Google’s pay-per-action beta test is now available (adwords.blogspot.com/2007/03/pay-per-action-beta-test.html).  It’s defined by Product Manager, Rob K. as “a new pricing model that allows you to pay only for complete  actions that you define, such as a lead, a sale, or a pageview, after a user has clicked on a publisher’s site.”

Another form of affiliate marketing only in Google terms?  Many would agree.  Its purpose is the same - charge advertisers only when an action (purchasing an item for example) takes place on their website. 

Google is launching this program to coincide with their  cost-per-click and cost-per-impression features.

YouTube’s experienced its share of lawsuits, mainly concerning copyright issues and ‘illegally’ posted videos.  Media giant Viacom landed Google’s YouTube their potentially costliest suit yet with a 1 billion dollar threat against the company.

It was barely over a month ago in February when Viacom insisted YouTube remove all of their copyrighted clips from the site.  Among the 100,000 plus Viacom related clips, many included content from the company’s brands like Comedy Central and Nickelodeon. 

Initial talks ruffled the feathers of Viacom execs when their advertising revenue requests weren’t met, nor was their concern for site protection. 

The suit against YouTube comprises almost a third of their total 2006 post tax profits.  YouTube claims it has removed unauthorized Viacom related clips - the caveat - when asked to.  Industry word is that Viacom is merely using the suit as a negotiating tactic to increase their share of ad money.   

Results from a 2007 AffStat Affiliate Marketing Benchmark report indicate the number of affiliates is decreasing while conversions are on the rise.  Marketing managers attribute the boost in conversion rates (which ranged between an 1.6-2.0 percent increase in 2006) to quality and the prevelance of online ads that now appear in what seems like everyone’s blog. 

If your conversions are not on the up and up, here are a few tips to consider. 

1. Keep it professional.  The tiniest spelling mistake can wipe out credibility and lose a core customer group for good.

2. Make it easy for em’ (product placement, visuals, accessibility, and feasibility are all majore components to increasing conversion)

3. Influence any way you can.  List a few bestselling items or share customers’ testimonials.

4. And last but not least, one of the major deal make or break-ers is whether or not you keep your product or add to cart feature above the fold (to reiterate - keep it above).

And with less affiliates populating sites, more eyes will gaze at your ads, placing an even greater importance as to how they’re designed and delivered.  

Or shall I say inbound.  And I’m not talking basketball here (or any other sport where one goes in our out of bounds - check out ESPN for those stories).  One-way Inbound Links is the topic of choice with an explanation to follow.  Basically a one-way inbound link is just that - singular.  There’s no swapping of sites, just one link per site.  Online resources assert one-way links are more profitable due to the value search engines place upon them.  What’s so valuable about a one-way inbound link?  Its nuetrality. 

Thinking of sending a one wayer?  Try out some of these sites that specialize in the task of sending solo.  There’s the Internet Search Engine and Submission Directory, www.addhurldirectory.com, and www.incominglinks.com to name a few.   

Social bookworming is recommened as is placing a tag on your site to encourage sharing and establish a legitimate reputation.  The expert route is another way to go, with article submission and blog posts as two of the most popular ways to provide links back to your site.  While this can be considered the ‘organic’ way to go - meaning you wait for response versus paying for it, there are additional strategies as well for those who don’t necessarily want to wait around.  A common one is called ’Triangulating’, which requires that you have more than one website and a bevy of links.

A few more ways:

- submit your site for an award

- participate in forums and panels