Ten Things to Look for in a Good Pay Per Click Search Engine
Monday, May 5, 2008
Affiliate marketing is a prime example of a business that requires little money in order to make a lot. Many people may be surprised to know that affiliate marketing needs a strong advertising strategy in order to be successful. Of course, there are a number of different methods you can use to attract visitors to your affiliate marketing website, but none of them work quite as effectively as pay per click search engines.
“If one search engine records only a handful of people searching for affiliate marketing each month, then see if another one offers better results.”
However, just like every other aspect of business, some pay per click search engines are simply better than others. In fact, here are ten things you should look for in a good pay per click search engine before you spend your money. As you'll notice, the ten things are separated into two sections -- one for advertisers and one for the visitors to the search engine site.
Things To Look For In a Good Pay Per Click Search Engine -- For Advertisers
No. 1 -- Prepaid Account
Advertisers will want to make sure that the pay per click search engine they choose offers a prepaid account from which to draw the funds for their advertising. This makes managing your pay per click campaign much easier than receiving a monthly bill.
No. 2 -- Look For Visitor History
Advertisers should learn beforehand if the pay per click search engine has a history of visitors searching for their industry-specific terms. If one search engine records only a handful of people searching for affiliate marketing each month, then see if another one offers better results.
No. 3 -- Look For A User Friendly Pay Per Click Search Engine
It's important that the pay per click search engine offer an easy-to-use interface for managing bids. Nothing can be more frustrating than trying to navigate around a bid interface that's poorly constructed.
No. 4 -- Editorial Review
If the pay per click search engine has an editorial review for their submissions, that's a plus. They can help you ensure that your keyword link is of high quality as well as make you aware of identical links.
No. 5 -- Tracking Reports
Try to work with a pay per click search engine that offers tracking reports. These reports are very informative and can allow you a glimpse into the surfing habits of the visitors to your website. This can help you to better manage your advertising strategy.
Things To Look For In A Good Pay Per Click Search Engine -- For Your Website's Visitors
No. 6 -- Quick Results
Web surfers are traditionally an impatient lot, so be sure to use a pay per click search engine that loads its results quickly. If the page takes a while to load, you can be sure that your potential customer will move on to another search engine site in record time.
No. 7 -- Releveant Keyword Content
You also want the search engine to provide accurate and keyword-driven search results. There's nothing more frustrating to a web surfer than typing in a keyword and being provided with links of no relevance.
No. 8 -- Avoid A Cluttered Home Page
The last thing a web surfer wants to be experiencing is a search engine covered with advertisements. Make sure that the search engine you choose has a clean, streamlined home page. This will also allow it to load much faster.
No. 9 --Look For Clean Results Pages
In addition to an advertisement-free home page, the results page should also offer minimal ads. They serve to draw the web surfer's attention away from your link, and that's not what you're paying for!
No. 10 -- Look For A Search Engine That Accommodates All Browsers
Some people may scoff at this one, but it is important. Make sure that the pay per click search engine is viewable on all browsers, even at 800 x 600 resolution. You don't want the web surfer to have to use the horizontal scroll bar to help navigate the page as this can result in a fast and frustrated exit.
