Affiliate Links Only Vs Minisites For Affl. Products

I have a question to those who sell affiliate products on Google Adwords.

Can you make a good ROI if you sell an affiliate product with a link from your Google Ad to your Merchants website? OR Should this only be done with a mini-website linking to your merchant so you can track the results better?

Given that you pick out great keywords, get good placement and track your ads (split testing)etc., has anyone found the affiliate link(only) from your Google Ad to be a good way to go? Which one will bring you more ROI? :

ANY ADVICE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!! :


GRAF-X

I don't think that google adwords allows you to link straight to the affiliate program. If you don't own the program you must route the clicks to your own website.

In some instances this is actually better for you. If you are a good writer, clever and can get permission to use images and design elements from the affiliate program on your own site you can have presell pages that convert better than those on the program site. Plus those pages can compete in the SERPs for the no cost organic clicks.

IMO it is not a downside at all but you must be willing to work very hard on your site and do tracking as PPC can drill a hole in your wallet if you are not good at this job. Plus the extra click between google and the conversion can be deadly with some programs.

Thank you for your advice EGOL.

I do truly believe that you can use affliliate links in your desitination urls for Adwords. This has always been the case since it was first concieved. You use to have to type in Affl. in your ad, but now it is not a requirement.

I have just finished reading a book called Google Cash which is circulating on the internet and this person shows you how to basically make money advertising affiliate links on your Adwords and linking them straight to your merchants account.

Have you heard of this book? I am wondering how accurate this book is? :

I have not read the book but be sure to read the google TOS carefully.

I have read Catherine Seda's book... Search Engine Advertising. all about ppc. It is very good and I recommend it.

I have read the terms and conditions as well and you are 100% right Egol.

grafx77, Googlecash is quite an old ebook and was written before the changes at google.
A long time ago you could use affilaite links but they stopped that.
Throw googlecash into your recycle bin and listen to Egol.
If you are so new to adwords that you are reading newbie books you would be well advised to isten to advice given rather than just disagreeing with it.

GoogleCash was first concieved a year ago. That is not old at all compared to most Ebooks on the Internet these days.
Secondly, I am not trying to disagree with EBOL, I am merely stating that the affl. links within Adwords remain to be present.
Thirdly, GoogleCash has been updated quarterly to match the everchanging policies of Google.

You can check on the affl. linkage yourself by typing in any keyword that comes to mind on Google and you will see that affl. links are embedded within the Ads once they are clicked.
The only aspect that Google has change with affl. programs being linked to ads are that you used to have to type <affl.> on your Adwords and now you do not have to have that present.