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Affiliate_Strategies_Of_Pay_Per_Click_Advertising_Networks
| Affiliate Strategies Of Pay Per Click Advertising Networks
The Untold Secret Of Pay Per Click Advertising:
An often misunderstood reality of Pay-Per-Click advertising is
that many times you can't determine where you ad will be
displayed once you sign-up with one of the PPC Search Engines.
In the incestuous world of online advertising, companies are
often simultaneously competitors and partners. This is never
more true than in the case of Search Engine Advertising.
Even The Big Guys Do It:
If the Pay-Per-Click program you're using is from one of the
major brands that has it's own consumer search destination site
(Google, Yahoo, Lycos etc,) it's a little easier to tell where
your ads will show up. However, even if you're working with the
major players, your ads won't be limited to the Search Engine
you signed up with. For example, Google has agreements with
Lycos, Ask Jeeves, AOL, and other lesser known brands, to
display ads from the Google AdWords program. Yahoo has
relationships with MSN, and CNN.Com to display ads from its
Overture Pay Per Click Program. Lycos owns HotBot.Com and has
partnered with affiliates outside its network to increase the
distribution of ads from the Lycos AdBuyer Pay Per Click
program.
Distribution Strategies Of Smaller Search Engines:
Once you go beyond the major Pay Per Click Advertising programs
it becomes increasingly difficult to know where your ads will
appear. Most of the second tier Search Engines rely exclusively
on networks of unknown sites for their distribution.
FindWhat.Com, Kanoodle, Enhance and Search 123 don't operate
sites that consumers use to search the web. Because of this they
have developed relationships with thousands of smaller sites to
display ads from customers who sign up for their Pay Per Click
programs.
Affiliate Traffic Isn't Necessarily Bad:
Just because a Pay Per Click Advertising program doesn't have
its own search site to drive traffic doesn't necessarily mean
that the traffic is of lesser quality. Like everything else when
it comes to a successful PPC Advertising campaign, the key is to
track and analyze results on a daily basis. Set-up independent
tracking URL's for each PPC Search Engine you are working with,
or use a third party tracking tool like Atlas One Point to track
how many clicks you're getting from each Search Engine, and how
much of the traffic is converting into sales.
Can You Cherry Pick Affiliates?
As a rule, most Search Engines won't divulge the list of
affiliates they are working with to display your ads. Even if
you are able to determine which affiliate sites are converting
better for you than others, the Search Engines generally won't
allow you to cherry pick which affiliates will display your ad.
However, some Pay Per Click Search Engines like Google allow you
to opt out of their affiliate network.
Conclusion:
Driving traffic by displaying ads across a network of affiliate
sites is a fact of life for Pay Per Click Search Engines. It's
not necessarily bad, but it is something you need to be aware of
as you analyze which PPC Search Engines to use, and which ones
perform. By displaying your ad on affiliate sites your marketing
message is put in front of more people who are looking for the
products you sell. The downside is once you move beyond the big
brands and venture into the vast mysterious world of affiliate
networks, there is a chance the quality of your traffic will
decline. As long as you monitor your traffic sources for volume,
and conversions, and adjust your campaigns accordingly you
should be able to benefit from the increased distribution
affiliates provide, while maintaining the profitability metrics
for your Pay Per Click Advertising campaign.
About the author:
Stan Hauser is a leading expert on effective Pay Per Click
Advertising strategies, and the creator of
http://pay-per-click-advertising-guide.com
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