Does Google hate affiliate marketers? ‘Hate’ may be a little extreme but I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that Google doesn’t want websites and web pages in its search engine index that it believes add no value to – or junk up – its search results. Unfortunately for many affiliate marketers, Google interprets many affiliate sites as doing exactly that.

Affiliate marketers have long suspected Google’s ire towards them, whether as a result of seeing their sites removed from Google’s index or of having to pay exorbitant pay-per-click costs to advertise in Google Adwords. Recently, a proprietary Google document surfaced on the Internet and in affiliate marketing circles that put all such doubts to rest. The document – which Google has subsequently sought to remove from those who have published it – indicates that Google distrusts, devalues and may even de-index websites that do little more than promote affiliate products or services.

bigmouthmedia’s 2011 survey of U.K. affiliate marketers reveals that search engine optimization (SEO) and content marketing are the most popular Internet marketing tactics for generating traffic and sales. Affiliates are also embracing social media, with many using all three as well as other marketing tactics.

Here are the top 5 affiliate marketing trends noted by bigmouthmedia:

Hotel brand managers should impose stricter terms on their affiliates and channel partners, who, according to MarkMonitor, are ‘brandjacking’ hotels to the tune of $1.9 billion in lost annual online bookings.

Based on recent research conducted by the firm, MarkMonitor reckons affiliates – particularly hotel aggregators – are effectively ‘brandjacking’ hotels by bidding on hotel brand terms in the search engines. According to MarkMonitor’s research, affiliates are costing the hotel industry around $1.9 billion in lost annual online bookings.

Despite moves to repeal the controversial ‘affiliate nexus tax’ laws in North Carolina and Rhode Island, the state legislatures of Connecticut and Vermont will still enact similar laws.

Essentially, affiliate nexus tax laws force online retailers to collect sales tax on sales made through affiliates who reside in the relevant states. Fans of the laws believe they are a sensible means of collecting owed taxes and are only fair considering that bricks-and-mortar retailers based in, say, Connecticut or Vermont, have to collect sales tax on the sales they make.

Ed Dale’s Melbourne Challenge Conference will take place on February 25, 26 and 27, 2011 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, in Melbourne, Australia. Aimed at beginning-to-advanced Internet marketers, conference organiser Ed Dale says the event will include presentations from top-notch speakers including SEO expert, Leslie Rohde, super-affiliate Lynn Terry, and copywriting expert and NLP master, Harlan Kilstein. The event is a must-attend for Australian based Internet marketers (normally starved of quality Internet marketing events) and highly recommended for overseas visitors. Just be sure to bring swimwear and sunscreen to get the most out of gorgeous Melbourne in summer! Go here for all the details including how to get tickets.

Internet Marketing Events Calendar »

Atma Search is a lightning-fast search engine for finding affiliate products and links. Type in a product name or category and Atma Search will generate a list of products and merchants matching your search query, along with affiliate links from the various affiliate networks promoting those products.

If you’re already a member of the applicable affiliate network, you just need to click on ‘Get Link’ (to the right of the search result) and up will display your generic affiliate link. Just insert your affiliate ID and you can start promoting the product using the applicable affiliate link straight away.

The Blue Book, a guide to ad networks and exchanges published by mThink, recently listed its top 20 advertising, affiliate and CPA networks.

mThink derived its list based on surveying over 1,000 publishers, advertisers, agencies and networks in March 2010. Rather than rank the top 20 according to sheer network size, it ranked networks based on such factors as trust, reputation, influence, clientele, reach and scale.

Here is the Blue Book Top 20 advertising, affiliate and CPA networks:

Bigmouthmedia has begun surveying affiliate marketers to identify the key issues facing them and their views on the affiliate marketing industry in general.

Bigmouthmedia, a U.K. Based digital marketing agency, is conducting the research to gather solid information about the latest developments and emerging challenges for the affiliate marketing sector.

Performance Marketing Expo is an affiliate marketing and social media conference taking place at the Eden Roc Hotel, Miami Beach on September 27-29, 2010. Speakers include super-affiliate ‘CouponMom’ Stephanie Nelson, and the event includes affiliate marketing sessions, networking and parties. Go here for more information.

Internet Marketing Events Calendar »

According to a 2010 survey of 1,150 affiliate marketers by AffStat, most affiliate marketers (47.4 percent) prefer network affiliate programs, but affiliate marketers vary widely in terms of how many products they promote.

AffStat finds that while 47.4 percent of affiliate marketers prefer network affiliate programs, 14 percent prefer independent programs and 38.6 percent have no preference.