I think it is very likely that what has become known as Bum Marketing is doomed to die a dismal death in the near future.
What is Bum Marketing?
Bum Marketing is a strategy used to generate affiliate commissions through distribution of articles written specifically to rank highly for low-competition keywords.
The method was promoted as an easy way for beginners to make money online without having to invest much money, time or effort.
SO easy in fact that a ‘homeless bum' could do it from the local library! (Ya right).
How does Bum Marketing work?
- Do extensive keyword research to find low competition niche markets and products with moderate to high demand.
- Find a product or service that can be promoted to that niche through an affiliate program.
- Write scads of articles following a keyword density formula designed to get top search engine rankings quickly.
- Submit those articles to popular article directories.
The objective being to get readers of those articles to visit your site for more information about the product or to have them opt-in to a list through a squeeze page.
Why is Bum Marketing Dead?
Google's latest algorithm change, Farmer, spells death for Bum Marketing sites in the same way as crappy, useless Adsense sites were targeted in past algorithm changes.
Chris Knight of the uber-popular EzineArticles article directory made the following comments in his Search Engine Algorithm Changes post about the site's traffic on February 26, 2011:
Last month, we served 57 million unique visitors. Next month, that number may be in half.
and..
Traffic was down 11.5% on Thursday and over 35% on Friday. In our life-to-date, this is the single most significant reduction in market trust we’ve experienced from Google.
By result, Chris is having to implement a number of changes to his article directory to ward off potential spammers, i.e. bum marketers. Some of those changes include:
- No more submissions through a WordPress plugin,
- raising the bar on articles written for keyword density,
- removing articles in ‘spammy' categories such as reverse cell phone lookup and acai berry
- and requiring exclusivity.
Hmmm.. those changes will make it much more difficult to be a bum marketer, don't you think?
I'm not opposed to article marketing, but as a solo marketing method, it is NOT (and never has been) a sustainable way to do business online.
Rather than posting all your content to article directories and risk having it disappear from the search engine results through an algorithm change or removal by an editor, control your destiny by starting a blog and driving traffic to exclusive high-quality articles.
In other words, don't be (or become) a bum.
Ros,
I have read articles that were spun by software and made little sense.That is what Google is cracking down on it seems to me.The casual affiliate who isnt really into his or her niche.I put a lot of effort into my affiliate marketing,your a great teacher.I research every article I write.I carefully research keywords,how many times to repeat keywords in the article.Why would Google hate anyone who would go to such trouble?I just checked my site in Google webmaster.Its on the way up.Not down,must be doing something right.Have a good day Roz.
You can’t ignore the GIGO principle forever. The Google search engine, by its very nature, encourages manipulative, keyword oriented articles of little depth or merit.
As a career journalist I suppose I should feel gratified and reassured by Google’s strategy of weeding out junk and spotlighting the higher-value content. It would seem as though they are validating the skills that I invested so much time and money acquiring. I’m a little worried, though, about where all this is heading. If we subtract any value judgements about scam artists gaming the system, and so on, and just look at the over-arching trend in a quantitative way, I think it’s ominous: with every incremental adjustment in its algorithm Google is making it harder for others to make money. By harder I mean more time-intensive, and thus more expensive. A similar progression occurred with AdWords: over time the bids grew higher and higher; Google made more as bidders made less. A better analogy would be the way in which WalMart put the squeeze on its suppliers. Step by step, Google is putting the squeeze on organic search.
I thought I got a one-two punch. I was one of the 200,000 people permanently banned from using Google Adwords because I was an Affiliate Marketer, then this. However, my main money-making site is still on the first page of G’s organic search results. At one point, my ONE article on Ezine out-ranked my site, which I thought was crazy!
I basically used Article Marketing for backlinks, I don’t see much traffic from it. So I wonder if Google is still considering these sites as a backlink, or if they took that away too. It’s getting hard to keep up even though I pay particular attention to SEO on my sites, I can’t get noticed – I guess I better get job searching again!
