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I’ve spent the last several posts talking about scams and bogus get rich quick schemes and It’s refreshing to have something to talk about that not only isn’t bogus, it’s free with no strings attached, It’s a free tool called AdwordsDigger..

If you’ve been using Google Adwords then you probably know that in addition to the content network, they also have an option for placement. This is where you either provide a list of keywords, choose by topic, or by demographics and Your ads then appear on targeted sites which fit your criteria and are running Adsense ads. You can also use any combination of those factors.

The problem is that it can be confusing trying to figure out how to select just the right placements to get the best return on your investment. When I started my first Adwords campaign I spent an hour or so reading the documentation and playing with the placement settings but I finally decided to skip it entirely because with all the options I had a hard time figuring out exactly what settings to use.

That’s changed now that I’ve Got AdwordsDigger. I may use demographics and keywords as placement factors but one other thing I’ll be doing is using a list of URLs that I’d like to have my ads appear on.

It’s simple enough, once I’ve done my keyword research and I know which high traffic keywords I’m targeting, I’ll take that list of keywords and put it into AdwordsDigger. Next I’ll set it to search for about 30 urls for each keyword and start it going.

AdwordsDigger then goes to Google and finds the top ranked url for each keyword. It also show me if they have adsense (along with what ad format they’re using) and the Alexa rank.

I’ll use this list to hand pick top ranking urls with high traffic and have AdwordsDigger save that list in a text file. Then, when setting up Adwords Placement, I will give it that list of urls.

The result is that in addition to my ads appearing on the content network, they will also be appearing on that select list of urls I handed Google. Because of their traffic and relevance to my keywords I should see a significantly improved click through rate which will no doubt lead to better conversion rates.

All this because one I have my keywords I spent another few minutes using this free tool. It’s brought to you by the same people that came up with Keyword Corral, another great tool that’s saved me a lot of time in keyword research.

What have you got to lose? Its a FREE tool. and no, it’s not going to start nagging you for money later and it’s not a trial version. it’s the full ball of wax. Adwordsdigger has a place in my Adwords toolbox from here out. Take a couple minutes and check out this free tool now.

Technorati Tags: search engines marketing, online website marketing, free marketing tools, paid search marketing, advertise web site, small business marketing, search placement marketing, tools for marketing, web marketing tools, web site marketing

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Y’know, I honestly think I see something like ten to twenty of these things a day and because of that I normally delete them without a second glance. In fact, most of the time Thunderbird’s junk filter gets them and the only time I actually see them is when I’m clearing out the junk mail folder. Today I got to thinking about it and asking myself “why is it that people still try this kind of email scam when it’s so obviously crap?”. The answer was immediately obvious. “Because it works.”

Only an insane person continues to devote time, money and effort to pursue something that doesn’t work. That means that there are plenty of people around that will believe these emails are real and buy into the scam. Eventually of course, they find out that it wasn’t real but usually only after their identity has been stolen, their bank accounts cleaned out and credit cards maxed out and they’re left with nothing but a mountain of debt, a lousy credit rating and no idea how they’re going to fix the situation. Because of that, I’m going to go over one such email that I received this afternoon.

Red flag #1:

Subject: FINAL NOTIFICATION!!!!!!!!!!!!

Excessive use of exclamation points or other punctuation in the subject line. A genuine email *might* use one, perhaps two if they’re realy pushing it. Also, the subject in all caps is suspect as well. While some do have a habit of shouting their subject, most legitimate “offcial” type emails I’ve seen avoid the practice entirely.

Red flag #2:

To: undisclosed-recipients: ;

If this email is supposedly TO me, why is my email address not on the TO: line? The use of “undisclosed-recipients” means that the email was sent to a large numer of people at once.

Red flag #3:

From: “Hewlett Packard”
Reply-To:

The From and Reply-To: are set to different addresses and the Reply-To is set to a free webmail address instead of a corporate address at hp.com. Since the Reply-To field is where any replies will go unless you change it when you reply, this is a good way to keep replies from being sent to the From address since most of the time people will simply hit reply, type their message and send it.

