It happens… even to the most accomplished SEO professionals.
Last August Dan Thies revealed the amazing story about how Brad Fallon, Stompernet founder and owner of MyWeddingFavors.com was kicked out of Google, because of people exploiting bugs in Google.
For many people the “proxy hacking” explanation was extremely complicated to understand (I struggled), but what wasn’t revealed was how Brad’s company survived (and grew) without his top Google listings.
It is now revealed, in a 54 minute video with typical (extraordinary) Stompernet style.
Note: I just checked in on the proxy hacking post and it seems Google might be taking action on this particular issue
I love the free videos and tools that Stompernet produce for their product launches, you can learn so much and there is no pressure selling – you can also pick up some great tips on how to improve the production quality of your own videos.
Get the free video here
p.s. you don’t have to give your email address to watch all of this 54 minute video, but I do suggest you sign up to get notifications for when they release future segments.
34 Comments
Yes Andy, it does look like they’ve licked that particular problem… it can still happen but it’s pretty much a “shoot yourself in the foot” kind of thing.
When I saw your headline I thought you had been banned from Google! Then I clicked and saw you weren’t.
Same as Dom, I thought you’d been banned!
It’s nice to see that there’s life after Google.
Yep, another great video from the Stompernet boys. A little dramatic (but well produced) intro for sure, but some good info. I’m watching it now. 57 minutes though . . . yikes!
Some time i get confused about the banneding by google. What are the strong reason that is never told. I hate google for that reason.
Anyone else see the irony in the fact that they still needed Google to pull this off? Granted, they were paying for the listings instead, but still, its not like their increased revenue came from a different search engine.
Irony or tragedy, Jim? :D
Yahoo did bring in some sales too, when I got to work on the YSM campaigns, but… Google’s market share is massive, their influence is massive.
The delicious irony for me is that it was Google’s bug that caused Brad to ask for my help – working on his Adwords was sort of a “while I’m here, I may as well…” kind of thing.
Turns out it was worth it.
Thanks for the video Andy,
And I agree – some product launches deliver enough value in pre-launch to make it a great resource in itself :D
Got to love how those guys do it!
Alex
Thanks for this video Andy.
Once again, necessity becomes the mother of invention. This is a very strong description of how to use your adsense dollars to do the most good.
It’s also nice to see a video where they actually give you some strong information and complete instructions as opposed to “here’s my promise, now pay me for the million dollar solution before you find out it’s not worth a dime.”
Being that this contains some insights that may or may not be what Google intended. Do you think we are going to see them make changes to eliminate the effectiveness of these techniques?
Thanks, Erik…
Google loves it when advertisers do better, because Google does better. Among the major ad networks online, Google’s is the only one I know of that is constructed in such a way that this connection is so direct.
If you use these methods and gain more profits, you also spend more. If you lower your cost per click and get more clicks, their profit per search increases.
They describe the embedded match themselves as one of the most powerful features of the system.
I’m not sure what this is…proxy hacking it would be nice if you could give us a layman’s explanation.
Vas it is really quite complicated, but it is where a web based proxy server isn’t secure, and the cached pages get indexed, and then some of them get mistaken for the original pages.
If people create enough proxy servers so that the small fraction Google makes a mistake with in total become a significant percentage of all your pages, then you can disappear.
As Dan confirmed, Google seem to have cleared this issue up, but there are often other issues.
The video teaches some great stuff about Adwords, that can also be applied to other aspects of online marketing.
I would literally cry if Google bans my blog from the search results :( I’m barely starting to gain a decent amount of traffic :P
-Mike
Interesting story. The big-G can be fickle at times, but its cool to see that you can survive a ban and still come out strong.
good video from the “Stompernet boys” and lots of good information to know and shar about. keeping in mind if we advitiser do good means google doing good and we are earning too.
this make good sense of adword and other stuff for marketing good ..Thanks a lot
Great video. Being banned on Google can potentially kill a company. (Sorry to sound so negative). Everyone uses google and when your site does not show up for any search result – you can be in trouble.
It really is not fair when you play fair and get banned….
Andy, you never stop to Amaze me! Banned by Google really Sells!
You need to write that post again, how Andy Beard Banned Google. LOL
I started watching the video and it looks good but man, I don’t have 54 minutes to kill so I stopped. Wish I had time but I have work to do!
The video is great. I love it. We should use the tips for all aspects of marketing not just ppc. Definitely a long video but very worth it.
I’d be SHOCKED to get banned from Google. As one of my Top 5 traffic sources (and moving up the list) it would be a very sad day indeed to lose that growing influence with my keywords on Google.
This vid is long, but I’m diggin’ it.
Thanks for sharing.
Tim
This is the problem that many publishers are facing. Google even give no strong reason for your ban. And when you try to contact them, they hardly reply
Fascinating video! Google acting late as usual, but it is nice to hear more and more information about Google not being the end all and be all of SEO.
