Yesterday Jen and I did the first show in like a month! I still suck at doing all the live video stuff but its getting better. We talked about lots of topics everything from the Top affiliate Challenge to everything that has been going on in the search industry to the obligatory twitter talk.

Stream videos at Ustream

So UberCamp has been around for almost 2 months now, and so far it’s going great I think. Of course there have been criticisms and people that think it’s not worth it, but I guess that’s not up for me to decide. I haven’t let in any more members since it’s first launch, but I’m not opening up applications again, primarily because of the newest addition.

I always want to think of ways to make it worth the $199 monthly fee so that even if you hate the content, you’ll still get the value out of it. Now I guarantee you won’t hate the content, but I’ve brought something pretty valuable to the table.

UberCamp gets a designer.

I’ve hired one of my designers to work full-time for UberCamp, and there are some AWESOME benefits to be had. Here’s an example of one of the free pages he’s done, to see his quality of work.

1) He’s going to design pages at campers requests all month long. He’s already designed 4 in the first week I’ve brought him in, and everybody loves the quality. Everyone gets them along with the .PSDs just for being an UC member.

2) He will design private pages at only $49/page! That’s pretty insane and you probably won’t find pages that cheap anywhere else, especially at the quality they are. Sure you can find designers for cheap, but this guy is VERY quality and will work on your page until you’re satisfied…he works for me I know from experience . A member started a thread about it and said the following :

Let me tell you, not only is this guy talented, but he’s fast as well. Had my LP done within a few hours. As many of you know, I tried one of the most poplular LP designers around, waited weeks, paid a fortune, and got crap. Tyler responded quickly to PMs and was VERY reasonable price-wise.

So even if there’s no content on the site, you’re paying $199 and getting 10+ free landing pages every month, and access to private page design way cheaper than anywhere else.

Forum Update

Now how are things going in the forums? The only thing I’ll do is be completely honest. We had a TON of posts in the beginning and activity from guys excited to get tips, and it was great. After a month, activity slowed down. People had less questions, they were working on their campaigns, there was nobody new, etc. We ran the first case study and the offer was breaking even, but it simply wasn’t worth it to continue. There was a pretty big delay on the second case study, but I just built the page and that’s going to start up late this week.

I ditched the private mentoring thing, it was way too expensive for people and would have hindered my available time to work on the main forum. Bad idea I can admit it.

Excluding the off-topic forums, there are 1,882 posts in the affiliate sections. There truly are a lot of great tips and advice, not just from myself but from other members. I’m opening applications up again because as expected we had people drop out, and then everybody else got kind of busy so the posting died down. With a fresh group of guys, activity should shoot back up and especially with the addition of our designer we should be cruising.

Anyways, things are looking pretty cool and if you haven’t applied, you can do so now. I’m also working on getting a keyword tool produced, it’s not going to be your conventional scraper but it will definitely be cool. Anything that adds value to the forum.

The PurposeINC SEO Think Tank 2008, one of the most anticipated SEO events of the year just added a very interesting component – Mixed Martial Arts Training.

On site at the event will be Xtreme Couture trainer Shawn Tompkins. Shawn has trained the best of the best including current UFC Champion Randy Couture and now he is unleashed to train a bunch of SEO’s EEEEEK!

Sure Hits is sponsoring the MMA training. Shots out to Jon Kelly.

To learn more about the 2008 SEO Think Tank or to see who is already booked check out the page here.

So all the buzz about SMX Advanced was about how dark it was. But there was another thing extremely noticeable to me too, and that is how seriously under-represented women were at the conference. Someone pointed out a few weeks before we all made our second annual pilgrimage to Seattle that there were hardly any women listed on the panels on the SMX agenda. Now, we all know how things change and like half the speakers end up not being added until the week before. So I kinda filed it away with the things that make you go hmmmmm and promptly forgot about it. Forgot about it, that is, until the conference was underway and it was like stepping back in time. Where were the chicks?

