Traffic Secrets

Traffic Secrets Reviewed

Unbiased Review of John Reese's Traffic Secrets

By Markus Allen, Publisher of Marketing-Ideas.Org

uthor John Reese of Traffic Secrets wants you to think "you're just $997 away from internet riches." And it's hard not to be sucked into the buzz he's created recruiting superaffiliates with large email lists to hype his Traffic Secrets launch.

But when you peel away the layers of this onion, you're left with one big teary-eyed stink of a mess. Traffic Secrets was a huge disappointment for me.

Since I've published this daily marketing alert (back in 1997), it's rare that I give a bad review. But the buzz about Reese is impossible to ignore, and I'm compelled to offer my thoughts before you take out a second mortgage to order Traffic Secrets.

Is Traffic Secrets right for you?

Traffic Secrets will impress some, but I'll bet most will be stunned by its fluff.

Traffic Secrets tries to cater to anyone interested in internet marketing... that includes internet marketing newbies all the way up to the seasoned pros. That's almost impossible to pull off (and it shows).

For example, most of the course is a recorded video of Reese's 3-day conference... I was able to follow the way the audience shouted out nifty advanced traffic secrets... but I'd bet most non-search engine junkies would be lost and confused.

At the same time, I was totally bored (and frustrated) as Reese demonstrated how to create a Google AdWords account for the first time... yet I didn't want to skip ahead for the fear I'd miss a breakthrough strategy.

Blow by blow review

I'm choosing Traffic Secret's Google AdWords Mastery to analyze because my surveys show most of my subscribers want to know more about pay per click advertising.

This CD tutorial is divided into 10 lessons. If you're new to pay per click advertising, Lessons 1 through 5 are for you. But if you're not new for pay per click advertising, skip more than half of this CD tutorial... it's a yawner.

Split testing ads

In lesson 6, Reese s l o w l y guides us on how to create two or three test ads... reinforcing the benefits of split testing ads.

Midway through the 10+ minute tutorial (yep, that's no typo... it's a 10 minute and 8 second tutorial), Reese reveals how to test a headline, flip-flop the two description lines, and even substitute different Website URLs to test for higher response. This is pay-per-click 101 stuff found on a page or two of just about every pay per click ebook on the market.

Test results

Reese devotes the next 13+ minutes on testing results... an amazing feature offered by Google that displays test results... sorted in many different ways... revealing the best responding or most profitable pay per click ads at a glance.

"I'm so good at writing ads because I'm used to it... and you'll get good at it."

I'm thinking to myself, "Okay, he claims he's so good at writing ads... and he's going to show me how to get good at it, too."

So I wait, and wait... yet Reese doesn't deliver. Maybe I missed it... if I did, please let me know where to find it.

Reese's "breakthrough" on how to increase response rates is to create two or more almost identical ads... waiting to get a statistically valid amount of clickthrus (he says 30). This might be considered a "breakthrough" for a pay-per-click newbie, but for everyone else, it's pay-per-click basics.

Reese claims 20 seconds of work gives us a pay raise of $700 a year by testing different ads. Actually, I agree with this claim (although he makes it sound way too easy). It's 20 seconds of work if your 20 second investment of time actually generates an increase in response. My experience tells me most people will test ads that actually lower response rates. I think this falls within Reese's "stretching the truth" mantra.

He claims that creating too many ads isn't the best use of time. I couldn't disagree more. For every new campaign I submit to Google AdWords, I create at least 100 virtually identical ads. I wait a few weeks to spot the winner (I agree with Reese's 30 clicks-per-ad rule to consider the result statistically valid).

Toward the end of lesson 7 and in the beginning of lesson 8, Reese finally delivers 3 2 nifty pay per click secrets:

Testing question marks

Years of copy writing studies show a direct statement almost always outpulls a question in a headline, but I was open minded and tried it out in a pay per click ad creative...

... Reese's "question mark" strategy actually generated less response (0.9% CTR) against the exact same ad NOT using the "question mark" strategy of 1.0% CTR.

Here's a snapshot of the proof.

Bottom line

Tricks and schemes like Reese's "question mark strategy" might bump response up or down a bit. It's certainly worth testing... maybe it will deliver for you (although experienced direct marketers will tell you a direct headline almost always outperforms when compared to a question.)

But for me, the big differences come when you work hard -- creating literally 50+ ads... I just checked and my stats and get this...

... My worst performing ad with more than 30 clicks (74 actually) is averaging a 0.6% CTR while my highest performing ad with more than 30 clicks (127 actually) averages a 1.7% CTR... and that doesn't include my soon-to-be crowned winner of 2.5% CTR with 23 clicks.

As time goes on and I continue to take the winner and test it against a slightly different ad, I'm confident my 2.5% CTR can easily jump to over 10% CTR -- quite amazing when you consider the competition -- other marketing newsletters looking to attract subscribers.

But I saved the best for last... did you notice that I'm paying the absolute lowest bid (currently 5 cents) for all of my clicks?

Don't use broad or phrase match

Sorry, I can't endorse this secret... if I listened to this tip, my bank account would be much lighter.

Use negative matching

You bet... Reese suggests using a few negative matches -- words that block your pay per click ad from displaying.

For example, he always recommends using a negative matching word like FREE.

If I eliminated the word free from my adwords, I'd probably have 15% less buyers in my database.

Lesson 9: More Tricks and Tips

• How to flip flop description lines for higher response
• Testing capital letters in the display URL
• Shortening the display URL for higher click thru rates

I can't moan about the strategies above -- they're great...

... But these pay per click secrets (and literally hundreds more) are yours to grab free at either WebmasterWorld.com or DigitalPoint.com -- there's no need to pay over $1,000.00 for these "secrets."