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An Inconvenient Truth: PPC Affiliate Marketing Good or Bad Business? Ethnical or Unethnical??

by weehoi
13 replies
We affiliates have no problem doing all the dirty / tedious online work like doing market, competition and keyword analysis and research, creating content by blogging, SEO maintenance link building, PPC management, list building, outsourcing and many many smaller tasks you can think of for a measly few hundred dollars of affiliate commissions. (Provided if we're lucky of course)

But the problem here is that if we're going to do all of these and get paid few hundred dollars and maybe get kicked out / fired sooner or later for any reason just because they are the boss, then I think I'm better off in the day job industry.

I can make even more easy money by being a part-time service man like mechanic, electrician, plumber and technician charging customers up to $300-$500 per onsite service which usually take less than 1 hour to complete.

We spent unimaginable hours doing all the tedious online work and getting paid less than the dirty janitor from the hotel raking in tips all day from people entering the washroom on autopilot mode...

They ask you to be diligent and hardworking building quality pages and end up getting paid nothing and if you are lucky, maybe some money to pay the bills but that's it.

Hmmm, and they still call this a lucrative business despite our time being underpaid...

Ok, I'm not saying that there's no decent money to be made from affiliate marketing and in fact there's a few making decent money but later decided to sell their secrets for some "obvious reasons".

I don't mind spending all the time for internet marketing work provided my time is justified. Which mean if I spend 1 hour on article writing and building content, I must be paid $100 or get back $100 and even more from the affiliate program commissions just like any service man from the day job industry.


What do you guys think of it?


I think spending a few hours creating a PPC campaign and raking in few hundred dollars per month on autopilot is good business.

However, spending uncountable hours doing all the dirty internet marketing work, risk of losing money, not getting paid and possible suspension for any reasons.

And maybe risk of being disagreed for any reasons lol...

That's the world of PPC affiliate marketing we're facing after all.

I'm not afraid of admitting that I'm losing faith in this industry but that's also the only thing I'm good in online which is why I'm here.


Would love to hear some opinion regarding this.
#affiliate #bad #business #ethnical #good #inconvenient #marketing #ppc #truth #unethnical
  • Profile picture of the author weehoi
    Back in the good old days whereby using PPC can easily make tonnes of money but since then the affiliate marketing game has changed completely and here's what PPC affiliates are currently facing.

    1. Extremely high PPC competition and cost. Poor sales figure and very low profit margins. (Even though the program pays good commission.) 90% of the time a campaign is almost certain to lose money no matter how well your adcopy, CTR, bid-position strategy, keywords selection and landing sales page are.

    2. To add even more misery to that, here comes to the Google Slap. Whether your landing page is good or bad, they are always irrational. Your odds of making money with PPC are reduced further more. Maybe 3-5%

    3. Big companies pay you chicken feed affiliate commissions, don't allow trademark bidding plus many marketing restrictions and competition is extremely brutal. No chance of making a decent income here for the small guys.

    Medium-sized companies pay you mediocre commissions but sooner or later they will change their affiliate policy to prevent trademark bidding or you face severance. After all the trial & error testing on many different programs / campaigns, building pages etc etc etc, Your few hundred dollars of net profit will soon be wiped off at an instance because of that.

    Small companies allows you to use PPC freely and there's little competition in between but there's also no sizeable market to make a meaningful income there.

    Major companies like Google starts to ban China and your adwords account for violations of their policies and they don't care because we are just small players afterall. Your odds of making money? You calculate for yourself.
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  • Profile picture of the author weehoi
    I don't work for anyone and I have no money for McD franchise.

    I even mention myself being a self-employed service man which makes more money doing all those internet marketing tasks.

    But if I'm going to work on my own business then get paid much lower than those white collars outside working for someone else, then I prefer not to call it an easy, profitable and lucrative business like most others do.

    If our internet marketing time and efforts are worth at least $50-$100 per hour consistently for 8 hours a day, 20 days a month. Then it's a good career without a doubt.

