Archive for the ‘Pay Per Click’ Category

Google AdWords is a very popular PPC (pay per click) network. It’s no surprise that it is the most popular network, because they do have far more traffic available than any other PPC network out there.

But they do have some drawbacks that discourage many users. For one thing, they are also considered the most expensive PPC network. Since they have more traffic, they also have a lot more competition. This drives prices way up. AdWords also has  more rules than most of the other networks.

Because of things like intense competition, high prices, and rules that many believe to be a bit excessive, more and more marketers are looking for other options.

One of the best alternatives is MSN AdCenter. MSN/Bing is one of the most popular search engines, and they do have a decent level of traffic. It’s obviously nowhere near the level of Google, but they do have enough traffic to make using them worthwhile. Their prices are generally cheaper than AdWords, making them an attractive option.

Yahoo Search Marketing  is also popular. Yahoo has been a leader in the search engine marketplace for many years, and they provide a decent level of traffic. Their prices are reasonable, too.

Kanoodle  has been popular for several years. They boast pretty good traffic and competitive prices. Although they don’t have the level of traffic that one of the big three could provide, they still have enough to provide a steady flow to some of the bigger search terms.

AdBrite  is a network that pays webmasters to put their ads on their sites. Because they have a relatively large number of Non-AdWords Options for Pay Per Click Marketing advertisers, they can provide a fair number of visitors. Since they have to pay their advertisers, their prices aren’t quite as low as they could be, but they are still generally far less than AdWords. Personally I haven’t had much success with them.

One of the networks that many webmasters recommend staying away from is GoClick. This network is notorious for providing high volumes of very low-quality traffic. Their clicks are generally very inexpensive, and they can provide very high traffic volumes, but most webmasters claim the quality of the traffic is so poor that it’s practically impossible to even break even, much less make a profit.

There are several other networks that might have potential for some website owners. Some of them have decent traffic levels and good prices. It’s best to put a few dollars into several networks and test the traffic before you make a decision on which ones to use in a bigger way.

Some others you may want to try include: 7 Search, Miva, LookSmart, Ask.com, Search 123, Search Feed, ABC Search, Findology, Local.com, and Pulse 360.

Although Google Adwords should be your first choice do try several of these PPC networks to see which one works best for your niche.

No one wants to think about the possibility of click fraud. It’s yet another thing to have to worry about, watch for, and wonder about – is it happening to you? Did you know that upwards of 20% of each dime you spend on pay-per-click ads might be wasted due to click fraud?

That’s a pretty high percentage and it’s not great for your advertising and operating budget! But if you’re advertising with Google AdWords, Yahoo Search Marketing, or Microsoft adCenter among a host of others, you need to be fully aware of the risks and what you can do about them.

Click fraud is, unfortunately, not an isolated event that you’re immune to. Are you wondering where fraudulent clicks come from? Unfortunately, the majority of them come from your competitors and the website owners that are working with search engines on a revenue-sharing program.

They’re the ones who have agreed to feature your ads on their websites, and they get a cut of every click. It’s sad to think that competitors think it’s ethical to commit click fraud, but some unscrupulous ones do.

They think that if they can drain your advertising budget, you’ll be forced to stop keyword bidding or at least reduce your own activity, leaving them more room to strengthen their own rank. This is terribly unethical, but it’s not uncommon.

It’s also disturbing that greedy publishers might try to cheat the system (and you) by encouraging their visitors to click on your ads even if they have no intention of purchasing from you or interest in what you’re offering. Some publishers will be brazen and just do the clicking themselves.

You might think that a click here and a click there isn’t that big of a deal. If that was the end of it, it might not be. But a few clicks here and there over a period of days, weeks and months can end up being a pretty big expense for nothing.

The answer to this growing problem could be AdWatcher. AdWatcher is a clever set of tools that helps you make sure that your ROI is maximized at all times. It works with PPC campaigns like Google AdWords and other search engine’s advertising programs, and with banners, links and email marketing, too.

AdWatcher is effective for monitoring your return on investment, detecting click fraud, and managing other aspects of your PPC advertising as well. Probably the most prominent feature of AdWatcher is its ability to help you detect and reduce both click fraud and clicks that are poor performers.

You can find out if you have may fraudulent activity coming from publishers and you can block IP addresses that are suspicious. If you find that you’re getting clicks from poor referrers, you can block them as well.

AdWatcher also helps you find out which keywords are doing poorly so that you can eliminate their use and opt for better performers. The ad tracking technology that AdWatcher offers can help you analyze your results for better optimization as well.

If you’re looking to analyze which of your campaigns are making the most and least money, AdWatcher can help you track your conversion rates, visitors, leads, and sales from each ad. You can even test multiple landing pages simultaneously to see which ones work best. Tools include snapshots of your ad campaigns and drill down tools for detailed information.

Essentially what you’re doing with AdWatcher is detecting and guarding against click fraud and gaining the ability to fully analyze each campaign to find out which ones are working, which are not, and why. The overall effect is cost savings and a much more efficient ad campaign.

AdWatcher provides information in real time – no waiting for updates. This is a real help when you are working to reduce problems and maximize strengths. You can have updates emailed to you and download your information for further investigation at your leisure.

AdWatcher offers a 30-day free trial to new users. This is a good way to check it out and learn to use the many tools that are offered. When you find all the ways it can help you, not the least of which is detecting and preventing click fraud, you’ll probably want to add it to your battery of Internet marketing tools that make it much easier to be productive and profitable.