Red flag #4:

Dear Sir/Madam,

Interesting. Somebody knows me enough know my email address and have something life changing for me but doesn’t know if I’m a Sir or Madam? The bullshit detector is already nearly pegged and we haven’t gotten into the main part of their message yet.

It is obvious that this notification came to you as a surprise, but please finds time to read it carefully as we congratulate you over your success in the following official publication of results of the e-mail electronic online draw held by Hewlett Packard

1) Use of “please finds time to”. It’s a small thing, but one that’s indicative of a writer that doensn’t use English as a primary language.

2) A real message like this would probably be some type of “canned” message with the specific details filled in before sending.

3) Lotteries and many other contests that I’ve ever paid any attetion to are fond of telling people “You can’t win if you don’t enter” and they’re right. I cannot possibly have won this event because I have never entered it.

Red flag #5:

In promotion to our Hardware & Software Products {H.S.P.} your email address emerged as one of the online winning emails in the 1st category and therefore attracted a cash award of Ј750.000.00 (Seven Hundred And Fifty Thousand Pounds Sterling). Our winnings are arranged in three categories with different prizes accorded to each category.

1) Once again there’s this pesky little detail of my not having entered in any such contest n the first place.

2) Any contest, sweepstakes, drawing or whatever that I DO actually enter will be paying any and all cash prizes in U.S. Dollars. I’ve nothing against Pounds Stirling, it’s just that with me being an American and living in the U.S. of A., Pounds Stirling means only the expense and trouble of getting it converted to Dollars.

Red flag #6:

Therefore we write to officially notify you of this award and also direct you to contact the following department for your claims award. And in other to facilitate your claiming process, you are required to send them the following personal information for your cash payment processing.

v Your Full Names:
v copy of drivers license or international passport or any other legal means of identification.
v Contact Address.
v Mobile Telephone Number:
v Fax numbers (optional):
v Nationality/Country:
v Date of Birth:
v Age/Sex:
v Occupation:

NEVER and I do mean NEVER answer an email that’s requesting information like this! If you suspect that it **MIGHT** be legitimate or from a website that you’re a member of, check it out with the site.

DO NOT USE LINKS PROVIDED IN THE EMAIL!!

Instead, log in to the site as you normally would. Preferably by typing it’s address into your browser yourself. Most sites, such as ebay or PayPal, will notify you automatically when you log in if any information is needed or has to be updated. They will NOT send you an email asking for the information.

Legitimate contests or anyone that you have actually done business with will NOT ask you for information like this, EVER.

The reason for this is that given the information requested above, stealing your identity becomes very easy. Like taking candy from a baby. They can then clean out your bank accounts, obtain your credit information and run up monstrous debts overnight and worse, far worse.

Another note, legitimate companies DO NOT send emails such as the one described above. If your email program has junk filtering ability, turn it on and take the time to correct it when it marks something wrong. Over time this “training” will allow that junk filter to save you a lot of time and trouble.

Technorati Tags: bogus email, identity theft, credit card fraud, email scam, spam

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You’ve probably seen this email or others like it. The subject line reads “Secrets to eBay fortunes”. The email body shows as a single picture with a green background. It shows logo’s for msnbc, cnn, and cbs news without actually making any claims about them

The main part of the graphic is somebody holding what looks like lots of money and large red and white text “Get your FREE kit today”

The entire email links to: http://visitbridge.com/lwevgjfhpgwd/yzeplldt/

Which automatically redirects visitors to:
https://secure.subscriptionmarketinginc.com/wealthtools/new_offer4/index.php?sub={numbers]&sub1={numbers}

Red flag #1:

On this page is more news and media logos above the words “in the news”. There is no actual claims about what these may or may not be saying about the product nor do they link to anything. My guess is that they’re there to take psychological advantage of any trust the visitor has in the news and media that the logo’s represent.