    If it's just $5-$15 an hour, hmmm....
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  • Profile picture of the author willbucks
    You are correct to some degree and the false rants of those who make it sound easy and quick make it worse.

    Affiliate marketing is what you want others to do for you. If you are only doing affiliate marketing you are shooting yourself in the foot and building their list.

    The challenge of figuring it out selling other people's products and then creating something yourself is worth the $5 to whatever an hour to me.

    When you have succeeded and your income grows it allows you to better understand the struggle to get there.

    It's like compounding a penny a day. When you do a job, whether for yourself or someone else, your service is paid for once. When you create something you could possibly continue to get paid for years.
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    You can never have too much money or time
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  • Profile picture of the author christopherNV
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    • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
      Originally Posted by christopherNV View Post

      All I came away with: work for the man and you'll get a steady paycheck. Work for yourself and hard work might or might not pay off.
      Well, you might get the steady paycheck, too. Remember, your boss is working for himself. His hard work might or might not pay off.

      And ask yourself: if his hard work isn't paying off as much as he'd like, what is he going to pay? Your paycheck... or his own pocket?

      Sure, he'll pay your paycheck as long as you're there, but he'll drop you like a hot rock if he ever has to choose between you and the payments on his new Jag.

      Working for a major corporation doesn't have that risk, you say? Major corporations lay people off by the thousands. They close factories. They move operations overseas. They reduce benefits, and sometimes even pay rates. Good luck getting a rise in pay without moving to a new job.

      Work for yourself, and you MIGHT succeed based on your own hard work and discipline.

      Work for someone else, and you MIGHT succeed based on someone else's hard work and discipline. Yours doesn't mean squat.
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      "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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  • Profile picture of the author Bossman34
    I kind of understand what you're saying especially when it comes to PPC, but like any business, it doesn't happen overnight.

    Sure, you can make $300-$500 per job doing your part time service work, but did that happen overnight? Did you learn plumbing, mechanic, and electrician work overnight? I doubt it. Did you charge $500 for your first job? I doubt it. You probably did a lot of cheap work in the beginning while you were learning and establishing yourself.

    I don't know your background, but I'm guessing it took years to learn what you know and get to where you are now with your service work. It didn't happen overnight or even in a few months.

    Internet marketing (PPC or not) takes time. Very, very rarely does somebody achieve success on their first try and a lot of the work in the beginning goes unrewarded.
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    • Profile picture of the author weehoi
      Originally Posted by Bossman34 View Post

      I kind of understand what you're saying especially when it comes to PPC, but like any business, it doesn't happen overnight.

      Sure, you can make $300-$500 per job doing your part time service work, but did that happen overnight? Did you learn plumbing, mechanic, and electrician work overnight? I doubt it. Did you charge $500 for your first job? I doubt it. You probably did a lot of cheap work in the beginning while you were learning and establishing yourself.

      I don't know your background, but I'm guessing it took years to learn what you know and get to where you are now with your service work. It didn't happen overnight or even in a few months.

      Internet marketing (PPC or not) takes time. Very, very rarely does somebody achieve success on their first try and a lot of the work in the beginning goes unrewarded.


      True, it didn't happened overnight but someone must be good at something and I'm good with PC, software, hardware and troubleshooting afterall.

      If this kind of "manual" work can fetch $100-$500 per hour / job, then I have very high expectations my "manual work" internet marketing business must fetch more than that consistently or else I wouldn't call this a lucrative business.

      But usually ppl end up with very little moolahs despite their efforts.

      Hopefully we'll find our way soon.
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  • Profile picture of the author weehoi
    Hi, nice to see some ppl is accepting the fact here.

    Once again, I reiterate, affiliate marketing can make money if done correctly and also in the right business but it's also getting more difficult as time goes by.

    Some opinions here are rational and appreciated.

    But we need some protection and correct policies / mindset in this business.

