Get Rid of 'Choose Keywords' in Amazon Capsules

1. 90

   Will Apseposted 8 years ago

   I often see barely related Amazon ads on pages here. Sometimes, I see ads that seem plain perverse -- ads for Apple TV on an apple pie recipe page, for example.
   
   I'm sure a lot of the most unrelated (and harmful) Amazon ads come from the 'choose keywords' feature in Amazon capsules.
   
   Might be helpful to retire the feature and dump any ads it was used to create.

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   1. 83

      Venkatachari Mposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      You can choose the relevant ad even from such situations. You can change keywords or browse and find out your choice of ads. There is no harm in retaining the "choose keywords" feature. It is our own fault if we cannot choose the right ad. Or else, one should abandon the capsule itself if unable to find correct ad.

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      1. 96

         eugbugposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         The problem is that if keywords are used, the capsule displays random ads every time the capsule is displayed. So it may possibly come up with something irrelevant. At least by choosing a specific ad direct from the Amazon website, you can be sure that this ad will always be displayed.

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         1. 90

            Will Apseposted 8 years agoin reply to this

            This is probably at least half the problem.
            
            Also, many people probably think the feature is entirely trustworthy and take the first suggestion offered.
            
            It is not hard to go to Amazon and have a good look at stuff. The slight extra effort might deter casual users who do not understand the issues.
            
            There should at least be a warning in the capsule about relatedness. Something like: 'do not use an ad for a product you have not discussed in the text'.

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   2. 85

      tsmogposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with both Venkatachari and eubug. I follow eubug in that I use specific products rather than using the keyword tool especially with Ebay. I think good results could happen as suggested by Venkatachari especially with expanding the search with more acuity with more than one keyword. For instance instead of 'apple' using 'apple pie'. I think what is pointed out is a contrast with the OP between the experienced knowing affiliate capsule policy and those who are uninformed.
      
      Note: With Ebay if a product that is in a bid mode when the bidding ends one does not know what will substitute it or even if there will be a substitution. Also, if one does not discover how many items are offered there is likelihood of the same thing since the product will be sold out if not many offered.

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   3. 88

      NateB11posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      A year ago I would have disagreed. But now I think picking specific products for Amazon ads is good for writers and the site.

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2. 71

   makingamarkposted 8 years ago

   I've never ever used the keyword tool. Every single product I list has been chosen for its relevance to the topic.
   
   It irritates the ****out of me to see hubs featured which use the keyword tool for listing Amazon products while hubs which have been carefully curated get tossed into the unfeatured desert.
   
   Talk about nonsensical!
   
   There really is no explaining some aspects of HubPages. The keyword tool should have been removed a very long time ago.

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3. 81

   Mark Ewbieposted 8 years ago

   There are times when using Amazon keyword search is useful.
   
   For examples my "Cheddars of the World" article attempts to monetise the readers keen interest in this fabulous cheese.
   
   Initially I selected a particularly fine Cheddar - made by a Welsh micro-farmer - or dwarf you could call him I suppose.  Unfortunately, after he was savaged by a goat he stopped making the cheese.  My advert was for an out of stock item!
   
   Not only that but any reader who noticed what had happened to him would be put off their cheese.
   
   Since then I have used the keywords "Finest Cheddar" and for the most part it returns a reliable selection of fine product.
   
   I hope to sell one quite soon.

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      sallybeaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I like the keyword tool.  It is almost always accurate for the type of products I sell.  I hope they never get rid of it because it sure helps if you don't want to keep going back to products which might sell long before I get back to change the ad.

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   2. 90

      Will Apseposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I bet that using the word 'product' hurt, lol.

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      1. 81

         Mark Ewbieposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         Yes.  It should have been "produce".  Apologies for that.

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4. 71

   makingamarkposted 8 years ago

   I just don't understand how "personal experience of the product" matches up with products which turn up because of a keyword search - rather than because they've been chosen as a specific product.

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5. 55

   janderson99posted 8 years ago

   I don't agree. Restricting the number of Amazon ads is a good idea. Otherwise, all this stuff about Amazon ads being bad is a complete overkill IMO. HP generates and inserts unrelated links all over the page.

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6. 87

   Marisa Wrightposted 8 years ago

   Exactly

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7. 90

   Will Apseposted 8 years ago

   The Amazon keyword tool will deliver product results  that casual users will believe are sanctioned by HP and therefore fine to use. Often they are not.
   
   If I write a page about 'dinosaur scales' and search for this phrase in the keyword tool I get:
   
   'Princess Paradise boys Big Boys' Dinosaur Costume X-Large (11-12)'
   
   That is a typical kind of unrelated ad that I see here.
   
   Normal links are one thing. Affiliate links are something else altogether.

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   1. 87

      Marisa Wrightposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      +1

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   2. 71

      makingamarkposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Ditto 1+ - and that's why it needs to be removed as a "handy tool"
      
      Much better to create a new tool which tells people when their Amazon module is empty.

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8. 90

   Will Apseposted 8 years ago

   For anyone who still thinks that affiliate links are not a problem, this is an interesting page:
   
   https://support.google.com/webmasters/a … 6465?hl=en
   
   The advice on affiliate links is OK but the company they keep in Google's mind is scary:
   
   Quality guidelines:
   
   Automatically generated content
   Sneaky redirects
   Affiliate programs
   Link schemes
   Cloaking
   Hidden text and links
   Doorway pages
   Scraped content
   Irrelevant keywords
   Creating pages with malicious behavior
   User-generated spam
   Ways to Prevent Comment Spam
   Report spam, paid links, or malware

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   1. 87

      Marisa Wrightposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I still think that RELEVANT affiliate links are not a problem.   If you're providing a link to a website that's relevant and useful to the reader, I don't think Google cares whether it's an affiliate link or not - and the continuing survival of my blogs is my evidence of that.   It's the irrelevant stuff that's the big issue, and it only has to be slightly irrelevant at that - which is why the keyword selection is such a dangerous idea.

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      1. 90

         Will Apseposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         Reader expectations are the key. Google will not tell us exactly what they do but we do know that they will always try to serve pages that meet reader expectations. Affiliate links on pages where readers expect to see them and find useful are fine. Anywhere else and they are spam.
         
         You can argue that Amazon is the most respectable kind of affiliate link around but I reckon the same rules apply.

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