Where has Pay Per Click Gone?

[Jen]

With the increase in pay-per-click ads showing on auction pages (yahoo - overture), mailboxes (GMail - google), and a bunch of really stupid built-for-ad-revenue-pages, I'm left to wonder who is actually still putting money into these areas at this time?

When I noticed that these pay-per-click avenues were being abused, not just by the websites hosting the ads, but by the actual corporations selling the ads, I had to pull my money out.

Why should I pay for CPC with yahoo (overture), if my ads are just going to show up in some auction pages, instead of the high-quality content pages I wanted them to be on?

Why should I pay for CPC with google (Adwords), if my ads are just going to show up (and be ignored) in somebody's email inbox?

What are the actual conversion rates for these types of pages - when people are trying to do other tasks on the internet and are not interested in these types of ads?

So, in short - I pulled my money from CPC marketing.  I've spent about $300 a month in these areas instead of auction listing fees, and had a pretty good return.  However, I'm just diguisted with the places I see my ads popping up.  Between the abuse of where these ads are placed, and the uncontrolled click fraud, I'm giving up on CPC.  My search engine placements are excellent, so I'm going to keep my money in my wallet from now on.

Just had to rant a bit.

Jen

[FiberGuy]

I share your sentiment.

Last year, around November, our web site wasn't ranking too well in the search engines... so I dicided to take up Yahoo's offer for $50 + $20 free PPC credits.  That $50 was gone inside of a week and a half.  And no sales that I know of came out of the deal.  Fortunately, we're ranking fairly well for many of our categories... For now, I'll leave it at that.

Not to mention, there's so many doorway, affiliate and parked pages on the web, they make me want to  .  I even get turned off by adwords on ecommerce sites anymore.  It's like they're saying OK, we don't want your business, but THESE web sites do!   :

Cheers

[Jen]

We were actually getting a fairly decent conversion rate, but I just don't want to be part of the problem.  I can use those advertising dollars elsewhere, without supporting AdSense Portal (SPAM) websites, annoying advertisements in email inboxes, or annoying advertising designed to share space with auction sellers.  It's just gotten to be too much.  I'm surprised my toilet paper hasn't been co-branded by eBay, Google, or Yahoo yet.

[xppman]

Just what Jen said is the reasons my CPC days where very short lived.
This had to be like three or four years ago... I can't remember.
But what I do remember was asking myself questions like.

How do I know my competitors or the CPC company themselves don't
just "click" on the ads so I end up paying more and more and more?

Or

How do I know the "stats" they generate for me are true?

And even

What's this bid higher (pay more) for ad words to get higher rankings?

The short lived CPC I did was a waste of money IMO but
I didn't spend much maybe
20.00 - 30.00 dollars total.

I place well in the engines and have for quit a while...
usually one page one or two of most majors.
All for free. So I'm happy...

[Vivian]

Hi there,

I'm Vivian.  I'm Jen's friend.  In fact, I'm her neighbor!!!!  Anyways, I have a breast cancer discussion forum.  I paid Google Ads for some extra traffic and POOF! my money was gone so quick.  I just wanted to get information out there, but Google I guess just saw me as a willing donor  :   I'll agree with Jen on the no google adwords bit.  She showed me some optimization techniques with the search engines, and they are much better than any of this pay for an ad stuff.  Especially when you are talking about discussion forums!  There content is definitely king, and optimization will do much for you in the long run than ad campaigns.

I've been reading for awhile (since Jen told me about yall), and am just really glad to put in my two cents.

@~>~~ Vivian ~~>~>@

[Jen]

OH lord - Vivian figured out how to get online.  Yall don't mess with her - she castrates bulls in her spare time  :blinkie:  Honestly, not only is she a registered nurse, but she's a vet tech.  I can't think of a more useful person in Central Texas.

That's just my long way of welcoming you.  Welcome Vivian!!!!

For those who don't know. Vivian helped me enormously during my recent health challenges.  She is a very giving person, helped momandchild with her website, and babysat my hosting service while I was undergoing chemo.

Welcome!

Jen

[stardust]

Welcome, Vivian!    Any friend of Jen's is a friend of ours!  8)

However, I certainly hope that Jen has warned you about what you're getting into here with us crazy folk !! 

I love central Texas.  My relatives are almost ALL Waco-ites, with strong ties to Baylor U.  We moved to ABQ from Killeen, where dad was oil-company-working,  when I was 4.  Been here a lonnnnnnnnnnng time!

[Vivian]

OH, I was Baylor, class of '92.  Lived in Russell Hall.  Waco is an intersting town, I lived over by the Lake after I graduated, then fell in love with a soldier, and ended up in Killeen.  I like Killeen, but miss Waco when the wildflowers are in full swing.

[stardust]

"Lake Waco".  My maternal grandparents' homestead (the home my mother grew up in) was on a hill now overlooking the lake. Near the interstate that crosses on the west side.  Bosque to Old Fishpond Road -- down towards the river, then cut up the hill to the house.  They condemned the family orchards of pecan and peaches, at the bottom of the hill, when the lake was expanded to where it is now.  (My grandparents then moved on up Bosque Blvd a bit and built a new home in the middle of the huge pecan/oak/whatever trees.)  I was taught to catfish on the river as just a toddler -- Bosque? -- and so was my mother.  The old homestead house burned down round 1988 or so, and nothing has been built there since.  Don't know why, exactly.  Sure wish that property were still in the family today...

Edit to add:  My father's family ran the Baylor Press for 75 years or so.  They WERE the Baylor Press.  It is no more, as everything is automated, now, but the family name is still fingerprinted all over the campus.  All my cousins and their children, and probably their children will attend Baylor as legacies.  I was not part of that, but am most proud of the heritage.

[maryrussel]

Hi Vivian. Welcome to TT and thank you so much for helping Jen. (She's one of my favorite people).

Back on topic. In my experience with PPC, I saw an increase in traffic but very little conversion, certainly not enough to justify the $50 monthly.