    Let's say we spend our time to write / create content, we should be paid something a few times higher than the white collar industry (8 hours + 20 days a month consistently applies) or else we aren't in a "lucrative" business.

    Our affiliate / related companies 'force' us to do all the dirty work building unique / useful content but the problem is most of us end up getting paid a few hundred bucks only for the many hours of blood ,sweat, frustration and who knows maybe tears (provided if we are lucky and profitable). And there's also risk of commission theft and suspension (being kicked out because the terms allow them to do so even if we are right or wrong).

    This is almost certain to be worse than working for someone else. More to underpaid and sweat house payscale most of the time...

    Our only chance of making it big is to find a niche with sizeable market and low competition to make at least some good bucks. (or maybe create own products and do JV like those successful guys there preaching outside) but it takes a lot more than talent.


    and hopefully sustainable for the long term.
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  • Profile picture of the author BobJutsu
    I can make even more easy money by being a part-time service man like mechanic, electrician, plumber and technician charging customers up to $300-$500 per onsite service which usually take less than 1 hour to complete.
    Okay, just so there is zero confusion, this is 100% bs option to begin with. I spent over a decade repairing auto's, and had a fairly lucrative and very successful career as a technician, and was well respected and contracted with within the southern Wisconsin/northern Illinois area.

    Let's break that career and pay down a little bit, so I can explain why you don't make $300 per hour of work.

    First, when I left I had right around $100,000 in tools, a $15,000 toolbox, and about another $25,000 to $35,000 in other equipment (a lift, compressor, welders, tube bender, lathe, etc).

    Second, between overhead, parts cost, travel (if applicable), etc, the reality is that $200 of that $300 bill is already spent just doing the job.

    Third, you spend a LOT more time and work on jobs than "easily" working an hour and banking a $300 - $500 bill. In fact, when you quote out a job at $500 it may take an hour, and if it does, you have done well. But if you quote it out at $500 and you end up having to spend 10 hours on it, your still stuck with that quote, so it evens out.

    And fourth, did I mention the years of training, dozens of different certifications and licenses, several nights a month spent in ongoing training classes, insurance (you don't even want to know the cost of that shiznick!) etc. Not to mention the fact that manual labor like that is hard effin work, I mean your body is beat the hell up every single night!
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    • Profile picture of the author weehoi
      Originally Posted by BobJutsu View Post

      Okay, just so there is zero confusion, this is 100% bs option to begin with. I spent over a decade repairing auto's, and had a fairly lucrative and very successful career as a technician, and was well respected and contracted with within the southern Wisconsin/northern Illinois area.

      Let's break that career and pay down a little bit, so I can explain why you don't make $300 per hour of work.

      First, when I left I had right around $100,000 in tools, a $15,000 toolbox, and about another $25,000 to $35,000 in other equipment (a lift, compressor, welders, tube bender, lathe, etc).

      Second, between overhead, parts cost, travel (if applicable), etc, the reality is that $200 of that $300 bill is already spent just doing the job.

      Third, you spend a LOT more time and work on jobs than "easily" working an hour and banking a $300 - $500 bill. In fact, when you quote out a job at $500 it may take an hour, and if it does, you have done well. But if you quote it out at $500 and you end up having to spend 10 hours on it, your still stuck with that quote, so it evens out.

      And fourth, did I mention the years of training, dozens of different certifications and licenses, several nights a month spent in ongoing training classes, insurance (you don't even want to know the cost of that shiznick!) etc. Not to mention the fact that manual labor like that is hard effin work, I mean your body is beat the hell up every single night!

      I can understand being mechanic takes a lot of training and hardwork. But luckily not for PC technician.
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  • Profile picture of the author christopherNV
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    • Profile picture of the author weehoi
      Originally Posted by christopherNV View Post

      Honestly, I'm not sure what you are complaining about. Nobody forced you enter the world of internet marketing.