Hey Evelyn,
Based on that statement, your site definitely is getting noticed. Don’t give up. Focus on that site and make it more profitable.
Cheers,
Ros
I too was recently banned by Google Adwords. The reason being that I advertised Burn the Feed The Muscle ebook through direct linking, six years ago! Know what’s even more ridiculous? They insisted that I should fix “my” landing page before my account could be re-activated. This appears sensible, except that the landing page is not and has never been mine. Explaining this to them was futile. They kept referring me to a policy that says (emphasis mine):
“We suspended your AdWords account after a careful review of your landing page quality…”
Now I had to go to someone else’s house, that I had no access to and whose owner does not even know me, and re-arrange the furniture, mow the lawn and basically fix up the place before I could get my account back. Google is going nuts. I previously had good things to say about them but I have now experienced firsthand, their ugly side. And it is really ugly.
Hey Ros,
Bottom Line……Create quality content and value based information, whether it be in articles, blog post e-books or what ever, and you will get noticed, be appreciated, and be successful. Regardless of algorithm changes, if you play by the rules, you’ll be just fine.
You’ll always hit bumps in the road (this is business) but you will rise to the top, when you put “Quality above “Quantity, and sincerely try to help people, you’ll go places, online or off.
Ron Brantley
Thanks so much Ros for keeping us up to date on these important changes. I am just in the process of starting a new blog and this information is valuable and inspiring.
I agree with Travis in that some of the “big guys” out there are technically bum sites. You will hardly find unique content of Twitter for example. But all the same bum marketing has been abused and rendered worthless. This happens to virtually any and every easy or lazy (article marketing by itself is neither of these) method that comes along. Blogging and pinging used to work pretty well once. Now you will hardly get traffic using this method. Crappy content needs to be banished off the internet anyhow.
Actually, the death of bum marketing began with the popularity of bum marketing. Suddenly everybody and their long-lost cousin thought this was an easy way to make money online and there was an influx of articles, most of poor quality, all over the internet. Even good articles suffered from this glut and could no longer get as good traffic. I know this because I saw my average earnings per article go down by 75% if not more. Bum marketing killed bum marketing. It is the last nail in the coffin that is being driven home now.
The problem with SE algorithm changes is that sometimes good sites fall casualty while bad sites benefit. Even Chris Knight (of EzineArticles.com) mentioned something about this as his directory has recently suffered.
And yes, you should not depend on article marketing as your sole traffic-driving or marketing method. Very dangerous.
So bum marketing is bringing down Ezinearticles. I am biased against bum marketing because I believe that it has reduced the effectiveness of article marketing. When Travis Sago sends his horde in one direction, I will run as fast as I can in the opposite.
Well, this was not as gloomy as I thought it was going to be. Just good insight and information.
Anyway, if there is one thing I can add to the conversation – attention new folks.
Use this post as a template, it is great.
1) Irresistable title
2) Personal insight
Body
(H3) Question 1,Answer
(H3) Question 2,Answer
(H3) Question 3,Answer >> external references
Tight close, subtle call to action.
Long live the Queen 🙂
Nearly all the training programs I have seen use this method, I have not made any money using it.
Does this mean that anyone starting out needs an advertising budget to get traffic?
You must NOT have read The best book ever written on the subject of Affiliate Marketing….. by the Queen herself….. Rosalind Gardner.
It is a must read… and that question you just asked will be answered as well as many others.
Cindy
🙂
Good stuff, Ros. I’ve been hearing about all the changes in Google Search.
Thank you for breaking them down into readable chunks.
Sandy
Hey Rosalind,
I really appreciate your opinion.
Can I make sure the record is straight?
I’ve NEVER recommended writing crappy articles! Not once. In fact…I totally am AGAINST article spinners! The world does NOT need more crap.
As I think any “Bum” that’s been with me for anytime would tell you… I think folks should HELP other folks out by providing GREAT content. We ALL have something to give…dig down and give it…right?