Essentially it manages to look like an endorsement without actually being one. I consider this deceptive marketing unless they actually show, along with those logos, links to things that the news and media in question have actually said about them.

Red flag #2:

There’s a couple of “testimonials” but since there’s no links or contact information to allow them to be verified they don’t actually contribute anything useful. More empty psychological window dressing that tries to give the visitor a “we used it and it worked, you should too.” kind of message. Unfortunately without the ability to verify them it’s best to ignore them.

Red flag #3:

There is no mention on the page itself saying anything about shipping or membership fees. And while I’m sure that most people never actually read it, The Terms and Conditions page does disclose fairly early on and in clear terms that:

As more fully described below, after your risk-free 10 day trial, you’ll be charged the monthly subscription fee of $48.73

However I didn’t find any mention of what the shipping fee would be for the “free” kit.

Filling in dummy info to get a look at the second page shows right away that they’re charging $3.87 for shipping. Naturally, this is how they get your credit card info for the monthly subscription.

Under the “ship my kit” button in small print you’re informed that you have immediate access to “The Seller’s Lounge member website” and that the starter kit will ship within 2 to 3 business days. They also spell out that you’re on a 10 day free trial of the member site and after that time your credit card get’s billed 48.73 every month until you cancel.

You can cancel membership Monday through Friday, 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM ET by calling 866-785-7328, or by emailing support@thesellerslounge.net

Red flag #4:

A couple more important tidbits about cancellation can be found in the terms. Essentially that if you log into the site even once, you’re no longer entitled to a refund:

Because access to the Online Resource Center is granted as a membership in a training and informational online resource, money paid for membership is not refundable after the customer has logged into the site.

You also don’t get a refund on the shipping fee:

For our 10-day risk-free trial, you will not be entitled to a refund of shipping and handling fees if you choose to cancel your subscription.

So you can cancel, but be prepared to not get much, if any, actual refund.

Red flag #5:

Looking at the privacy policy shows that any email & contact information you provide them will be shared:

when we determine that the information will be used in a way that will greatly benefit the consumer. We enjoy assisting our clients with the best quality and economical information to assist them in their financial education

My translation: If you give us contact information, we’re going to use it.

I recommend hitting “Delete” when the “Secrets to eBay fortunes” email arrives.

I honestly don’t believe that it’s necessary to get hooked into a membership site like this in order to succeed on Ebay or any place else for that matter. What’s really needed is some simple tips that can very often be had for free.

In fact, I’ve got an ebook “Automated Ebay Sales” that I bought a couple of years ago for $7.00 that provides a lot of tips for selling information products on Ebay. it’s aimed at selling information products on Ebay but a lot of what this ebook talks about can easily be applied to other products.

I’m not even selling it!

Instead, I’m giving that $7.00 ebook away as a bonus offer for a backup program that I’m selling for only $1.99!

Yeah, I’m giving away a bonus item that’s actually worth MORE than the product I’m selling. I’m doing that because I want the backup utility to be easily and cheaply available. I got caught without enough backups once and it cost me a lot of lost files.

Technorati Tags: ebay, email offer, no refund, fortunes, testimonials, credit card, ebay fortunes secrets, ebay secrets, ebay fortunes, media logos

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In today’s economic hard times it’s really easy to understand why people are so hot after getting something for nothing anytime they get a chance. Let’s face it, stimulus or not, money’s tight all around and it’s not looking like things are going to change anytime soon.

This means that the world of marketing is gearing up big time to take advantage of the situation. Their tailoring their offers and advertising to target this economic sore spot and make the most of it.

Lately I’ve been getting a LOT of offers for various ways to make money or get something free. One that I got recently had the subject line “Get your FREE Rachael Ray Package right here!” which actually did get my attention because I’d really like to have the cookware, knife set and cookbooks that it was saying that you could get “FREE”. Most of my stuff is old, badly worn bits and pieces that sorta get the job done, I’ve got one halfway decent knife and the cookbooks … Hey, It’s Rachael Ray, ya just gotta have ‘em.

