Recently Google Adwords unveiled a new affiliate advertising policy that has many affiliates up in arms. The new policy states that Google will only allow one search term query for affiliates and parent companies directing to the same URL. Which ad gets selected depends on which has the highest Ad Rank within the Google Adwords system. If an official Web site has the highest Ad Rank then that ad will be selected. If an affiliate has a higher Ad Rank, it will be displayed.

As I understand it, the program will not prevent multiple affiliates of the same company from bidding on a term. However, the affiliates must drive people to original content - simply linking to a Web page that has minimal content, such as a link to another site, is not permitted.

Some industry pundits have suggested this change may, in the long run, prove positive for affiliates. Still others claim this hurts affiliates. I’m taking a wait-and-see position on this one. But I’d love to hear from you, the affiliates. So, sign up and start blogging. Tell us if this change in Google’s Adwords policy helps or hurts your business. We really want to hear from you.