One of a daily routine of any affiliate marketer is to use keyword tools such as Wordtracker, Keyword Discovery, Keyword Elite, Affiliate Elite, Adwords Analyzer, Google Keyword Tool, MSN Keyword Tool, Yahoo Keyword Tool, Spyfu and etc
However, my focus will be on another type of keyword tool known as “Competitive Intelligence Tools”. “Competitive Intelligence Tools” are basically following a keyword’s identity and revealing it to the users of their service. Let me be more clear: If you are searching keywords for an advertiser that you will be promoting in PPC campaigns, just entering that advertiser’ display URL in the search box of this tool is going to provide you with the Adwords creative’s of all the sponsored links for this URL. Along with this info, you will also see the keyword list in organic search results and paid search listings.
If a keyword tool is going to open up all the sources of information belonging to that keyword such as affiliate links, the keyword list and the approximate value of bid amount, then we have to ask questions to ourselves as affiliate marketers
1. Having all those information is ethical or not?
2. If a valuable keyword list, history and bid amount of any affiliate appears in our desktop today, isn’t it possible that tomorrow our valuable keyword lists and bid history being watched and used by somebody else?
3. Is it a comfortable feeling to exploit somebody else’s efforts for night and day to find converting keywords?
4. If we have all the list of converting keywords and bid prices belonging to those keywords, is it possible to have a reasonable price level for the same keywords after that point?
5. Do we have a fair competition in this field and how can we legitimize our industry which is being seen as work at home business scam?
Unfortunately if any information becomes too wide spread, that information will lose its value finally. If every detail about the history of any keyword will be revealed around, this action will cause many problems. We have to respect to each others efforts and hard working. If we want to be successful, we have to work hard for it.
If such tool becomes very popular, let me share my scenario with you: Many people will go and buy this product and catch every detail about the keywords that they are after. Then bid to those keywords which will lead to an increasing density in competition. The bid prices will be up and up. Even with the converting keywords, the commissions earned will be less than the money spent on promoting that advertiser. Guess who will win at the end of the story: Google Adwords…
While we are trying to beat Google Adwords and our competitors, we become losers with too many keyword info which becomes worthless. Affiliate marketing is not a game which is played once. It is a long term investment of creative capital. Affiliates must work hard and design new methods to promote their merchants. Stealing other affiliates data will catch you later, damage your marketing operations and affiliate marketing industry in general.
[...] Who wins when you use PPC spy tools to steal competitors keywords and strategies? Firuze says Google wins. As several affiliates spy on successful campaigns and jump on the same winning keywords, all it will do is jack up the PPC cost. She covers other pros and cons in a very good post at her new blog AffZilla. COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE TOOLS: GOOD OR BAD? [...]
Would like to hear comments on Affiliates familiar with Google Cash Detective v. PPC Kahuna v. PPC Classroom and which one provides the BEST overall model/approach to building profitable PPC campaigns.
Thanks for quoting from my post. I think this is one of the most hot topics in affiliate marketing. I understand that there are a lot of confusion among affiliate marketers on “How to make money”. This is why those tools are very popular.
However, it is going to be a challenge to find other methods which are more ethical and can be a long lasting. Crisis times always bring their solutions. Lets work on it together to qualify our industry.
Absolutely. I will review those tools soon and will be glad to hear your comments.
I don’t agree. You bring up good points in a perfect world — but the truth is, even with all of these tools, that’s all they really are — TOOLS, not trade secrets, magic dust or robots that will actually do the work for you and make you money. Few will be able to use them to their advantage… mainly the same people who already know what they’re doing will truly profit from such tools. Newbies will think it’s the magic bullet, only to blow tons of cash in PPC ads and wonder what went wrong.
Adwords marketing is a different beast altogether, and while many will give it a shot, few will profit from it because most lack the funds, experience, patience and knowledge for how to really make it work. PPC can be quite costly to go after a winning campaign — and newbies just won’t have the stamina to play in the same league.
It’s like giving an accurate laser scope, high powered rifle to newbie and a marksman, set up a target 1000 yards away and then say, “You have the best rifle in the world… now all you have to do is hit the target!” Who would you put your money on? The rifle or the shooter?
I think AFF Marketers can relax. There’s too much opportunity to worry about tools that most newbies will buy into and wonder “WTF Happened?” As for the experienced Marketer — guess what? You were already in competition with them anyway, so nothing has really changed besides going to battle yet again. Another day — another dollar.
Hi Mitch,
I really appreciate your comment and spending time to share your opinions. I respect every opinion because each opinion shows us different aspects at different angles. Besides there is no black and white. The most important thing is to be aware of the issues.
Chris Kramer from Netexponent has also stressed some issues at http://affiliate-blogs.5staraffiliateprograms.com/2710/ppc-spy-tools.html
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your valuable opinions.