      It's not a whole lot different from a salesman who works on commission, which in many cases when it comes to internet marketing, is what you are. Some salesmen are gifted and could sell ice to an Eskimo while others couldn't sell ice water in hell.

      Some will find success, others will fail. Some put in endless hours of work and see no rewards while others fire up scrapebox while playing xbox and make a killing.

      Like I said, I'm not sure what your point is. Internet marketing can take a lot of work? Yeah, it can. So get back to work. Watercooler time was over 5 minutes ago

      .

      Ok, I'm saying if normal manual work can fetch $100 per hour and above then I have very high expectations all the dirty internet marketing tasks must pay more than that consistently.

      But how much do we get in return when we blog and create conten plus all those many many many smaller things we need to do and worry about.

      In the end, PPC gets tougher, economy turns sour day by day, *policies* get hostile. I don't mind all of these troubles and hardwork as long as I'm making a lot of money. Seriously.

      But if all of these are haunting our business and we are getting paid less than janitors, then I must say something.

      Time is money.

      We are in a business and our expectations / correct mindset to be in a business is to make a lot of money. Not to work hard like slaves, get bullied by tyrannies and paid peanuts all the time.

      Of course, I know I will be able to make it big someday if I have enough faith and try hard enough.

      The internet tyrannies are slamming our doors tight each day by coming up with numerous hostile policies. You know who they are but luckily we are all business minded ppl so they won't be able to annihilate us that easily.
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      • Profile picture of the author BobJutsu
        Yeah, I think your expectations and comparisons are a bit off...

        Find me a PC technician that makes that kind of money, you are suggesting that they make like $200,000 a year ($100 per hour, 40 hour weeks). That is just not the case.

        You also have to consider the accumulation of assets. What I mean is that things don't need to always compute directly the way you are trying to measure them. So if you spend 50 hours writing a 50 page site, that doesn't mean that tomorrow you will see a check for 50 hours work, and whatever rate you think you are worth, let's say $50 per hour. In your calculation you see a profit of $2,500. But over the course of the next year, you could see that $2,500, via $10 or $20 at a time.

        Do you understand what I am trying to say, this isn't a "per hour" type of business, you have to dig a little deeper than that.
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        • Profile picture of the author weehoi
          Originally Posted by BobJutsu View Post

          Yeah, I think your expectations and comparisons are a bit off...

          Find me a PC technician that makes that kind of money, you are suggesting that they make like $200,000 a year ($100 per hour, 40 hour weeks). That is just not the case.

          You also have to consider the accumulation of assets. What I mean is that things don't need to always compute directly the way you are trying to measure them. So if you spend 50 hours writing a 50 page site, that doesn't mean that tomorrow you will see a check for 50 hours work, and whatever rate you think you are worth, let's say $50 per hour. In your calculation you see a profit of $2,500. But over the course of the next year, you could see that $2,500, via $10 or $20 at a time.

          Do you understand what I am trying to say, this isn't a "per hour" type of business, you have to dig a little deeper than that.

          True, my comparisons are a bit off and I know with manual work I can't consistently find so much business.

          That's why we have to be in the right and lucrative business to see the bucket of gold and diamonds.

          My expectations are high and sorry if I use direct computation for this instance.

          But afterall our wish to be in a business is to make a lot of money and high expectations is part of it.
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  • Profile picture of the author ShaneRQR
    It's about scalability.

    I'm going to go ahead and say that building minisites isn't a very solid business model, because of limited scalability.

    Leveraging your income to build a team of outsourcers to build more minisites for you? Already more of a solid business model.

    Making sure people get on your lists instead of just going for that one click-and-sale? Now we're talking!

    What I'm saying is this: You day-job will pay steady checks for every hour of your work, until you get fired or retire.

    An online-business will build your assets over time. It may be long, hard work, but years down the road you may have hundreds of online properties, all brining in (more or less) passive income and be in control of massive e-mail lists.
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