Affiliate Arbitrage
Generally, when Google makes a change to its quality score algorithm, we find out the same way Apple Store employees learn of their new products, from an announcement on the web site. At the time of writing, Google hasn’t announced any recent changes (the last big one being their booting made for ad-sense publishers), but according to recent conversations with an account manager, one lurks just on the horizon. If you think back to some of the earliest changes, one of them looked to restrict multiple listings by the same advertiser by having search results contain a root URL only once per query. If you do a search today, you will see a specific URL appear only once, but that doesn’t mean the same advertiser doesn’t appear (whether intentionally or not) more than once for a specific query. Google has taken notice, and they want to have an advertiser appear only once per query.
There are many ways that an advertiser can appear more than once per query, but we’ve only detailed one way here. We would bet that neither Azoogle nor Blockbuster would have expected what happened when they raised their pricing. The results below come from a search on Google for "blockbuster video online."
Definitions:
| Rank | 1st time / Rank on refresh |
| Domain Name | This is what appears as the display URL in the ad |
| Whois | Information on the registrant, although most have elected to hide their real information |
| Domain goes to | If you copy and paste the Display URL, this is what you see |
| User Experience | From a user’s point of view, the click on the ad, then what |
| Adurl | While not perfect, this is to where Google sends the click |
| Adurl Whois | In case there are other parties involved, their information goes here |
| Additional redirect | Where the user goes after before the final advertiser page |
| Ends at | Where the conversion would take place |
| Notes | Other information |
For some context, those promoting the Blockbuster offer, had to abide by the following rules. "Search publishers MAY NOT use blockbuster.com as the display URL.
On Yahoo.com, BlockBuster.com must be in the 1st search position for the following keywords: blockbuster & blockbuster.com. Search bids MUST be $0.20 and lower. Links will be broken for any affiliate that continues to outbid blockbuster.com. Titles & Descriptions can not say: Official Offer or Authorized Offer."
And now for the results…
#1 / #2
| Domain Name | BlockbusterFree.com |
| Whois | Private Registration, Creation Date: 12-02-2007 |
| Domain goes to | unfinished, placeholder index page |
| User Experience | straight to blockbuster |
| Adurl | Adurl |
| Adurl Whois | High Altitude Marketing (Memolink / CPA Storm) |
| Additional redirect | http://x.azjmp.com/0YLbY?sub=CD5865 |
| Ends at | Ends at |
| Notes | simplest implementation, surprising to see at the top; directtrack_lead_cpastorm cookie, thus telling the name of the network |
#2 / #3
|
Domain Name |
BlockbusterDvdOnline.com |
|
Whois |
Private Registration, Creation Date: 09-05-2007 |
|
Domain goes to |
custom landing page, a spliced version of the blockbuster.com home page, promoting free trial offer, full site links (about us), all images click to offer sign-up |
|
User Experience |
directed to landing page, same as domain name |
|
Adurl |
|
|
Adurl Whois |
same |
|
Additional redirect |
http://x.azjmp.com/0ZQzP?sub=[blockbuster%20video%20online] |
|
Ends at |
|
|
Notes |
good execution, built out site, obvious experience using Yahoo in the past |
#3 / #5
| Domain Name | www.Blockbuster.FreeMonth.com |
| Whois | Private Registration, Creation Date: 21-05-2007 |
| Domain goes to | parked domain page Freemonth.com. registered domain is actually blockbuster-freemonth.com |
| User Experience | directed to landing page, different domain name than display URL; direct copy of blockbuster with additional info at the bottom |
| Adurl | Adurl |
| Adurl Whois | same |
| Additional redirect | http://x.azjmp.com/0Z8zd?sub=freemonth |
| Ends at | Ends at |
| Notes | slightly deceptive display URL, interesting domain used for name server – smartdvdrental.com |
#4 / #8
|
Domain Name |
www.Blockbuster.com |
|
Whois |
Blockbuster Inc. |
|
Domain goes to |
home page geared towards consumers to sign up for their free trial of total access |
|
User Experience |
directed to landing page, same one used as ultimate destination URL |
|
Adurl |
|
|
Adurl Whois |
Efficient Frontier |
|
Additional redirect |
|
|
Ends at |
|
|
Notes |
Blockbuster’s official listing, that which all affiliates send their traffic |
#5 / #1
|
Domain Name |
www.BlockBuster2WeeksFree.com |
|
Whois |