Red Flag #1:

Not only was the email in html format (something I’ve hated since the practice began) but the body of the email only contained one line of text that was readable without loading the images (I have Thunderbird set to NOT load remote images unless I click a “load images” button): “Visit-us here, if you cannot view the image below” The word “here” was a link to the same url that the pictures that made up most of the body of the email were linked to.

So I decided to have a look at the offer and, against the advice of Thunderbird’s junk & scam filters, clicked on it.

I ended up on http://www.chefdiscountcookware.com/offer?{followed by a bunch of codes}

Across the top of the page in “Rachael Ray Orange” a headline proclaimed:

Receive a FREE Rachael Ray Chef Package!

Red Flag #2:

Under that it said: “Participation required, click here for details”. At this point I already had a pretty good idea what the requirements were going to be but I clicked anyway.

When I did, a smallish popup appeared a summary of the program requirements. It had something I truly hate, a semi transparent background that made it very difficult to read because you could still see the website under it. Fortunately I found the information also available in readable text at the bottom of the page.

Basically you have to be 18 or older, register with valid info, complete a survey and then complete three “reward offers” that consisted of 2 Silver,2 Gold, and 2 Platinum offers.

It went on to state that:

Available reward offers will vary. Some reward offers require a purchase. Credit card offers may require you to activate the card by making a purchase, transferring a balance or taking a cash advance.

… and so on about how you have 120 days to complete the offers, Etc.

Red Flag #3:

Then, near the end of that text I found a deal-breaker:

Your information will be shared with our marketing partners. Please read the Privacy Policy for more details.

It’s good in that they’ve at least got the decency to come out front and tell you but the fact that they’re saying flat out that they’re going to do it is a total deal breaker all by itself. What’s more, if you take the time to look over the terms and conditions page and the privacy policy page, both of which you automatically agree to if you sign up, they make it clear that by signing up you are giving them permission to share your information.

At this point I knew I wasn’t going to go any farther with them. However since they did have links that let you get a look at what the silver, gold and platinum offers were, I decided to have a quick look to confirm what I already suspected.

I was right, each group consisted of various offers from advertisers that you would have to complete in order to qualify. They ranged from free trial offers for products & services on the silver and gold levels that the most you’d pay would be a dollar or three for shipping. To the platinum level that included things like credit card offers where you would have to sign up and qualify for the card, receive and activate it by making a purchase. Discount subscriptions to Direct tv, ADT home security.

So you see, There really is no such thing as a free lunch OR free cookware to prepare it with.

Sorry Rach, maybe next time ‘eh?

Technorati Tags: chef discount cookware, participation required, sharing personal information, free cookware offer, rachael ray cookware, deal breaker, advertiser offers

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I received an unsolicited email with the subject: One hour on Google equals $1038 and decided to look it over.

The balance of the email was:

Stay home, play get paid with Google

<http://www.STORYARCHIVE.INFO/C/15/397/113078>

- One hour on Google equals $1038
- Get Your Free Kit Today

You got to see it:

<http://www.STORYARCHIVE.INFO/C/15/397/113078>

I decided to check out this “free kit”, so I copied the url to the browser.

Red flag #1:

I was automatically redirected to another url: http://www.deliciousdownloads.com/z/GMT/(followed by a bunch of numbers I can only assume was an affiliate id).

Red flag #2:

Right off the bat there’s a pressure tactic: A 15 minute countdown timer starts above the signup form. I deliberately waited for the “timer” to expire. Nothing happened other than it wasn’t’ counting anymore.

On the top right of the page is a graphic with a logo and text that says

Learn how to make $107,389 in Six Months
just filling out forms and doing searches on Google and Yahoo

Red flag #3:

Under this is another graphic with the big “As Seen On TV” along with logos for The NYTimes, USA Today, Esquire, CNN, MSN, Yahoo!, Forbes, InformationWeek and Aol. This is a tactic that’s aimed at making the visitor think that all of these have somehow given Google Money Tree their stamp of approval without actually saying so. The “As Seen On TV” is for those that automatically consider something legit if they’ve seen it on television. Obviously that simply isn’t the case.