It seems that Danny Sullivan believes there are no women capable of speaking on Advanced SEO. Looking at the schedule, there are about five women panelists (not including the moderators, which were mostly SMX/SearchEngineLand/Sphinn peeps anyway) and most of the female speakers who were asked to speak presented about advanced advertising not advanced SEO.

So where the hell were the women? Is this 1970 when women stayed home with the kids while they lovingly sent their husbands off to work? Should we go put on our aprons and dust the countertops with flour for bread making? Because Danny must not think women are capable of breadwinning in the SEO world since none of the top SEO women I know were asked to speak.

Even the audience was skewed way more to the male side (although granted, some of them do look asleep). Heck, SEOMoz accounted for most of the hot chicks in attendance. At previous conferences in the SEO conference circuit it has felt much more gender even, while at SMX Advanced they were far and few between, if you didn’t count the booth babe types loitering around the expo hall with their botox and silicone. Heck, even Matt Cutts was surrounded solely by men.

Then you have Gray Wolf who was criticizing BlogHer for the fact you have to be a chick to speak, going so far as to call it sexual discrimination. Well, it is any surprise when you have supposed industry leading conferences like SMX which is really more like Search Male Experts than Search Marketing Experts? What SMX did is far worse than a conference that has openly called itself a conference for women. I am not a “girls rule, boys drool” female by any stretch of the imagination. But when Danny Sullivan is making it rather clear through his choice of speakers that when it comes to SEO that males are far superior to females, why shouldn’t there be a BlogHer to counter balance that just a bit?

To be fair, sure, maybe there was a whole crew of women who were asked to speak at Seattle but for whatever reason couldn’t make it. And I am not asking anyone to pick a girl based upon the fact she has boobs instead of a dick, base it on skill level. But I heard from many who weren’t even asked to speak in the first place, women who I consider to be top SEOs in the industry and the same women that many males consistently talk about as being the best of the best. I am not going to call any names out because a quick Google/Yahoo/Live search will show who people feel are the top females in the industry but let’s just say I was rather surprised.

Will the next Advanced Search Male Expo be as skewed towards being an Old Boy’s Club with the girls on the outside looking in? Only Danny Sullivan’s glass ceiling knows that. But it is a sad state of internet marketing when one of the most respected and recognized people in the industry obviously feels that women just aren’t cutting it in the world of SEO.

When I first heard the words “Media Buy” I thought it referred to buying TV commercials, Magazine ads, or Radio spots.  While in the real world this is true… in the online world a Media Buy just refers to buying an advertising spot on someones website.  Websites are like… virtual magazines… so I guess the term “Media Buy” would be correct.

Ruck has made an excellent post a couple of weeks back on the Convert2Media blog titled “Easy Media Buying Using Alexa“.  Ruck talks about using Alexa to find websites that you can advertise with. Go read his post if your interested in Media Buying.

When we do a Media Buy we pay an upfront fee for advertising on someones website.  This can be a scary thought because we don’t know how the specific advertisement will perform.  Because of this, it is important that we do our research as carefully as we can when we want to do a Media Buy.

Over the next couple of weeks I’m going to walk you through making a Media Buy.  I’ll also through in other posts for those of you not interested in Media Buying.

DirectTrack has been the powerhouse management software behind many successful affiliate networks since 1997. The software now powers over 300 ad networks and serves over 12.5 BILLION ads each month. With such a strong following and numbers crushing any competition in management software, why have some affiliates and networks moved away from the DirectTrack system. Let’s take a look at a few of the networks currently running off DirectTrack, which networks have their own platforms and other opinions of DirectTrack in the affiliate space.

First, let’s take a look at a number of well known affiliate networks currently running off the DirectTrack system.

