This is a guest post by Nickolay Lamm who is an internet marketing specialist who manages the Consumer Fraud Watch blog and Consumer Fraud Warning.

Although a lead capture page and corresponding Adwords traffic can be an effective marketing tool, internet entrepreneurs are having a harder time getting their page approved because of its bridge page policy:

Google AdWords doesn't allow ads that promote bridge pages. A bridge page, also known as a doorway page, is a web page created for the main purpose of sending visitors to a different site.

Bridge pages offer little or no unique content and are considered low value to users. Affiliates that display the same characteristics may also be considered bridge pages. Bridge pages can also be sites that drive traffic from AdWords-compliant content to non-compliant content.

This advertising policy also shows examples of what a bridge page is and isn’t. Unfortunately, website owners are finding that even if their site looks like the “acceptable website” example, they can still have their site suspended because whether or not a webpage “offers value” is open to interpretation. Even though there is no full proof way of getting your lead capture page accepted all the time, here are rules you must follow to increase your chances of not being suspended…


Provide Original Content

A bridge page is a site which gives the visitor nothing of value. The key is to provide original content that the visitor cannot find anywhere else. If you copy and paste articles onto your website, you can be sure that Google will classify your site as a bridge page and suspend it.


Avoid Some Niches

Let’s say you want to sell an information product that helps people with body dysmorphic disorder. If you search Google for “body dysmorphic disorder” you’ll find that there are no advertisers. This means that your chances of trying to sell anything related to treating body dysmorphic disorder are going to be much less than if you sell something relating to “Make Money Online,” which is filled with advertisers. Google just doesn’t want advertisers for some niches.


Have a Privacy Policy

You can have the most informative content in the world on your landing page, but if your landing page does not have a privacy policy, you are giving Google an excuse to suspend your site.


Don’t Make Your Opt-In Form On The First Page

If your landing page (the first page your visitor sees) has a glaring “Download Here” or “Get Your FREE Report” opt-in form on the first page, Google is much more likely to classify your site as a bridge page. So, consider including your opt-in form on another page of your site. Just make sure that you direct your visitors there.


Try Again

Although the bridge policy is ambiguous, Adwords will steer you in the right direction if you are having trouble getting your landing page approved. Simply request a review of your site.


What If You Still Get Suspended?

If you are following all of these rules and still can’t get your lead capture page approved by the big G, you can use Facebook to market your product. You’ll find that although Facebook users generally spend less time on your page, the ROI of using Facebook advertising can still be rival that of Adwords.

Furthermore, consider ditching the concept of a generic lead capture page all together to gather contact information. If you search for “marriage counseling” in Google you’ll find couplestherapyexposed.com among the list of advertisers. The fact that it consistently advertises for such a high volume search term, means that its website is not only accepted by Google, but being rewarded for giving its visitors a good experience. If it wasn’t liked by Google, its cost per click would be too high, and it wouldn’t be adverting in the first page. You’ll find that that marriage counseling site asks for your contact information only after filling out a long survey. This separates it from the generic articles/video landing pages and makes it profitable.