Next there was the obligatory paragraph attributed to “-Kevin Larsen, Founder of Google Money Tree” that goes on about how this changed his life and took him from rags to riches.

Finally there’s the signup form that’s asking for all of the usual name, email & contact info followed by a big red & yellow button that says “Send my kit”. Filling that form and clicking the button takes you to the second page.

On the left side of the page they start right out.

What You Get:
* Google Money Tree Work From Home Kit

More than likely it’s a CD that contains some PDF files, perhaps some software tool(s). I wouldn’t be surprised if any software is something that needs activation which means spending more money for the activation code(s).

* Exclusive Access to Google Money Tree Membership Site

This is the biggie in the offer. They claim that the regular price for access to this membership site is $90 a month but they’re giving you a “special rate”.

Red flag #4:

Yeah, it’s special alright. If you read all of the text on the page, you’ll see that what you’re actually getting is a seven day trial period. After that it’s $72.21 per month. If you do not cancel within the seven day period, you automatically get billed the $72.21 and it automatically re-bills again every month until you can get it canceled.

Red flag #5:

* Free Access to our Google Certified Coaches

Exactly what does this mean? Certainly not that Google has certified anybody. They don’t do that. Plus, At the bottom of the page is this neat little disclaimer that I’ll be very few visitors read:

“Internet Money Tree is not affiliated with, endorsed by or in any way associated with Google.”

Next there’s conspicuous mention of a 100% satisfaction money back guarantee and that all you have to do is call their customer service number and you can get a refund. Good thing, I think everyone that’s bought from them should seriously consider using that number.

Red flag #6:

The number is buried in their terms of service page. (it;’s (866) 870-4257 )

Red flag #7:

Next is the offer of proof. It’s in the form of a partial screenshot of a clickbank account with some impressive numbers showing. However there is no way to verify who’s clickbank account it is or how they achived the results shown. It can only be there as a psychological means to build trust. It doesn’t, in fact cannot, provide any real proof at all.

Red flag #8:

Once again there’s another pressure tactic: A large type paragraph telling all about how it’s a limited time offer and that they have a limited supply of the “kits”. Which I see as ridiculous. It’s a CD fer cryin out loud. If you run out, burn some more. DUH!

Then on the right side of the page you find out that this “Free” kit isn’t without cost. It requires a $3.88 shipping fee. Which is of course, how they get your credit card number for later re-billing.

Below that is the order form with information from the form on the previous page pre-filled in. All you need to do is give ‘em credit card information, tick the box that says you agree to their terms & conditions and hit the big red & yellow “ship my kit” button.

Red flag #9:

Under that button are two “testimonials” talking about how this changed people’s lives. However there is no links or contact information which would enable people to verify the claims before spending any money. Therefore they can be considered noise with zero actual information content. They’re just there to help you decide this is a good idea.

Across from the “testimonials” is three photos with red text and arrows urging the reader to check out somebody’s house, land rover and vacation pics from the Maldives. Again, this is a complete non-sequitur. Nothing more than unsubstantiated hearsay that in actual fact means nothing to the reader and tells them nothing.

The terms of service is, as you might expect, long and complicated. Even I didn’t read the whole thing. However I did read enough that I can describe it as draconian to say the least.

Red flag #10:

The privacy policy is a joke. It’s nearly as long as the terms of service and in actual fact, doesn’t guarantee anything meaningful in terms of keeping the visitors information private. Instead it mostly makes clear (in a very unclear fashion, intended to discourage people from reading it no doubt.) that they are going to use your name, email address and pretty much all of your contact information that you give them for various marketing purposes.

