Thanks to a reliable source, I have been educated on the practices of LocalAdLink. If you have not already done so, you might want to start by reading this post.
For starters, LocalAdLink is not relying on any natural search traffic. It didn’t take me long to figure this out. Their traffic comes from a variety of Partner Websites include Photography.com, Davesgarden.com, CNN.com, Facebook.com, and Myspace.com. These are paid marketing channels.
LocalAdLink has also partnered with over 100 Search Engines, such as Google, Yahoo and MSN, allowing local business owners to be displayed in searches targeted to the zipcode of the local business. Yahoo may send a small amount of traffic, MSN will send literally no traffic at all so LocalAdLink is relying on Geotargeted ads in Google as well as the lesser used search engines to send traffic to their geotargeted pages. This traffic, which has been bought through PPC buying is then resold to the local business who has paid to be listed in the LocalAdLink network. As I stated in the previous post, LocalAdLink is just another middleman and one of the worst kind at that.
Any service that provides website traffic to a client, in this case small business owners who are probably not very familiar with this type of rip off, are definitely very low in the bottom feeder world of internet marketing. Basically the scam works like this. LocalAdLink sets up geographically targeted ads in cities across the country. Searchers seeking local businesses or services in Google, Yahoo or MSN see a sponsored listing and click on that ad. The ad takes the searcher to a LocalAdLink page where the searcher than has the opportunity to view and click on additional listings on their site. If your business listing happens to be the one that is clicked on, you are charged a pay per click charge that pays for the Google ad cost, the LocalAdLink fee and a commission to the “account rep” that has sold you and your business into the network. Instead of paying Google for the click, you and up paying the search engine and two other middle men for the visitor.
Obviously, this means the cost per click is tremendously higher than if you had a PPC campaign setup in Google, Yahoo or MSN.
Long story short. LocalAdLink is a ripoff for the small business owner and quite possibly a total scam altogether. If your business need help with pay per click marketing, contact me for the help that will make your paid spending return a profit for your business.
Even worse, LocalAdLink is apparently offering their “marketing opportunity” as a business opportunity to those who feel good about taking advantage of small business owners.
Link to this page
Nashville SEO, Google Places and Social Media Marketing. Serving small businesses in Nashville, Franklin, Brentwood Tennessee and every city across the US and Canada!
I see in the “by” above there is no name so who is writing this post? Regardless of that, this is another sad example of someones propaganda with no basis in fact or reality. We’re supposed to simply read this and “believe”?
If any reader in interested in the true facts and reality I would certainly encourage you to do you own unbiased research and learn what Local Ad Link is they do and what they do not do. First and foremost is that they are not an SEO company and have never claimed to be. Secondly what the “by” person above also fails to mention is the the clicks you receive are unlimited and therefore the cost per click….well there is none or at least not to the customer. In normal SEO there is a true cost per click to the customer that is taken out of their “bank” of funds to Google or whomever and is extremely limited in most cases as keywords are bid higher and higher……..not so at all with Local Ad Link.
Next, since they are not and do not claim to be SEO all search engines are played down as the main focus is the thousands of other website customers are geo-targeted to and the response or “hit” rate is typically extremely high….much higher than normal SEO and the customer is seen on a vast number of websites the SEO will never give the customer and that is far more effective that the SEO evangelists will ever tell you. Then you add Local Ad Links new I-Supply division of their online super-malls that will are being added to thousands of high traffic websites as I type creating the largest privately owned ad network on the planet then page views will soon be off the charts and Local Ad Link well on it’s way to being in the top 500 websites viewed on the planet…..not bad for a company less than 12 months old! Of course that does not even included their soon to be launched mobile sms-text division whereby they will be offering businesses globally the chance to send out mobile coupons……..this is a game-changer and so is Local Ad Link.
Please do not be swayed by people with an apparent ax to grind perhaps as this person does. Local Ad Link is a publicly traded company with over 50,000 reps and moving rapidly into international markets. They may not always be perfect but they do learn from their mistakes like we all do and like any business in the world does. Their business heart in certainly in the right place as is their amazing founder/CEO Robert McNulty. Thanks for taking a sec to read this and hopefully the blogger know as “by” will not delete this post and you have read through it.
Success to you always,
Jay Layne
Hey Jay.
I am not sure why the “by” is there but as you can see from the web address, I am the writer of this blog, my name is Terry Reeves as in http://www.terryreeves.com
What I have posted is not propaganda, it was researched and verified by those with a great deal of knowledge about LocalAdLink.
First, it is obvious that LocalAdLink is not a SEO company as I pointed out in this post.
PPC is how the visitors to LocalAdLink make their way to the site. There are “ad partners” but these partners are a part of the Google content network of sites and those clicks are paid for as well. The monthly fee paid by the advertiser to be listed in LocalAdLink does not provide unlimited clicks. It does offer levels of exposure but any advertiser in the other popular directories will tell you, there is simply little to no traffic within the confines of these websites and many of those sites actually rank within the search engines.
“search engines are played down as the main focus is the thousands of other website customers are geo-targeted to and the response or “hit” rate is typically extremely high….much higher than normal SEO and the customer is seen on a vast number of websites the SEO will never give the customer and that is far more effective that the SEO evangelists will ever tell you.”
I am not really sure what all of that just said. I can say this, any website with the potential to reach thousands of visitors across the country that does not use SEO is a low rent operation. The geo-targeted traffic is geo-targeted through the same search engines you say LocalAdLinks does not need and that geo-targeted traffic comes directly from Google, Yahoo and MSN search. LocalAdLink does not have an actual geo-targeted network aside from what has already been developed by the search engines you say they don’t need.