As you can see from the list above, some of the best networks out there are currently using DirectTrack to manage their company. With such a following of networks running the DirectTrack system, it not only makes it convient for networks to swap and share offers between each other and manage their own system, but it also cuts down the learning curve for new affiliates. As affiliates join any of these networks, and learn the system, they will have a good understanding of how to run all the same reports and processes across other DirectTrack run networks.

In addition to networks running off the DirectTrack system, let’s note some big networks which took their management systems into their own hands.

A comparison between the two lists, clearly shows that running your network with DirectTrack or with your own management system, it will not “make or break” your network. In both lists we see some of the best and largest affiliate networks out there. Now let’s take a look at some of the PROS and CONS to running your network off DirectTrack vs. a custom backend.

PROS to Using DirectTrack:
- From a network standpoint, the ability to go live and setup your own network is relatively “cheap” ($10k+ area) and everything is already available to you.
- The DirectTrack affiliate interface has become somewhat of a standard among affiliates to get used to.
- Limitations on customizations for your own network.

CONS to Using DirectTrack:
- Once you login to a network using the DirectTrack system, it’s pretty obvious. While some networks have done a lot more than others to make it look custom, it’s always easy to tell which are running the DirectTrack system.
- SUBID tracking is poor and annoying. Instead of having to submit a sub id, click submit then get a new code, you should have the ability to just enter a sub id and it will go at the end of the url. Many networks not running DirectTrack (like NeverBlueAds and Hydra Network), make SUBID tracking very simple.
- Usually when a network is run off their own management system, they will have a lot more to offer. Better tracking options, reports/charts and offer layouts.
- Self reliant on the DirectTrack system, while paying their monthly hosting/management costs.
- Others have discussed their complaints around the internet on Direct Track as well.

Whether you like DirectTrack, or hate them… they are one of the prime reasons why there are so many affiliate networks today. Never before was it so easy to throw some cash together and have the ability to go live with your own affiliate network. Since their release of the software in the late 90s, the company has since teamed up Digital River and continues to power a great majority of ad networks today.

I laid out the foundation, but what to hear your opinion. What are your thoughts and comments on the DirectTrack system and networks running it?

[This post is covering part one of the “Five Reasons Your Affiliate Program Sucks” series, and is focusing on “Networks Running Off DirectTrack“.]

Don’t forget to visit www.ZacJohnson.com and comment on new posts! Top Commenters are rewarded with fun prizes every month!

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I wonder at what point MC Hammer references will leave my mind… This song rocked. ANYWAY….

Lijit – A new search service for bloggers launched last week… But calling it a “search service” really does not do it much justice. Do you remember when you first installed the mybloglog widget then all of a sudden you had all these great quicklook stats when you logged into mybloglog? Thats the warm fuzzy feeling I get when I log into Lijit.

Built in searching within wordpress has been probably one of the worst built in features for some time. Its probably why bloggers have opted to use Google Custom Search. Google Custom Search returns great results but it can be a bit difficult to implement. Well maybe not to implement but to customize and look right. My blog has looked jacked up for a while with GCS. Now Sure you get money if you use Google Custom Search…. I mean I have made a whole 2$ in the last year…..

So I first noticed the widget on copyblogger and problogger’s sites and i went their and made a account. It seriously took less then 1 minute to complete my profile and have the widget running on my site:

So it gives you some of the basic stats we all know and love… like previews and stuff like that but here is what I REALLY like:

(click for full size)

Pretty slick!

Fast cars, fast internet and fast food… like everything else, we want it fast, and if your affiliate network isn’t delivering fast monthly (or weekly) payouts… they are way behind. While many affiliate networks are just starting to offer payment methods outside of the traditional checks by mail, many others have been sending faster payments through paypal, Direct Deposit and wire transfer for a while now. Like many affiliate networks, big programs like Google Adsense and Yahoo Publisher Network, both offer payments by Direct Deposit. There are several advantages to receiving your earnings by direct deposit or paypal vs. waiting on your monthly check. Here are a few reasons why…

Payment by Direct Deposit / Wire Transfers
- It sounds simple enough… and it is! Provide your affiliate network with your bank account information and instead of receiving a check each month, the company will directly deposit your payment every week or month depending on the programs.
PROS: No waiting for checks and having to deposit them at the bank.
CONS: Some banks charge a fee for direct deposits and wire transfers. However, if you have a contact or a big enough account at the bank, you can usually have these fees waived.

