The days of being able to bid for search engine ad placements for spots 1,2,3,4,ect. are over. I miss the days when they showed you who was first and what bid it would take to be #1. You could bid for the spots. Now its just 1.1, 1.9,..blah blah they just try to bleed you out to be #1 by paying way more per click then normal.

It used to be like this:

Then all you had to do was raise you bid to $1.99 and you would be in the first spot. It was fun, simple, and easy.

Which do you prefer Google or Yahoo for search marketing? I like yahoo because in my experience the keyword bids have been cheaper. Its just been so tough lately trying to knock out the spam, crap sites that just click on ads to make money. I have tried Microsoft AdCenter but had problems with them in the past (When they where in beta stage) and lost a lot of money. But thats another story found here.

Walking that tightrope between spending money and making money on your affiliate website can be tough. Paying to advertise your affiliate website is a great idea, but only if you’re making more money then you’re spending, and that isn’t always as easy said then done. How can you make sure that you won’t end up in the red? Here are a few helpful tips.

• Have realistic expectations. While it is possible to earn a boatload of money by setting up affiliate marketing websites, don’t expect to be bringing in $10,000 a month right off the bat. Every product sells in a different way, and finding that perfect niche takes time. Also, experience is very important in the world of affiliate marketing and the more you have, the better you’ll do. Be patient, stick with it and you’ll see your profits rise with your experience level.

• Know how to advertise. Google has an affordable and easy way to advertise through their Adwords program. You’ve seen these ads on Google, they are usually at the very top and on the right hand side of every single search that is done. Google performs hundreds of thousands of web searches every second, so the chances of a search that would trigger your set of key words is pretty high. Just remember that for each time your ad appears, Google will charge you a fee. Make sure you’re getting the most value out of each sale because, otherwise, Google is making money off you instead of you making money off of your customers.

Learn more about search engine advertising and find promo codes

• Make sure your affiliate partner is trustworthy. If you’re just starting out in the world of affiliate marketing, it might be a good idea to stick with the big boys like Amazon or Citibank until you learn the ropes. There are less trustworthy sites out there that are looking to have affiliate marketing done that might not deal with you in a completely honest manor. Until you learn the ropes of affiliate marketing, it might be wise to go with a major corporation that you know will pay out and treat you with respect. You don’t want your first marketing effort to be a bad one.

Unfortunately, since affiliate marketing has become so profitable in recent years, there are companies out there that will try to scam you. If you’re an experienced affiliate marketer, you know most of the tricks of the trade, but if you are new to the game, stick with familiar companies until you figure out the best advertising cost/revenue balance.