As far as Bum Marketing being a ‘business model’…
Rosalind…I’ve NEVER said it was a business model…let alone a good one. I put out Bum Marketing because there are so many folks that need some ‘extra paydays’. Hard as it is for business folk like you and I to wrap our heads around… Many folks don’t give a tinkers darn about running, owning or operating a business.They want some spare time work that they can do from home…with little financial risk.
Bum Marketing gives that to them. Bum Marketing has always been more of a ‘scrapper mindset’ and never a go post on article directories ‘business’.
I AM HAPPY that Google has changed the Algo. Don’t you think it improves the web for folks that do put out great content? I’d like to believe Crappy Content is dead.
Bum Marketing is still here because it’s nearly impossible to kill a mindset.
Bum Marketing is about finding a group of people with a problem, finding a way to help them out…and then finding a resource that you can use for free to tell them about it…(and you make your wampum thru your affiliate link.)
There are more “Bum Marketing” sites THAN EVER before. Facebook Pages and Twitter just two name two:-)
Peace Out,
Travis Sago
PS The article directories are still bringing in traffic for me. I’m sure EA did take a hit traffic wise. Until the algo change Crappy content was getting spidered and listed the same as good. That’s why the change…right?
Hi Travis,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the matter.
I certainly didn’t mean to offend you.
Although my definition of the practice may not be what you originally intended, it certainly has moved in that direction thanks to your copy-cats and the majority of biz op seekers who always look for the easiest way out – in this case, by way of spinners and floods of crappy content.
Glad to hear that you don’t profess “Bum Marketing” to be a sustainable business model. I just hope that those who really made the effort to work the process don’t suddenly find themselves without that ‘spare income’ on which they may have come to rely.
Just saying.
Cheers,
Ros
Travis, you advocate caring for your readers when one writes articles, which is noble. You don’t teach or advocate spamming the web. I know this because I read your newsletter. It is just that your method has been misused. This may not have been your intention but unfortunately it has become reality.
Hi Rosalind, good article except you seem to put “Bum Marketing” into it’s own category. I have THOUSANDS of accumulation of “Affiliate Marketing” guru’s selling their own methods saved in on giant file. All of them affiliate marketing including SEO. Most simply take and do not give. I have followed Travis Sago for many years and I have yet to receive one email or article that represents him giving anyone advice on bad content or cheating the system (and I have about 5+ years worth from him). Actually Travis is quite the contrary. Maybe if you produced an actual example of what you specifically meant by using Bum Marketing, then I we could understand where you are going. Affiliate marketers in general are part time people who extra money online. Maybe you could post the percentage of affiliate marketers that the work full time vs part time to give the comparison as an example. I am sure you have those numbers. Basically from your work to Bum Marketing to Wealthy Affiliate it is all basic information that a person has to learn and understand. Then that person has to make their own decision on what to publish or not, steal, copy, link, whatever. Kinda falls back onto MORALS. Most people have lost the since of HONESTY. I am not sure Google can fix that or Travis or yourself. Blaming someone for something else others do does not add up in my book. You seem to only post one side of the Story. The story sounds good though! Cheers TWP
All-in-all: internet was never made for bum-marketing.
and the same goes for many other aspekts of business.
So there will always be stressful interact between honest marketers
and the big ‘Spam-world’. Unfortunately, Google has to be between
those sides and struggles to stay neutral…
But I think that you, Ros, know how to deal with it 😉
Hi Ros;
Great post and info. Great example to go with your previous post on Goggle’s algorithm that is hitting the scraper sites.
Hope your doing well and keep up the great posts.
Gary
Hey Gary,
Thanks for stopping by, bud! Glad you enjoyed the article and hope all is well at your end of the world. 🙂
Cheers,
Ros
Hi Ross,
that is a bummer, so many start out with article marketing as a means to get their first cb check – also the changes to EZA and the plugin will get a lot of backs up I’m sure too.