Payment by PayPal
- Even though paypal has been around for years and used by millions, it still isn’t accepted or used by all affiliate networks. Payment through paypal is instant, but as the receiver of money, you will have to lose a percentage to use their service.
PROS: Instant money. From paypal you can send the payment directly to your bank account, or send it to another advertiser or location of choice.
CONS: If you are going to accept large earnings through paypal, you are almost better off waiting for a check looking for an alternative method for payment. Premiere Business paypal accounts are charged around 1.9% to 2.9% + $0.30 USD per transaction.

Direct Deposit and wire transfers may seem like the bets options for affiliates, but it doesn’t come with out a cost. Most affiliate networks will only pay out on a weekly/monthly basis through direct deposit, if you are pushing some nice volume through their network. Here are a few of the networks minimums for wire transfers.

What type of experience have you had with affiliate networks and making the change over from CHECKS to Direct Deposits and Wire Transfers?

[This post is covering part one of the “Five Reasons Your Affiliate Program Sucks” series, and is focusing on “Direct Deposit / Wire Transfer & Paypal“.]

Don’t forget to visit www.ZacJohnson.com and comment on new posts! Top Commenters are rewarded with fun prizes every month!

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PerformancingAds launched on Saturday and was well covered in the blogosphere. When I initially heard they revenue split was 40/60 with 60% going to the publishers I was really turned off. I currently use Google Ad Manager and it costs me nothing. It did not make sense why we should give someone 40% for no additional benefits? I twittered as such and immediately got my answers (<3 twitter).

So that changes things a bit. I missed the fact that they take 0% of the revenue of ads placed direct from you that they host and serve for you. They ONLY take 40% of advertising that comes from their marketplace.

I think everyone should at least put their site into the performancing system. I have only sold a few reviews through reviewme over the years being in the marketplace has brought a lot of advertisers.

When you are running your ad campaigns there are certain keywords and domains that you want to blacklist… or put in the negative keyword section.

The domains that you want to black list will almost always be difficult to find until you start running your campaigns. You can find the domains to block by checking out where your traffic is coming from. This can be done in the report section of your PPC account. One of the first domains that you will want to block is Myspace.com. This domain will almost always pop-up for you. The traffic from myspace is GARBAGE. Myspace is full of a bunch of 14 year old girls and dirty old men. So … You might want to save yourself the high cost and just block it from the start. When I started out in this I wanted to see how Myspace would be for placement targeting… I burned through 10 times more money than I set aside for that day because adwords couldn’t shut the impressions off fast enough. BOO FOR LOOSING MONEY!

Now when you are going over your keyword list to ban you want to be careful what words you cut. Obviously if you are advertising for leather wallets you can be sure to not use the keyword ferrari. Now… You may want to use the word leather. However, take a look at what that one little word can bring you… Leather seat covers, leather couch, leather shoes, leather purse, leather jacket, leather pants, leather face, etc. So… I wouldn’t bid on the keyword leather unless my ad copy was good enough that people would know that they are being taken to a leather wallet related site… If that isn’t clear please post here so I can try and clarify more.

Now… Be careful you don’t cut all of your one word keywords… The word wallet would be nice to use in this situation. People that are looking for wallets might find your leather wallet site and like what they see.

If your going to scholarship offers you can’t really go wrong with the single word… SCHOLARSHIP or SCHOLARSHIPS.

Just take a good look at what you actually plan to bid on.  Some keywords can break your bank and will bring you absolutely garbage traffic… Same with some websites.  But what you think would be garbage, and keep what you think will be gold.