Insurance and Credit

Despite the so-called “Death of AdSense” (which happens to be a smart marketing ploy), there are still a few good success stories. At least, the marketers who carry the right beliefs within them know what they are doing to persevere and achieve desired results.

One of these correct beliefs is knowing how bid pricing works. Generally speaking:

1) If there are not enough ads to go around, that particular niche is too small to try.

2) If the “general economy” of the ads is rather low, avoid the niche too. That’s why there are high-paying keywords and low-paying ones.

3) If one site performs better than a similar one in AdSense clickthrough rates, that site will be served better paying and better performing ads. That’s how smart pricing works.

We’re sure Google has many secretive and subtle metrics to disqualify junk sites and the corporation insists on surrounding itself with webmasters who are committed to providing quality work.

Going back to point 2), no matter how genuine sites are in providing valuable content, webmasters need to know something about the state of the competition related to a supposedly high-paying keyword.

There is a general belief that “certain keywords pay highly” (granted), like bankruptcy, cancer, lawyers etc., but without research to back them up, such a belief does not stand on a foundation.

Google does not take from AdWords advertisers the maximum bid price they put in their account; this is important to recognize. For example, the first-placed ad may have a max. bid of $12, but the max. bid of the second-placed ad stands at only $2. The top advertiser does not always have to fork out $12 to maintain his ad in first place. Google Advertising works such that it has a sliding scale for the bidding process.

In other words, you bid on the keyword ‘bankruptcy’ and you decide that it is only worth $1.95 but you are willing to pay up to $12 against your competition. Then one day, your closest competitor’s bid is $2. Google will ante up 6 more cents on your behalf to keep you in the top position and continue to do so for as long as you can afford up to $12. Google sets these special perimeters when they set the account up for that keyword.

That means Google can only pay AdSense publishers as much as the next highest existing bid price. Then again, as you do your keyword research, Google only shows average CPC as the real numbers change dynamically. So it is crucial for publishers to appreciate the bid pricing gap between 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th-placed bidders to make an educated guess of how much they will be paid for certain AdSense ads.

With all that being said, AdSense is very much alive and well. The AdSense program is just an attractive incentive to make AdWords advertisers happy that their ads will be spread out with the help of publishers. Google Inc. can take down AdSense; it’s their choice, but it’s not helpful. Honestly, it’s the publishers’ fault that they abuse the system so the company fine-tune it…meaning, make sure the distribution of earnings is better deserved and justified to esteemed publishers.

According to the credit experts, only 40% of the population has really good credit. That would be someone with a score over 700 in all 3 major reporting bureaus. This Prime Credit standing is a perfect place to be for a couple of major reasons. Minor incidents like inquiries and single late payments will probably not drop your score.

If your credit score is somewhere below the 700 mark in all 3 credit bureaus, then you are in the higher risk 60% segment and the scoring model will be very hard to predict as to what will lower or raise your credit. Getting a loan for land, housing, businesses, or even an expensive car or boat will be a crap shoot that can leave you worse off than when you started.

The credit scoring system is fixed? The credit bureaus have made it very hard to get a score of 700 and up because the lenders who fund the credit bureaus make more money in interest payments from consumers with lower credit scores. If you have a score of less than 700, then you need a fast score system to get you into a position where you’re not forking over any more of your hard-earned cash then you have to.

One thing you can do to keep your credit score up is to never incur more than 25% of your annual net income in debt. You can talk to your accountant or simply look over your tax returns to find this number. Whenever you use credit to make a purchase, make sure that you really need it and that this won’t cause your debt to go over this 25% limit.

The credit reporting system is deeply flawed, since everyone but the consumer benefits from the system. Consumers have long lobbied for change and with the 2004 Fair Credit Reporting Act, some reforms were made; but unfortunately it did nothing to require the credit reporting bureaus to maintain accurate information and of course, many question how strictly the stipulations of this act are enforced if indeed they are at all.

Let’s say that your credit score it 600 and you apply for a loan. You would lose 35 points whether you get the loan or not. If you were in the 700 bracket, you would not have had a 35 point drop. Since your goal is to get above the 700 mark you need a fast score system to get you beyond the petty problems at the lower brackets.

You should be very careful about credit repair services as well. While they can indeed have some of the negative items on your report removed, be aware that this can actually lower your credit score. If your credit score is under 700, you’re better off not removing these items at least not right away. Instead, add new accounts in good standing to balance out the negative items. Your concern should be improving your credit score instead of simply making your report “look” better.

Blogging -This is basically an online version of word of mouth business. For the most part blogs get updated on a regular basis and it acts as a direct feedback to your company. Proving to be both cost effect and popular with consumers and readers.

Business Cards – First of all if you are in sales, own or are in business you must keep your business card with you at all times. It is your companies calling card to someone you will meet that could possibly want to do business with you. Business cards are two sided. Having something printed on the second side gives you a chance to share more information about your business.

Email – Blast off emails to remind your customers you are thinking of their business and appreciate their patronage. This is an effective and low cost way of immediately reaching out with new offers, products, services or updates. Business people are making decisions and changes everyday. You want to make sure that they know you are still out there doing what you can for them as a customer. This is also an excellent way to attract new business prospects.

Networking -To be well connected doesn’t always mean only to be connected at the top. It also has to do with the number of connections that you have. The more your name and business is out in the marketplace the more possibilities for business relationships you could form. For small or local business networking can be a lifeline to your growth and existence. You may look for local area groups or affiliations to assist with this endeavor.

Referrals-Good customer relations and service will typically lead to referrals from that customer. You worked hard to get their business so nurture it and appreciate it and the pay off is yours. That customer will refer you anytime that they can. Especially if you were able to handle a crisis or solve a problem for them. There is not enough good customer service today, which I don’t understand. It is what drives repeat and referral customers to a business. A referral should be handled with certainty and cared for. They are the fruit of your endeavors that could continue to multiply.

Signs- There are different types of signs today that are being utilized dependent on your budget and also what type of business that you are in. Starting off with the roadside sign that usually appears at the busy corner of a street. Next are the billboards that we all pass everyday in our travels. The local building business sign that are typically posted directing you to the actual business whatever the location might be. Mobile signs are still in use on company vehicles. The wrap around being the new trend that you might see on a passing automobile. Don’t for get the bus billboards. This is a way for companies to make local cry for your patronage or business and stay in your mind pushing aside the competition.