When Google started to hunt down bloggers selling their page rank to advertisers, a huge number of bloggers turned their backs on paid reviews and all forms of text link ads. Suddenly, links to advertisers now include a ‘nofollow’ attribute. Most bloggers who have been monetizing their blogs from sponsored posts deleted their accounts in all the review sites they’ve joined. 

Advertisers on the other hand, slowed down with sponsored posts because the Google police force has also decided to go after them. Opportunities available at PPP and SponsoredReviews apparently went down, which affected bloggers using these services to monetize their blogs. Most of the advertisers who decided to stick with sponsored review as their marketing strategy now require their publishers non disclosure of the sponsored review.


Creative Commons License photo credit: circulating

Interestingly, the decision of Google to penalize both publishers and advertisers  engaged in the buying and selling of links (’dofollow’) created the Sponsored Post Phobia or the SP-Phobia.

What’s Sponsored Post Phobia Or SP-Phobia?

SP-Phobia is the fear of using sponsored post as a marketing strategy (Advertisers) and a way to monetize one’s blog (Publishers). SP-Phobia manifests the following signs and symptoms:

  • Totally abandoning sponsored reviews even when the review is relevant to your blog and even if you genuinely believe in the product the advertiser is offering.
  • Deleting your PayPerPost, SponsoredReviews and other review sites accounts.
  • Deleting all the sponsored reviews you were paid even when it means breaching your earlier agreements with review sites.
  • Removing all tags or categories in your blog associated with sponsored reviews. (i.e. sponsored post, sponsored reviews, blog review etc.)
  • Making posts to broadcast that you don’t do sponsored posts or you don’t sell your page rank etc. Sort of pre-empting Google from slapping your Page Rank.
  • Changing or removing your “Advertise” for fear that it might tip the Google police force. Instead of a detailed information of advertising opportunities in your blog, you just placed a contact form or an email where advertisers can contact you. (Let’s just keep this our little secret.)
  • Chest pains, nervousness or discomfort everytime Google is updating its page rank.
  • Religiously monitoring any changes in your page rank.

Effects of SP-Phobia

While phobias are generally harmless, SP Phobia is not. It adversely affects blog monetization and marketing strategies of publishers and advertisers respectively. Here’s a short summary of the possible effects of SP-Phobia to publishers and advertisers.

Effects to Publishers or Bloggers

  • SP-Phobia could affect the content of your blog. SP-phobic bloggers tend to overreact to sponsored posts. In effect, they create posts that will please Google instead of their readers. What may please Google may not necessarily please your blog readers.
  • SP-Phobia reduces or totally eradicates sponsored post in your blog, which could improve your blog content as most sponsored posts are just plain rubbish.
  • Ultimately, SP-Phobia reduces your blog income.

Effects to Advertisers

  • Limited number of blogs to chose from as most bloggers withdraw or delete their accounts in review sites.
  • SP-Phobia also results to a more expensive review as added risks (Google penalty) are taken by the publishers.
  • Advertisers will have to look for alternatives (more expensive alternatives) like Google Adwords. I bet Google loves this.

Now that you know what SP-Phobia is, anyone who’s SP-Phobics here?

Thanks for your time. Happy blogging! :D

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