So, I have seen many newer IMs here who are having trouble with just the 7search route.
Now I myself do not have a ton of experience with PPC/CPA , as I have been able to stick with other ventures(SEO, Servers, Datafeeds etc.) and never needed to go with Paid Traffic, so this is somewhat new to me also.
However, I have been able to drive lots of traffic to CPA, but it was never as targeted as Paid Traffic can be. Since I feel the need to branch out and diversify, I have been doing a ton of research on the inner workings of Paid Traffic to gain as much knowledge about it as possible.
The image I posted above is a basic outline on how I will be starting, but only after I have become better acquainted with the different ad networks.
Every aspect of the outline can be researched and better understood by just looking it up in Google, pretty simple, so there is no need to ask me about any specifics, just do your homework.
There is a lot of advice out there about sticking to just one traffic source and mastering it first. Though I feel that this is good advice initially, I also tend to believe that it somewhat hinders someone who is newer to IM. Let's say that your offer/s don't convert on one source but they will on another, but you give up and move on because "7search" didn't convert with the angle I took.
Plus, a lot of members are promoting a single offer, which also throws you off. For instance; this offer didn't convert, oh well, off to the next niche and so on, until you finally give up.
Steps to Consider if you are truly serious:
1) Everything will need to be tracked;
Don't just ask questions, instead google it or youtube it....if you can't understand the articles/videos, then go ahead and ask.
You will learn much more by seeing how the tracking works yourself, testing it and then refining your understanding through Q&A
2) Learn each network Interface one at time and test it on a very small scale:
Don't expect to make profit, instead expect to gain experience, data, knowledge, and confidence- this is how you will become profitable.
Even though you are collecting data, gaining knowledge about the platform is the most important part initially.
As you become more comfortable with each ad network scale it up (slowly) to see if you can break even, or even profit.
Test a couple verticals and test a few angles until you feel comfortable with the interface.
3) Read, Study and PRACTICE:
We are all venturing into BIG BOY territory; there are no "lollygaggers" when it comes to paid search. The guys you will be up against, at times, are the same ones running major campaigns, who have a solid methodology, and a good amount of adspend to test out offers.
----->One test I saw started at $600 spend per kw
and that was just for collecting data.However, no one can run everything, and they have just as many campaign failures as anyone else, so there is always room to get in.
There are resources out there that can definitely give you a boost, that is exactly how I ended up on this forum( Thanks K for the 411 guide
).Don't pay for anything that is outside what you can afford and what you have time to read. I don't want to mention any guides here as I am not promoting anything and don't feel like they are really necessary to get started, but for the most part, just pay attention to the industry and not the "hype".
***Try this ( Follow the TRAIL ): 7search keyword tool, search "make money online", what are the costs per kw ?, what are the advertisers doing ?, why are they doing this ?
4) Budget:
Don't spend what you don't have. Initially budget just enough so that you can get use to the networks, tracking, and offers.
You better like math if you are going to try this out for real, because it essentially is just a big Math puzzle
. Obviously, there is money to be made or no one would be doing it, so get your calculator out and start maniacally crunching those numbers.
But consider time management also. Crunching numbers for 4 hours so that you can get an offer up +.001%, when you could have been starting and testing a few more offers/verticals/angles doesn't make since, so spend your time wisely.
5) Get a Plan Together:
If it takes a few months/years to work through each aspect presented above, then that is what it takes, there is no "rush", but you should always be working on it.
However, if something hits and it hits big-go with it; go, go, go...
6) Diversify but Don't Overkill:
Don't just copy, but imitate and follow what others are doing, read between the lines and grow.
Networks, offers, strategies, angles, verticals, niches, seo, ppc, backlinks etc...
Most importantly, have fun learning this stuff ( get excited ), there is a huge market for individuals who understand the way these things come together and it can be as simple as picking a couple good keywords or as complex as building out servers and scripts which automate 90%+ of your tasks.
So far, this is my basic methodology on getting started on this side of the industry, so we will see how it goes. It is very similar to how I started a while back.
For example; I already had a good idea about SEO, server side scripting(PHP etc), html/css/, Wordpress(CMS), Linux dedicated server administration, backlinking, automation and so on, before I really tried to go big with my other projects and I am still learning.
I had no idea about any of these things before venturing onto the net with regards to making money online(MMO), so I knew right off the bat that I would have to do quite a bit of learning to catch up with the rest of the MMO world.
Good luck Guys and Gals and I hope this helps a few of you out,
