Content Network Adword Campaigns any returns in ROI?

August 10, 2007

This happened to me yesterday and was in a mood to spend money with adwords and learn more about this system, testing each niche to advertise and see how adwords really works after Google made many updates to the system. But now I am back and reporting it here hoping that you will learn from my mistakes in affiliate marketing + Google Adwords and not like other bloggers telling just successfully stories. You can read other’s mistakes and try to not do the same.

I will tell you my experience with Content network, and it was really frustrated. Always before saving an ad campaign I disable the content network ads or add a specific bid for content network always much lower than my current search bid.

Why adding lower bids in Content networks?

This is my experience and may be yours will be different. But I was promoting a high competitive niche “Webhosting” & Make money online. I was testing those both niches, and I did what I said on Make Money Online Niche. I increased my bids to $3 per click and was in position 6 and my CTR was approximately 3-4%.

I knew that this will cost a lot of money and if I let it run for more than 5-6 hours will get tons of clicks and will risk money. So I did it for 1 hours everything was great the average CPC was approximately $1.7 – $2.5. But then when I decreased the bids I noticed something that I did wrong, I forgot to disable the content network or adding a specific bid for it!

Dammm 60% of my clicks where from content network, I am not saying is wrong to advertise with content network but tested them 4 times (with a time of 1 month) and my returns was 0%. As well I tested a niche in one of my affiliate programs that I am promoting and also forgot the content network, guess what? 0% ROI from content network.

Just to remind you if you use the same techniques as I use (lowering the bids in content network). Do not forget about it, Google default check the content network with the same bid as the search.

This was the result in ROI percentage:
Content Network: 0% (lost like $135.3)
Search in Google: 30%

30% was nice and covered my lost in content network as well some profits I am testing and saving all the campaigns and tips that is working with me. Is fun & risk to play with adwords not like autosurf & hyips believe me! “playing” with adwords is business but “playing” with autosurfs & hyips is gambling. What do you prefer?