Translated that means if you give them an email address they’re going to arrange for it to be loaded with spam that, if you complain, they can say you gave them permission to send. And by signing up with them, you are giving them that permission. You’d have to unsubscribe from every offer that you get because of this. A process that could conceivably take years because of how these lists of email addresses get sold and re-sold.

My final recommendation: Avoid like the plague. It smells to me like a scam. It may not be, but it sure looks like one to me.

Technorati Tags: google money tree, making money online, google, deceptive practices, pressure tactics, deceptive offers, scams, making money, free kit

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It’s been a long time (over six months!) since I’ve posted here but I that’s at an end. Not only will I resume doing blog reviews and talking about blogging related issues, I’m also going to be writing about many of the “make money online” offers that are out there. Entirely too many of these are little more than scams designed to separate people from their hard earned money. I’m going to look these offers over and tell you straight out what I think of ‘em. Too many people are getting burned by this kinda thing, It’s about time somebody gave folks a heads up about some of ‘em at least.

The first one I’m going to look at is “Get Easy Cash With Google” at http://kevinsgotgreen.com.

I had a look at it and it looks very much like something that I checked out a month or so ago.

Red flag #1 is that the “testimonials” don’t have any contact information or links that allow you to check them out

Red flag #2 is those “testimonials” are presented in a manner that makes ‘em look like blog comments but there’s a decided lack of a comment form.

Red flag #3 is when you click on the link they’re pushing EarnFastCashwithGoogle.com, you get redirected and end up landing on https://secure.emillionaireinstitute.com[affiliate code snipped]

Red flag #4 They made it a point on https://secure.emillionaireinstitute.com to use logo’s of Google, MSN, CNBC, USAToday, ABC, CNN and Yahoo high up on their page yet they don’t actually mention those sites except in tiny print at the bottom of the page

The trademarks of Google™, MSN™, CNBC™, USAToday™, ABC™, CNN™ and Yahoo!™ are the properties of their respective companies. These organizations do not specifically endorse or sponsor this site or eMillionaire.

Which means they’re just using those logo’s to add a psychological trust effect to their pitch. Same goes for the “there’s only ## spots left, hurry up and sign up now”.. complete with a ten minute countdown timer to add psychological pressure to jump without thinking.

Red Flag #5 http://kevinsgotgreen.com claims that you’ll start getting paid by Google within a couple of days:

Step 3 Google will start sending their first check to you in about 48 hours. Or you can start to have them wire directly into your checking account. (Your first checks will be about $500 to $1,500 a week. Then it goes up from there. Depends on how many links you posted online.)

Anyone familiar with Adsense and other real Google programs can tell you that Google pays once a month, and then only after you’ve met the minimum payout threshold. In my experience, that’s not gonna happen in two days.

I wouldn’t be surprised if this “Kit” they’re hawking includes signing you up in a membership site that re-bills automatically.

Personally, I think they’re being a whole lot too shady and wouldn’t touch ‘em with a 20 foot paypal card.

===

After writing the above I decided to go back and fill in their form with dummy info and get a look at the next step. You now, the page where you give ‘em credit card info to pay the $1 shipping that http://kevinsgotgreen.com said it would cost.

It turns out that the shipping is actually $1.95 which is the smallest part of the misleading crap to be found here. They drop the other shoe in very tiny print under the form:

Terms and Disclosures. By clicking the order button, I am ordering the eMillionaire Money System™ and trial membership for $1.95 s&h, after the 7 day trial I will be charged $39.95 a month thereafter if I do not cancel. I have read and agree to the Privacy Policy / Terms and Conditions / Purchase Agreement . Charges will appear on credit/debit statements as “eMillionaire”. For questions, call 1-800-309-6980 Mon-Sat, 9am-9pm, EST.

(The bolding is mine)

My final recommendation is to avoid this like the plague that it is. Don’t give ‘em a cent. Anything that’s got this many shady, deceptive practices going on is something to steer well clear of.

Technorati Tags: deceptive practices, emillionaire, deceptive offers, scams, pressure tactics, google, making money online, making money

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