bread? Some may love it like that but I think it is worth signing up because it gives you options! Clearly Google is a great trusted source and when it comes to affiliates… that trust issue is a big deal. I have mainly used CJ.com in the past as they have such a huge selection of advertisers and product… well, clearly with the name Google, you can imagine they are supporting a lot of affiliate advertisers as well.
Google offers some of the biggest brand names there are and many smaller unique companies as well! They have a nice mix!
You can find advertisers by searching for specific products. Let’s say as a blogger, I’m going to write about Dishwashers. Simply type in dishwasher or by brand name or the specific kind of dishwasher you are writing about and boom, instant products that you can list right on your site and earn commissions! You will have to be approved for a "dishwasher" company and they need to offer products as well, but you can find just about anything with the Google affiliate network.
Kenmore Elite 24 in. Built-In Dishwasher with TurboZone™ with Rot $599.99
If you wish to cover a specific shoe store like Shoes.com, you can use either banner images or link images.
Most companies have a large selection of banner images that likely will fit best with what you are writing about. Sometimes your just better off using a link that may include terms like 20% off or Free Shipping etc.
The first thing you want to do is apply for advertisers. Visit the Advertisers Tab. I clicked on the Show All link and browsed that way. Select the ones you wish to apply for, click to agree to terms and apply! Some advertisers are instant approved and some take manual approval. You will likely not get approved by everybody but if you do not apply, you won’t know.
- Links
- Products
- Advertisers
Those are the 3 main "tabs" you will likely be using. Currently, Google has a Beta feature on the "links" tab that I’m not a fan of, so you can click the classic version and use that. In the classic version, you can view Image Links (banners) or Text Links using the tabs on the top of the screen to best fit what you are looking for. Using the search box on the left, you can redefine what you want.
Products works similar to the links but is based on the keyword(s) you enter. Again, you need to be approved by an advertiser that offers products to see any.
Advertisers. I seem to use this one the most, because you can select what you want by your approved advertisers in a list. Simply click Actions next to the advertiser and you are on your way.
A couple things I would pay attention to:
Commission Duration: I have seen this number as low as 5 days. This is the cookie length and 5 days is pretty poor. I have seen most with 30-90 durations.
EPC, Earnings Per Click. I know a lot of people like to see high numbers here but that doesn’t always mean the product or site is right for what YOU offer. Offering related products and services to what your site is about or what you are writing about is the most important!
If you haven’t checked out Google Affiliate Network, I’d suggest you sign up and give it a try! Very similar to CJ.com but I am hoping for better conversions and better tracking. I have found some advertisers are easier to get approved for on GAN than CJ and for some reason I feel I am going to have the most trust in Google to report accurately! Here is a starters guide for the Google Affiliate Network.
If you are using GAN and have been for some time, please feel free to let me know what you think of it and how things are going for you.
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The challenge I have found with my Google affiliate program (there is likely a solution) is that you sign up with one account related to a particular website. Affiliates related to that theme will approve your site but if you try to get companies related to other sites you will often get rejected. So it would seem you just need to open another account. But every time I try it defaults me back to my existing account so I’m stuck with affiliates for just one pet-related site.
July 30th, 2010