PPC bidding tool

[Mel]

Hi all:

Whether you like 'em or hate 'em PPC engines seem to be with us for the forseeable future, and there are lots of people using them.

That being the case we need to find the best way to use them and to that end there is a tool which is supposed to go online August 1, which is supposed to have been developed in conjunction with GoTo to manage your bids on that engine.

http://www.bidright.net

This topic has been closed on the other forum, but if there are any interested viewers we can get a thread started here.

[ihelpyou]

I believe Mr. Bidright just became a member. Welcome to the forums! :hi:

Though I must say I hope I am never in need of the software... :D

But I am sure other members in here might be!

[tomklehm]

Hello everyone,

Mel has invited me to be here to answer any questions any of you may have about BidRight. We have a demo available for free download if any of you would like to test it out. I look forward to answering your questions and getting your feedback about how the software is performing for you.

Thank you,

Tom Klehm
http://www.bidright.net

[ihelpyou]

Happy Mel gave you the word! Sure, the members here might have plenty of questions for you.

Since this type of software is fairly new, members will also be curious as to what it even is.

[ThatAdamGuy]

Hi,

Just wanted to note that there is another program, Tangare (http://smilezone.com/link/tangare), that offers similar functionality to Bidright.

I've been using their software for a couple of months now, and I've been impressed with its functionality and also the excellent customer service. I've made several suggestions for interface and feature improvements, many of which have been implemented :-)

Regards,
Adam

DISCLAIMER: I do not work for Tangare; however, I am an affiliate and I make money off of referrals. Just wanted to be up front about that, though I hope this does not detract from my sincere endorsement of the software.

[ihelpyou]

Welcome to the forums ThatAdamGuy! :hi:

We would not care if you were the owner. As long as a link can help the thread, they are just fine in here.

Stop in to ask questions or help with answers whenever you wish!

[Blue]

:hi:

Yes, the more information or product one has to choose from, the better!

[ThatAdamGuy]

I appreciate the prompt and friendly welcome :-)

I just thought I'd add an interesting issue for thought or devil's advocate-type discussion: What if ALL big users of PPC programs started using such optimization software? Would it become a tragedy of the commons?

Specifically, would the PPC sites become horribly overloaded and slow (or even crash) due to the bazillions of accesses from PPC software? Or would they create mirrors? Or put up restrictions?

Would the efficacy of such software be reduced by massive use?

These are some of the things that have, at first, held me back from recommending the software. However, in a Machiavellian way, I realized that it's still better for there to be a CHOICE in software (and full information about different packages)... this at least spurs competitive optimization of the different software programs and competitive pricing, too :-)

But, still, lots to think about, eh?

Regards,
Adam
http://smilezone.com/

[ihelpyou]

hey Adam,

Good points. Although I am not a PPC fan nor would never use them, I do have some answers.

The PPC's do Not like that software. You are right in saying that thousands of users would clog the servers. They also have no desire to give people an advantage. They constantly try to thwart this software.

I may not be entirely correct cause as I say, I am not a fan. :)

[tomklehm]

Hello,

On the contrary, we have discussed with Overture how they feel about our software and they have told us that they are pleased with it. It eventually causes the bids to go up.

Also, you don't have to be a big company with a big budget to use BidRight. We have a package for $89 which most businesses can afford.

Thanks,

Tom
BidRight
www.bidright.net

[ihelpyou]

Thanks for that Tom! As you know, I know little about the software and do not desire to, so your input is appreciated. :) Anything to do with PPC is the furthest from my mind.

[markymark]

There's a few of these type of things out there now. I do use PPC for some clients - particularly with AV and Excite in mind (wonder why ?), and I can see why Overture would love it at the moment.

You have two advertisers with deep pockets, both using this kind of software, each outbidding the other every 60 seconds - the bids will go through the roof in no time at all. And it is here that the software fails its users. You can put a cap on bids (a maximum of say $1.50 or whatever), but there will be others users with a higher maximum bid using the software. In order to really compete you would need to keep raising this maximum way above the real value of the search term. The only winner here is Overture or whichever PPC the software targets.

The real trick to using PPCs is to use a broad cross section, do as much research as possible to discover who they partner with and then find those that have low top bids. For instance, epilot partner with gozilla and you can get the top bid for mp3 (for instance) for about 8 cents. Knowing that Gozilla users are people likely to be looking for MP3s and will use the Gozilla search option to find what they are looking for, you can get good targeted traffic at a fraction of the cost of Overture.

This is just one example, but this is the best way to use PPCs to deliver what they claim - cheap, high volume, targeted traffic.

[Mel]

HI all:

I have seen some discussion to the effect that a good strategy for PPC is to keep you bid at #4 or #5 rather than higher, as the higher rankings are included in partner sites that have lots of traffic but not such good click through rates.

Does anyof this software have the ability to handle that sort of thing for you?

[Advisor]

Originally posted by Mel
HI all:

I have seen some discussion to the effect that a good strategy for PPC is to keep you bid at #4 or #5 rather than higher, as the higher rankings are included in partner sites that have lots of traffic but not such good click through rates.

Does anyof this software have the ability to handle that sort of thing for you? Hey Mel, I believe that ManageBid can do that sort of thing for you. You can check them out at http://www.managebid.com

I haven't used them, as I don't do PPC, but I've looked into them before, and I think if I were to start using PPC, using software such as MB might make it a little less daunting!

Jill

[markymark]

Mel,

I've heard that lower bid argument a lot and can't for the life of me see the logic in it. Basically, you are shutting out out all the AOL, AV, Lycos etc. traffic. This isn't the best method for getting a good return.

I still advocate my method, which is having 9 or 10 PPC account with a small amount in each, research who the partners really are and then bid for your client accordingly. This means that all should get quality traffic as you will only be bidding on terms that are a) cost effective and b) useful to that client.

[Alan Perkins]

Never bid for position on PPC - simply bid what you can afford, rounded down to just above the next lowest bid.

How do you know what you can afford? Sales platform! How much can you make off each visitor, at what conversion rate & profit margin, etc. That tells you how much you can afford to bid. If you bid above that, you're either playing games with someone or you've money to burn.

It would be useful if the PPC afficionados concluded this thread with a list of all known PPC bidding tool systems. For example, I'm surprised ClickPatrol hasn't had a mention yet.

[esconsult1]

There's also a free tool that does the same thing that Bidright does, except that it handles engines:

Overture, Overture-UK, Findwhat and Kanoodle.
(I had to edit. Sorry. Doug)

The tool is also free, and has a 50 keyword limit (may be increased).

But what other people have said in this forum is true. The bottom line is that these tools tend to just drive up bidding. How do you actually know that a keyword that you have in a bid-war is actually converting into sales, or just providing useless traffic.

[ihelpyou]

Welcome to the forums esconsult1! :hi:

I am not too sure about linking to that domain as it was on the Inktomi black list awhile ago.

They also offer services that I do not agree with. You might consider editing out the link. Just asking though, not telling. :)




Sorry, but I had to edit it out as that domain is also banned at Google. Could not find it anywhere in the index.