Private Registration, 01-05-2007 |
|
Domain goes to |
Comparison page |
|
User Experience |
User goes to a similar experience as blockbuster-freemonth.com. Page is in essence a screen grab of Blockbuster’s home page with additional text |
|
Adurl |
http://www.blockbuster2weeksfree.com/blockbustervideo.htm |
|
Adurl Whois |
same |
|
Additional redirect |
http://x.azjmp.com/0XTY5?sub=bbtagvideo |
|
Ends at |
|
|
Notes |
Blockbuster2weeksfree.com is an official Blockbuster affiliate company. |
#6 / #4
|
Domain Name |
Free.BlockbusterVideoTrial.com |
|
Whois |
SEM Studios, Created 29-04-2007 |
|
Domain goes to |
display URL doesn’t load, but root domain does |
|
User Experience |
A more built out version of several already seen; uses a very similar looking image of the family on the couch. |
|
Adurl |
|
|
Adurl Whois |
same |
|
Additional redirect |
http://x.azjmp.com/0XYlW?sub=g4 |
|
Ends at |
|
|
Notes |
Again, goes straight to azoogle off the button click; the affiliate isn’t tracking clicks; Interesting language that at some point makes you wonder what Blockbuster corporate would think, "Hmmm… what movie sounds good tonight?" |
#7 / #7
|
Domain Name |
BlockbusterFreeTrial.Com-Offer.Info |
|
Whois |
Private Registration, Created 25-10-2006 |
|
Domain goes to |
Blockbuster sign-up page but inside a frame with custom text above that reads, "Try any plan for 2 weeks – FREE – no promo code needed!" |
|
User Experience |
Offers leads to custom but similar landing page; this one without the family; borrows from Blockbuster imagery |
|
Adurl |
|
|
Adurl Whois |
same |
|
Additional redirect |
http://blockbusterfreetrial.com-offer.info/blockbustertrial.php -> http://x.azjmp.com/0XNH5?sub=GO1wwnaknbjatrsdq9uhcdn9nmkhmdwwb |
|
Ends at |
|
|
Notes |
very clever url; good for multiple products without having to buy a new name; This one does a better job at masking the links making the experience seem as though no middle man exists |
#8 / #NA
|
Domain Name |
BlockbusterOnline.com–Click.Info |
|
Whois |
Private Registration, Created 24-05-2006 |
|
Domain goes to |
A cleanly designed site that differs minimally from the others, adds a little text and some new imagery |
|
User Experience |
A click on the landing page takes the user straight to the offer sign-up page |
|
Adurl |
|
|
Adurl Whois |
same |
|
Additional redirect |
http://blockbusteronline.com–click.info/cart.php, http://x.azjmp.com/0YCP9?sub=gotobbonlwwn4592wwb |
|
Ends at |
|
|
Notes |
Another clever URL and similar execution of the landing page. |
#9 / #10
|
Domain Name |
Blockbuster-Trial.com/Video By Mail |
|
Whois |
Private, Created 28-03-2007 |
|
Domain goes to |
landing page with much of the same imagery although more text and links |
|
User Experience |
same as the domain name |
|
Adurl |
http://www.blockbuster-trial.com/blockbuster-videos.html Adurl Whois – same |
|
Additional redirect |
http://www.blockbuster-trial.com/order.php, http://x.azjmp.com/0XNH3?sub=57192 |
|
Ends at |
|
|
Notes |
one of the slicker set ups technically; Also uses the , "Blockbuster-Trial.com is an official Blockbuster affiliate company." |
#10 / #NA
|
Domain Name |
www.TotalAccessBlockbuster.com |
|
Whois |
Private Registration, Created on 23-05-2007 |
|
Domain goes to |
Pretty much Blockbuster’s homepage as of publication time, with one slight modification and a large amount of text inserted below |
|
User Experience |
Equal to the ad; they go to the same landing page |
|
Adurl |
|
|
Adurl Whois |
same |
|
Additional redirect |
|
|
Ends at |
|
|
Notes |
Throws in several banners for good measure; lots of content, although presumably not original |
Honorable Mention
#NA / #9
|
Domain Name |
BlockbusterFreeMonth.com |
|
Whois |
Private Registration, Created 16-05-2007 |
|
Domain goes to |
Straight copy of the Blockbuster site, added text, and added images |
|
User Experience |
Straight copy of the Blockbuster site and to a different URL blockbusteronline-trial.com, hosted on a different IP address < a href="http://BlockbusterOnline-Trial.com&usg=AFrqEzf8Ik4iYOinTMj6DCaGjh9yItcTbw">Adurl /td> |
|
Adurl Whois |
Private, Created 02-04-2007 |
|
Additional redirect |
http://x.azjmp.com/0Z8zd?sub=BO-Trial |
| Ends at | Ends at |
|
Notes |
Violates Google by going to a different site than the display URL |
The real winner here is Azoogle. They own nine out of ten of the paid ads without putting up any of the cost. Credit goes to the affiliates for not gaming the system so much as they showed deftness in development and execution. They played by the existing rules, but it’s understandable why Google will change the rules in the near future.