However as you say the best place to put your content is on your own webspace .. Cheers for the update baba
Tony B
What you have to consider is that Google are only interested in Google making money. They are not interested in you making money. Google makes money with quality content that satisfies the searchers. Anything less won’t see the light of day.
The traffic that you drive to your website is not your traffic at all, it is Googles traffic and your website will not be shown unless it makes money for Google. From Google’s point of view, your making money is irrelevant.
There is another consideration for Affiliate Marketers. Let us say you want to market product “A”, a high paying, in demand, high converting product. Which site do you think is going to get shown? Your site or An affiliate site generated by Google themselves.
Make no mistake, Google detest other people making money from their traffic.
I totally disagree with the assertion the Google does not want you to make money. Google is about money, for you and for them. They want you to offer good content and user experience so the user can doesn’t go to Bing or elsewhere. They want the searcher to disappear into your website once there – that’s why they don’t like high bounce rates. Yeah, in their quest to create the best search engine ever they do some things that run counter to the goal (such as the backlinks thing). But the goal is still there. They do admit that the system is not perfect, which is one of the reasons they have to keep changing things up.
If Google only cared about Google making money, then they wouldn’t even have AdSense because they’d serve the ads themselves… and they’d let ANYone with two fingers to type with join and run their programs.
AdSense was created to complement AdWords. There are REAL people spending REAL money to invest in solid advertising of products and services for their businesses, both online and offline. If your site is largely based on revenue sharing and there aren’t sound quality controls in place to make sure that your largely revenue shared site is maintaining strict quality control standards, then guess what? You’ll have a hard time trying to make money with the AdSense program when these changes occur.
Demand pays pennies on the dollar for the return on investment they see in their articles. And they use scraper software to create it. Marketers who do not want to write and do not wish to spend a lot of money send their articles to freelancers in other countries on oDesk and other sites in order to save as much as possible. Half of the time other people use spinner software and create laughably ugly articles that basically are, like Chris Knight says, nothing but “article vomit”
Only an unsustainable marketing platform with poor follow-through and quality control will suffer with the advent of these changes that are occurring.
I hadn’t read that from Chris Knight but it follows on entirely from looking at indexation rates over the weekend – EzineArticles has more than halved in Google’s index this last week, and other article directories are doing way worse.
However, the answer isn’t as easy as Chris Knight suggests – ALL large broad-based content sites have suffered, including squidoo, hubpages etc. This isn’t just an algorithm change – it’s something aimed at specific sites as well. In other words, your content could be totally unique and brilliantly written, but submission to these kinds of sites alone simply won’t cut it in future.
I’m happy to say my blogs are still looking great, and small sites once again seem to be back up in the index – just as your article is indicating Ros. You could say it’s a retrograde step for Google because it almost completely takes away the concept of site authority and replaces it with site specialization (just look at most searches and you’ll see that transferred site PR has become pretty well irrelevant now – only individual page rank from external links seems to count now).
Fascinating times but you do begin to wonder whether SEO really is worth all the grief when the playing field changes this often.
To follow up, my response to one of Chris Knight’s pronouncements on the same page:-
What having no images, videos etc. on a page does is to concentrate clickthrus on the ads. In that sense EzineArticles is one huge MFA site, as are the vast majority of article directories – having pages which are more than 50% ads is NOT adding to the ‘user experience’.
57 million unique visitors a month is an absolutely colossal figure – you must be Google’s highest Adsense earner by some margin. That’s brilliant for you, but none of that revenue is going to authors who’s one or two links down the page are relatively lost amongst all the other above-the-fold click opportunities available.
It’s a fantastic business model – get others to provide masses of free product for which you then collect all the revenue, or, even better, charge them monthly to provide that free content – but unless there’s a quid pro quo for the ‘workers’ they not unexpectedly will rise up and revolt, or strike, or just wander off for greener pastures elsewhere.
This is the time to add more for authors, not less. Images, videos, above the fold DoFollow clickthrus – all the good stuff. The large broad content sites, having had an easy run in the past, are now being punished for being too similar to the Demand Media model. Smaller, specialist sites are back in the frame again. EzineArticles has to respond by offering more value and opportunity to authors, who will respond in kind I’m sure.