Personally, I have no ax to grind. As I stated in the previous post, LocalAdLink cannot compete with me. I provide real traffic to real websites that businesses need to do business. I do not offer ad space within a poorly constructed directory with the hope that some stray visitor will actually search within that directory to find my listing, if my city is even visible within that directory.
And finally, this statement here says all that needs to be said, “50,000 reps”. Reps implies selling and sales reps within the Internet marketing industry generally correlates to misrepresentations, false claims and sales pressure. I am not saying that is the operational tactics of LocalAdLink but if not, they would be the only directory of their kind to not use exaggerations and fear to close the sale.
Please don’t take my post personal. I simply believe that the small business owner is not benefited in any way by what LocalAdLink offers. That is my opinion, this is my site and I am entitled to my opinion regardless of my motives.
If you don’t like my opinions, don’t read my blog.
Also, have you seen this?
I am sure you will dismiss all of the very intelligent discussion about the business practices of LocalAdLink there, however, that discussion is a great deal more clear than your rant here.
A much better deal for the same business people LocalAdLinks is targeting would be Merchant Circle. It receives a ton of natural search traffic and it is FREE!
Much success to you as well, Jay.
Local adlink is a very useful tool for expanding business and increasing revenue.
Terry
this post was beautiful! Im sick of seeing Local adlink all over the place making stupid claims for small business owners. I have just started my own small business consulting here in Chicago and I am very happy to have found this post as I will use some of what you said as a reference. Thanks for the information!
Brad Long’s latest blog post..Affordable And Quality SEO Services
Absolutely. Local Ad Link is garbage. I cold call to promote my search marketing services and have personally spoken to a number of business owners who are using LAL. The people they sell are completely clueless when it comes to internet marketing. LAL has some of the most poorly targeted ads on google I’ve ever seen.
Terry, thanks for the clarification and of course I’m not offended by your calling my post a “rant”. My feeling is that there is a place for everyone in this space, and no need to put anyone down as is you intent and therefore your “grind”. Many business owners feel they see value with Local Ad Link and have proven trackable off-line business because of it and at least they are entering into the space and therefore have visibility online now maybe for the first time.
As far as MerchantCircle goes they are another alternative out there for people to choose from. Regarding organic listing, just keep you eye on Local Ad Link and you will begin to see awesome organic listing results as they have they strategy in place, gee dude the company is only like 200 days or so old…they will get there and in impressive fashion. Their mobile SMS division will also be launching very soon and it will be completely amazing and a very strong business driver for their customers.
I certainly wish you much success in what you do and I too provide SEO services to many customers and can produce nr. 1 Google page ranking……but that is a different market and not financially viable for many companies, so there is a place for both strategies and in my opinion AND experience both are productive. At the end of the day, the business consumer will decide if Local Ad Link should continue and I’m more than happy to let the scenario play out.
All the best,
Jay
Thanks for the revisit Jay.
It is not my intention to bash anyone or any business on this site. I do, however, feel it is in the best interest of those who visit this site to provide relevant, informative information.
The one main complaint from the online businesses I hear from each week is with those directory sites like LocalAdLink. Sometimes the need to close a sale trumps the need to service the business owners as they expect. Frequently, these business owners are confused about Internet Marketing and the sales tactics employed by many of the more popular directories leaves the small business owner angry and very skeptical of the entire IM industry.
I do my best to educate first and pick up business from those who understand the value I offer for the service I provide. I understand there are those who are completely sold on the “opportunity” they offer. Unfortunately, your enthusiasm for your product comes across as pressure to those who are confused and looking for answers.
Honestly. LocalAdLink has a publicity issue online. Those who were recruited initially have been disappointed in the reality of the opportunity they were sold into. I understand that LAL is new and there can be HUGE problems with any new operation going online. Hopefully, these problems will be addressed and taken care of.
However, for me, LocalAdLink is not the great end all best option for the small business owner. I do not say this based on my own opinion. I say this based on the information business owners are posting on their own sites after having been through the LocalAdLink process.
All the best to you Jay.
Adwords is a really great tool for promoting your website, forum or affiliate link. the ppc cost of adwords is even cheaper than Friendster or Facebook. before, i used to advertise on facebook but the ROI is so low. Adwords gives me a much better ROI compared to Facebook ads.
I also recently tested Facebook ads. I had read that their ad costs were a fraction of the cost of Adwords. In my Facebook campaign, the ad costs were adjusted from $.0.60 a click to $4.70 a click after 24 hours. The reason gives was that my landing page ( my homepage ) did not match closely enough the keyword I was targeting ( local SEO ). What a joke. I am on the first page of Google for that same search.
We have been using adwords for 2years now and it is a great way to boost business.
Adwords is a very effective way to tap into instant website visitors. If you manage the cost and monitor the conversions while regularly testing the ads and the landing pages, Adowrds can bring instant business. Unfortunately, in my own tests targeting SEO related keywords, my natural traffic converts much better than those paid campaigns.
hi
would a combination between a services like LAL and your SEO service work?
What if a website provides a static html page for small businesses including Google maps and some more features like uploading photos and video.
This page would be optimized for SEO and then post this page just like LAL to Google and there other networks?
This website would also provide statistics to the customer about there traffic.
Would something like this work?
Yes Julian, I believe something like that just might work.
bart, why not try building a business facebook page? If you use the custom landing page builder you can build a custom landing page on facebook that leads to your website. Even a well done wall can drive traffic to a lead capture page.