Google sent out an email to pay per action advertisers announcing that the program is being phased out at the end of August.
Google is constantly working to offer features that will provide a better experience to our users. As part of Google’s recent acquisition of DoubleClick, the Performics affiliate network is now a part of Google and has been renamed Google Affiliate Network. To consolidate our offerings, we will be phasing out the AdWords pay-per-action beta in the last week of August 2008. As an alternative to pay-per-action advertising, Google offers two products that allow you to manage your advertising on a CPA (cost-per-acquisition) basis: the Conversion Optimizer and the Google Affiliate Network. To learn more about these options, visit http://adwords.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=97264.
How aggressively will Google market their new affiliate network? It seems the current integration plans are a bit haphazard, requiring AdSense publishers to sign up different affiliate accounts, and forcing users to sign up under ConnectCommerce.com. If you login to an AdSense account Google warns “Referrals is being retired during the last week of August 2008, so we recommend that you do not implement referral ad code on your site at this time” yet they do not tell you to sign up to promote affiliate offers.
I think it’s a good move. Their PPA program limited how a publisher could promote your ad far too much. The move will hopefully bring Google in line with the better networks out there (EPN, CJ, SAS)and hopefully improve the affiliate industry as a whole by providing some better tracking.
Bit strange they are not waiting until full adsense/google integration though.
With the launch of adplanner, this combined with AdWords and the recent Yahoo deal, we are looking at a SERIOUS media buying platform that just might become the de facto standard for all media buyers and agencies.
06.30.08 at 9:38 pm