TargetWords is a pey-per-search program from Oversee.net - the same people that run
PopUpSponsor. They pay from 1 to 8 cents for sending visitors to their search engine, depending on the search term.
Initially, this may seem similar to SearchTraffic and ClickThroughTraffic, but in reality, this program is better for the publisher, since it pays for the first click. This means that you get paid for anyone who arrives on a TargetWords results page. (In contrast, the other programs will only pay if the visitor actually clicks on any of the results.)
Getting in to the program may be a little problematic though. Not because they have a high standard for membership, but because the staff seems to only sporadically look at new applications. I have applied to the network three times over a 2 month period, and emailed the support staff twice without getting any response. Then, after I gave up on ever hearing from them, and wrote the program off as having gone inactive, I got an email congratulating me with my acceptance.
Once you do get in though, it's definitely worth it. They are very flexible about placing their code on your pages - you can make place plain old search boxes of course, but the more lucrative option is probably text links. They allow you to link to pre-defined search terms, as long as the link is made in such a way that the visitor is aware that they are performing a search by clicking. (For example a web design site can place a link with the text "Look for web-hosting" - and send visitors to the highly lucrative hosting searches.)
Additionally, they have canned code that will fit into various standard ad space sizes: graphical banners, half-skyscrapers (120x300) and even full-page "portals" that can be used as placeholder or error 404 pages. These codes include attractive graphics, a searchbox and some popular (and well-paying) search links - so if you do not want to custom-create links for your site, picking from existing content is easy.
The network's minimum payout of $50 may seem a bit high, but the balance on your account is combined with the excellent PopUpSponsor program - you get paid with one check for both programs, and unlike Standard Internet's affiliate programs, earnings are combined for consideration of the minimum balance. (For example if you made $40 for PopUpSponsor and $11 for TargetWords, you will get the $51 payment for the month. (Those of you familiar with PopUpSponsor will already know about Oversee.net's lightning fast payments - they usually go out within the first 10 days of the month!)
As with PopUpSponsor, TargetWords has a 10% referral program, which will probably not impact your earnings significantly, but may offer a steady if small trickle of "free" money if you refer some good users to them.
Another thing this program shares with PopUpSponsor is the stats interface - and here, it's a mixed blessing at best. The good news is that you'll be able to see the earnings for both programs summarized on one page. Worse news is that just as the popup statistics, these are updated on the daily basis instead of being in real time. Worst of all however, is that no information is provided other than how much money you made on a given day. It would be really nice to see if those 30 cents you made yesterday came from 4 people clicking on a highly-paid link for gambling, or 15 people clicking on a less well-paying links for entertainment related searches. The way it stands now, there is no way to tell which links are working and which are just wasting your valuable screen space.
Overall this is a highly recommended program, which will probably result in increased earnings over similar offerings from Standard Internet (TextLinks, SearchTraffic and ClickThroughTraffic). I would give it 4.5 stars if it had more detailed statistics, but as it stands, TargetWords earns the score of 4. It will offer more value to anyone already using PopUpSponsor, as you will probably receive the payouts more frequently.
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