Banned from Google???!!! I’m having enough trouble figuring what to do to please them. I can’t imagine how I would figure out what I did to piss them off, especially since they have such a bad rep about responding to inquiries.
I am under the impression that Google never actually bans. I’ve seen proof of it. All it does is to “penalise” for a specific amount of time
WOW
thanks for the post, I so out of with SEO, i wasn’t aware he had got banned, this was his flagship wasn’t it that launched him.
May I just add that as someone who’s worked in television for many years, I find the idea of a 57 minute internet video appalling. Honestly, if you take away Stompernet’s hype, the story’s just bloated and poorly constructed.
Come on, we all know that most quality current affairs journalists can do a good story in 7 minutes and a great story in 10. Hell, I’ve seen Academy Award-winning documentaries that clock in at less time than that video.
These type of videos are the equivalent of the John Reese 72(?) page salesletter for Traffic Secrets, a million dollar earner, yes, but an abomination!
As a long-time student of media & mass media, I feel that these types of videos, almost irrespective of their content, are, in the end, terribly manipulative…and that’s a shame, because information can be distributed simply and clearly. It’s a question of discipline, taste and respect for the reader/viewer.
ADG
Andrew it certainly could be looked on like that, but also understand that the video itself is part of the pre-qualification process.
The amount of fluff really depends on what methods of information gathering stimulate your learning process.
People frequently sit through sessions at conferences to learn just a few simple new techniques that could be condensed down into a few bullet points.
I bet a number of people have watched the video end to end multiple times. I have only watched it twice so far.
Point taken, Andy.
Nevertheless, these long videos somehow seem to add some kind of credibility to the exponential increase in internet marketing courses.
What was a $97 info-product a couple of years ago is now $1,000, with many seeming to use the Frank Kern model of “give”, “give”, “give”, seeming overdelivery.
It’s not that I’m averse to high ticket marketing, not at all. However, Perry Marshall (Adwords guru) does it so much more tastefully (and in my eyes, ultimately, honestly) by funneling folks in via his low-cost Adwords course and gradually opening them to more intensive, costly courses. His marketing is modest but very powerful and highly effective.
Don’t get me wrong, I have a great deal of respect for the Stompernet folk. Dan Theis, Leslie Rohde, Brad & Andy have been innovative and have helped many people over the years with their sound advice. It’s just that I don’t like their style of marketing, which, I feel, diminishes their considerable skills.
Stompernet is great value for some people…but it’s too intense for many others…and their style of marketing, to me, passively intimidates, rather than convinces.
They’ve set themselves up as a fantastic think-tank for the changing medium of web marketing. I don’t have a problem with that, at all. However, it’s the selling of that idea that doesn’t sit right with me.
ADG
Thanks for posting that video. I didn’t know about that MSN tool that tells you buyers intent before.
The video is good, but it still leaves me with a feeling after an hour of watching like a snake oil salesman has been talking to me just a little.
Dave
you can get banned from google? holy crap! gotta shape up.
I thought the opening was a very good one – sense of foreboding. And creating of questions in the watcher’s mind. Albeit melodramatic though.
I’m not really into adwords, but a good video nevertheless.
Jag
I thought you had been kicked off google from your headline. This is a good blog and excellent proof that google isn’t the be all and end all of online marketing.
Andrew Goulding,
Appreciate the honesty, but what would help me (if you’re interested) is a few examples of where you thought the AdWords video turned to fluff.
Obviously, we can’t please everyone, and I’ve been in media for a LONG time and can appreciate your perspective.
So, if you’ve got some time, I’d appreciate some specifics so I can work those filters into our next presentation.
Best,
Andy Jenkins
StomperNet
Dear Andy J.
Yes, I’d be happy to do that but if I do, I’d like something in return. No, I don’t want a freebie, to post to your list or for you to join my religion / political party / network marketing home business opportunity.
Instead, I’d like to swap a couple of hour of my time for a couple of hours of yours…and I’ll provide a detailed analysis of your video in return for you taking a peek at (and hopefully offering a few lines of review for) my book & pop soundtrack album, The View From Bondi.
http://www.andrewgoulding.com/The-View-From-Bondi.html
As a former film editor, I think that, at the very least, you’ll find it “interesting” as The View From Bondi is impressionistic, bordering on being a surreal musical. It’s biggest influences are Dennis Potter’s “The Singing Detective” 1986 BBC-TV (dir. Jon Amiel) & Tarantino’s peerless “Pulp Fiction” movie, 1994. The View From Bondi is hip, funny, heart-felt and very er…different.
So, if you’re interested in my audacious hustle or even want to just monitor my bizarre niche marketing experiment (I’ve got a viral marketing twist planned that could well be of interest to the Stompernet think-tank), drop me a line for a freebie review copy.
ADG
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