Funnel length correlates to # of conversions? True or false?

[contrastweb]

Hey everyone,

I've spent the last few weeks going through all the Adwords advertising policies, evaluating do's and don'ts, signing up to a variety of affiliate/cpa networks and explaining what our intentions are, and began building models of potential earnings based on offers in the market.

We first created a map of various funnels:

Direct-link Model:

Ad → CPA Offer Page → Conversion​

^ This model is not permitted by Adwords, unless the domain matches the account’s domain (which with CPA offers, they don’t unless you create a relationship with an advertiser and create a sub-brand which you both work on). For now, this model is not ideal for our case as it’s premature to present our technology to advertisers. We want to test with affiliate / cpa offers first and tweak it without any relationships.​

No Opt-in Model:

Ad → Landing Page with button to “continue” → CPA Offer Page → Conversion​

^ This model is a bit grey in my opinion. I read stories here and there which say: if you add enough value, and cloak the page well enough with good content, you can slip through the cracks and not get flagged as a “bridge page”. Since I don’t want to flag our MCC by our Adwords reps, I’m debating whether I should go for this model or not. And I’m looking to hear feedback from the community.​

Email Opt-in Model:

Ad → Landing Page with email opt-in → Email Open → Email Click → CPA Offer Page → Conversion​

^ This model is the safest, you can’t go wrong. Technically, you’re no longer a “bridge page”. The problem with this model, is that is just drops your chances way more than any of the other models. Now I know many of you will argue that if your offer is relevant to the incoming traffic, it shouldn’t be a problem — but I’m a believer that the more steps you add in the mix (delivery of emails, hoping they open them, click etc), the more it drops conversions. And the lower the % conversation rate is, the less your Effective Target CPA can be if you want to maintain some profit!​

My questions to the community are:

1. Do any of you use the described "No Opt-in Model" from above with Adwords specifically? If yes, which landing page structures / types do you typically use? From understanding, it requires some cloaking to be able to pull this off -- and I also understand that the choice style for landing page, really depends on the intent you're targeting. I'm just trying to get an idea based off real examples of other marketers.
   
   
2. Is Adwords really that uptight on the landing pages of affiliates? How much effort do you all typically use to make sure you don't get flagged. It may sound like I'm a bit conservative, however I'm simply trying to get as many examples / feedback as possible in order to move forward with first tests.
   
   
3. In the "Email Opt-in Model":
   
   
   1. Let's say you have perfect relevancy from the search query to the ad to the landing page (because of our algorithms), do you believe that adding more steps before you get to the "CPA Offer Page" diminishes your conversions?
      
      
   2. What are your typical conversions for each stage of the funnel, i.e.:
      
      Ad → Landing Page with email opt-in (50% first time visitors convert?) → Email Open (30% open?) → Email Click (25 % of opens click?) → CPA Offer Page → Conversion (20% of email clicks convert?)
      
      Since we haven't yet run a campaign, it's difficult for us to gauge numbers, so we're trying to get estimates so that we can calculate our effective target CPA's for our big and budget management strategy. I understand that these metrics will vary from offer to offer, market to market etc. I'm just trying to get an idea based off real examples of other marketers.

Thanks for reading.

Cheers!

 

[azgold]

Is Adwords really that uptight on the landing pages of affiliates?

Yes, from what I understand.

I'm afraid that I don't have the experience with Adwords to advise you but I wanted to make sure this thread got a 'bump' so those who do can pop in and help.

 

[contrastweb]

Yes, from what I understand.

I'm afraid that I don't have the experience with Adwords to advise you but I wanted to make sure this thread got a 'bump' so those who do can pop in and help.

Thanks @azgold, very kind of you!

 

[contrastweb]

Yes, from what I understand.

I'm afraid that I don't have the experience with Adwords to advise you but I wanted to make sure this thread got a 'bump' so those who do can pop in and help.

Which traffic sources do most affiliates push offers through in this community, from your observations as a Moderator?

 

[Mr. FOX]

One thing you should remember in affiliate marketing "LEAD IS GOLD". You have to collect the leads to get perfect profit. Why am I said "excellent profit." Because I saw people are interested in the topic up to 7 days until they find the proper solution. So you have at least seven days to convenience any offer releteed to your niche. Then there are other words too. Suppose a person want to lose weight fast but he doesn't want to waste any money or don't fill up any form. Now the challenge is how could you earn money from him? Only driving your blogs to have valuable info about weight loss and which host a contextual ad like absence which as well as other audience-friendly pop ads and I are sure you'll make 0.01$ to 3$ per lead. Alright, I calculate it you'll make $.10 per leads. Now you have over 1000 visitors per month so you'll earn $100 per month only collecting leads who are interested in the topic. So don't forget to collect the leads whatever traffic method you are using. Leads bring you money in the long run business.

 

[azgold]

Which traffic sources do most affiliates push offers through in this community, from your observations as a Moderator?

You can see for yourself, here. And some people use traffic sources that are not yet members.

As far as PPC goes, I've noticed Bing has gained traction because G doesn't appreciate affiliates. That being said, Bing is also getting stricter now. So, be sure to understand their TOS and rules to avoid problems.

Elsewhere, mobile has been really big for a while, with native advertising being the hot new venue.

 

[contrastweb]

You can see for yourself, here. And some people use traffic sources that are not yet members.

As far as PPC goes, I've noticed Bing has gained traction because G doesn't appreciate affiliates. That being said, Bing is also getting stricter now. So, be sure to understand their TOS and rules to avoid problems.

Elsewhere, mobile has been really big for a while, with native advertising being the hot new venue.

Great way to share insights with the link! It really does look like Media Buying is leading this community

Adwords is definitely careful with affiliates, however I believe it's a matter of maintaining relevance, while adding value to offers. Direct-linking is a no no, but if a strong approach is taken on building a proper funnel, I'm confident that Adwords can be a great source of traffic, given that it's a top network

 

[azgold]

Adwords is definitely careful with affiliates, however I believe it's a matter of maintaining relevance, while adding value to offers. Direct-linking is a no no, but if a strong approach is taken on building a proper funnel, I'm confident that Adwords can be a great source of traffic, given that it's a top network

I agree, there is a ton of traffic with Adwords, if you handle your linking properly. Meaning, using a compliant lander, or at least a proper site domain.