Never pay for PPC ads

What do you guys make of this?

[LucidSW]

I'm seeing a lot of classifieds on craigslist and even an AW ad about people having Adwords accounts and not paying a cent for clicks.

Typically, the copy is about a multi-millionaire online for 8 years and claims he has never paid for PPC, getting free clicks.

I know it can't be for real and that there's some kind of catch. What do you think the "secret" is? Any of you curious enough and signed up or put down some money for this?

[Rehan]

It's a total scam. The "secret" is to put up banner ads on your site to defray the AdWords costs. That's what "free" means in this case.

[LifeinAsia]

It's true- a person can have an AdWords account and not pay anything for clicks. And it's perfectly legal. I'll even be nice and tell you for free. :)

Open an AdWords account, but don't have any campaigns. (So obviously not paying any money.) Now get lots of organic traffic that you don't have to pay for. There: now you have an AdWords account and aren't paying for clicks! (And it wouldn't surprise me a bit if the scam artist gives the suckers who fork over the money for his "secret" something along those lines.)

And of course, there are certainly illegal/unethical ways to avoid paying for clicks.

[Dave_Davis]

Rehan is correct. This guy is telling people to put CPM banner ads and adsense on your landing to offset the cost of the click "in the event" that it does not convert.

What's doing my head in is that he has some pretty stupid people reselling his "eBook" for him.

When will people ever learn.

[LucidSW]

Rehan, I've visited a site (clicked on his Adwords, so cost him money obviously) and at the top and filling most of the page above the fold were lots of banner ads for all kinds of products. His ad went something like "I'm Laughing At You. I never pay for PPC ads". Guess I have the last laugh as I cost him money and did not click on any of the banners.

Good one LifeinAsia.

[LifeinAsia]

Ah, I looked at the site (after clicking on an ad to get there :) ). After weeding through all the hyperbole, it looks like you pay money to join as an AFFILIATE of his. Then you sign up other affiliates to drive traffic to YOUR affiliate site.

So yeah, HE doesn't directly pay for PPC ads- his affiliates directly pay. But he (presumably) pays affiliates a percentage of the sale (if the clicker buys anything). So all the affiliates are taking the risks and basically buying PPC traffic and sending it to a PPA (pay per action) program.

No wonder he's laughing!

[edited by: LifeinAsia at 11:10 pm (utc) on May 9, 2007]

[Rehan]

So yeah, HE doesn't directly pay for PPC ads- his affiliates directly pay. But he (presumably) pays affiliates a percentage of the sale (if the clicker buys anything). So all the affiliates are taking the risks and basically buying PPC traffic and sending it to a PPA (pay per action) program.

That's what I had figured, too. But then someone on another forum who had read the ebook said it was just the banner thing. Either way, it's totally misleading.

[sailorjwd]

I've had more than a million clicks from adwords (frig to prove it). And I never paid a dime out of my pocket.

It is called arbitrage.

I get the adsense/yahoo/amazon/chitika checks at the end of the month and pay the AMEX adwords bill on 1st of next month - bingo - free advertising and make $$$ at the same time.

Can't make $$$ anymore but $$ still pays the bills.

[Dave_Davis]

SailorJWD, you are still PAYING for the ads. They are not free. That is the point. It doesn't matter how you get the money to pay for them, there is still a financial transaction for the cost of the clicks.

He is advertising his technique as a method to get FREE CLICKS. Not offsetting PPC costs.

[bigdealioo]

Who knows.. have you tried the banners thing? Maybe it works ;)

[sailorjwd]

Free Clicks.

I guess I better signup then.

Now, if I could only get a free lunch with it!

[Dave_Davis]

Who knows.. have you tried the banners thing? Maybe it works

If it worked, he wouldn't need to sell his idea and recruit others to do it either.