Here is a classic example of how mis-management of PPC affiliates can cost a brand dearly. The screenshot below shows listings on the search term bet365. All of the first page PPC listings are taken up by (presumably one) rogue affiliate who has registered a load of domains containing bet365 and will be earning commissions on the back of all sign ups. Not only does this mean bet365 will be losing out on cheap sales through their brand it also gives a very bad brand experience for the searcher and could confuse the uneducated Googler. I know bet365 are hot on their affiliate scheme and so I cant imagine the affiliate in question will ever see any of the commissions they were expecting but it still isn’t good to see this sort of thing going on. The industry has a bad enough name in some circles and this sort of thing doesn’t help. what it does highlight however is the need to have stringent programme guidelines in place and a solid affiliate management process to allow you greater control.