Hey Chris,
Great points, all ’round.
I especially appreciate “Fascinating times but you do begin to wonder whether SEO really is worth all the grief when the playing field changes this often”.
I’ve never been a slave to SEO. I barely even think about it when writing posts. Well-written articles tend to incorporate a balance of relevant keywords naturally. They also read better. 🙂
Cheers,
Ros
I think you are right on the money with this one. I expect to see an increase in requests from people to guest blog as a result of this recent change.
I think BUM marketer will improve their method, this is not the first time Google hammering people. 🙂
You’re right. That’s their only option at this point.
Ros,
You are the first person I’ve heard define and describe Bum Marketing. I’ve never gone down this path because after exploring it I never wanted to be an article factory, plus it always seemed to me there was a ceiling on this type of business model. Now I’m quite glad I made that decision.
Got a question for you…do you have or do you know of some material that helps a marketer think in terms of big picture strategy for the future?
I’m thinking of things like smart tax moves, the possible advantages of multiple identities and why that could be helpful, using non-obvious affiliate ID’s, cool ways to stay organized as your business grows, etc.
Maybe these are things that tend to be more custom tailored to an individual’s preferences, but there simply HAS to be some strategic or advantageous advice from experienced marketers so that newbies don’t have to learn the hard way where some of these things are involved.
Have you ever come across anything like this?
Sure appreciate you and the style you use to share with others.
Would you please tell me Rosalind what is actually “not dead” yet?? 🙂 First it was autoblogs, now it’s bum marketing, please help! I need to decide 🙂
Thanks.
Hi Marian,
Good question! What’s NOT dead is a sustainable approach to doing business online which means investing time and doing the work to create content of interest and value to surfers. It takes time to build out the real estate, but once it becomes an ‘authority site’ in Google’s view, you can back off on the time and effort that you make.
Cheers,
Ros
BUMMER !
Moral of the story?
Keep your content where it belongs: On your OWN site. Where it is unique. Where it is yours.
Now if only Google will get as far as paying less attention to backlinks and more to content…
(it gets kinda difficult for legit webmasters to keep up with all the automated stuff out there…)
(they keep threatening, but it has not happened yet – maybe it’s in the pipeline)
just my 0.02c.
Bummer… good one! 🙂
Hi Ros
It has always been my practice to put my own content with a natural ‘sprinkling’ of keywords into firstly my blog post, and then to publish the same content to the Ezine Articles once the content in my blog has been indexed – is that now pointless?
David
Hi David,
Great question! I would definitely be careful, if I were you. I’ve always recommended that bloggers post only a small fraction of their content to article directories, and that the articles be changed sufficiently so as not to run the risk of duplicate content penalties.
Hope that helps.
Cheers,
Ros
It’s a little under 2 years since my entrance into online business and I’ve observed many people trying to get as much as possible with as little as possible. While I don’t agree with every change proposed, I understand the need to implement such changes. Overall, the one thing I fear is the implementation of exclusive articles. Writing articles for Ezine that are generally exclusive to them would not be that much of a stretch as long as we’re allowed to have the same article on our own sites.
I like the 400 word minimum implementation, and with the inclusion of HAHD challenges ( I completed the last one), I find this to be a good strategy.
I’m from the hip-hop generation, and part of a professional urban demographic (albeit my individual personality is somewhat quirky as-is), when I’m faced with challenges, I follow the motto “Go hard or Go Home!”
I love what I do, and I love how my rankings have not been effected in a negative way (if any) because I’m thinking for the long term and not the immediate turnaround.
It will be interesting to see what happens with Demand Studios, and other content farms.
Hi Raquel,
You mentioned that “Overall, the one thing I fear is the implementation of exclusive articles.”
Please see my response to David on the same subject.
https://rosalindgardner.com/blog/the-death-of-bum-marketing/#comment-100607
Cheers,
Ros