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Affiliate
Strategies of Pay Per Click Advertising
Networks
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by:
Stan Hauser
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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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