InfoLinks is a tool that I have been using for about a year now, and the review that follows is based on that year of use. But what is it? Well, InfoLinks is an advertising service that will scan all of your posts, and then use some main keywords to create ads; the keywords will be indicated with a double underline. This tool has both ups and downs, and here we will discuss a few of those, as well as how to increase your profits with this service and how to better target your ads.
The Advantages of InfoLinks
Here is just a few of the many advantages that InfoLinks offers:
- Joining is simple– With most other ad services, such as Adsense, you must have your own domain first. However, InfoLinks does not require that; if you only have a Blogspot page, that’s ok. They still require your site to be high quality as they will be checked.
- Space not required– Because this tool scans your posts and highlights words there, not extra space for advertising is needed. This means that your site can focus on your words or thoughts and other things that you deem important, not big ads.
- Integration is simple– Using InfoLinks on your blog is easy. All you as the user must do is add the unique javascript that is created for you onto your page. Any type of page can utilize this tool, including WordPress, Blogspot, Joomla, and Drupal.
- Usable with other advertising tools– The fact that this tool works in-text means that you can use it, as well as other ad services, without violating any contract terms. This will not only make you a better profit, but it will also get your name out there to new potential clients and customers.
- Click-thru rates are high– If you don’t know what this is, it’s easy to explain: this rate will determine how many people, out of 100, clicked on your ad. InfoLinks in-post ads are great to help boost these rates, and when I last checked, my rates were at a 6% (higher than other services).
- Settings are easily adjusted– Adjusting things such a link color, category of ads, how many links, and the like are simple adjustments that can be made with no changes to your service.
The Disadvantages of InfoLinks
Here are a few of the downsides of InfoLinks:
- Low return on international traffic: If your site sees lots of traffic from outside of the US, this is not a good service for you. In fact, on one of my websites, I had 10 clicks from users in Sri Lanka and only made $0.03.
- Low cost-per-click returns– Sometimes we have very high click-thru rates yet see a very low profit. However, this is not solely determined by the service provider; often specific niches and expertise areas will see higher returns here.
Increase Your Profits
So, how can you take advantages of the good that InfoLinks offers and make a good profit? Well, let’s briefly discuss that. Here we will talk about the three main things that you can do to help yourself.
- Determine your category– This is where you are able to choose the type of ads that will show up on your page. Choosing the right category can help you target your ads to your audience better, which in turn will give you a higher click-thru rate.
- Link color– This may seem like something not important, but it actually can be very important. The default that is given is green, and it does pretty well. Other colors can be used to highlight ads, or to help them blend in more with the tone of your page. Either way, try to keep the colors toned down and do not use anything too flashy and bright.
- Placement of the ads– This will allow you to display your ads anywhere on your page using the INFOLINKS_OFF and _ON tags. Moving around your ads and placing as many on the page as possible is always a great idea to spice up your page.
After nearly one year of using InfoLinks, I have come to the conclusion that sites with lots of US traffic tend to profit better using InfoLinks. However, if your site sees more overseas and international traffic, maybe another service would be beneficial for you.
