I have been using AdSense for quite a long time on one of my websites. Don't get me wrong, AdSense is alright, but I generally have some problems with it:

- Does not pay out with PayPal.
- Afraid of breaking some rule and getting the whole account suspended.
- A lot of Public Service ads come up.
- I am very unconvinced with their whole channel system. I get the feeling some clicks are not being counted / there are some problems with their system.

So I began looking around for someone else (just for a trial). The best I found was TargetFirst. So i signed up and after about 4 days I was accepted. I removed the google ads, logged into TargetFirst and started experimenting.

Generally, the interface seems a lot more straightforward and I prefer it over AdSense. Their channel system seems a lot more solid. I created a channel (which they call properties), I created three ads to place on the website, set up the colours i wanted and added them to my site.

One thing you need to do is manually choose the kind of ads you want shown. Although some people may think this is inferior, i prefer it, since experiment and change the type of ads shown to get the best possible money from the ads.

You can narrow down the type to a very narrow margin, so it wont just show random junk. They support payment via PayPal, which I greatly prefer to check only. I have a dedicated account manager which i can contact via email, or i can contact their staff in general via the interface. This makes me feel more comfortable knowing that someone with an actual name is my account manager.

After a few days I am making about double what i was with adsense, plus, they NEVER show any non-paying ads. ALL your visitors will be shown the full amount of ads, which will greatly help you make more money.

I could talk about a lot more, and I will do this once I have had more time experimenting, but atm i am very impressed. And no, i dont work for these guys :P

The website is: www.targetfirst.com

Check it out! I recommend you test it on a site and see how you go :)

There's a bit of discussion here about it, http://www.geekvillage.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=28261 but still early days. Just remember to read the TOS before you sign up :)

Do you know of anything in the TOS that should be of concern?

An Update: It lets you see how many clicks each ad is getting, even if they are all in the same channel - something adsense lacks.

Also it gives your website a ranking from E to A, this ranking shows u how 'good your traffic' is compared to other websites. The better your CTR, the better your rank, and the better your rank, the higher the ads pay.

I just signed up, and will wait for confirmation in the next few days. :)

Originally posted by Jeffreyw
I just signed up, and will wait for confirmation in the next few days. :)

Ok great, please post your results! Atm im getting about twice as much as i was with adsense, and im only on ranking D atm!

Originally posted by Hostex Australia
Do you know of anything in the TOS that should be of concern?
None at all if you have actually read them and understand them :angel:

Originally posted by anon-e-mouse
None at all if you have actually read them and understand them :angel:

atm i am having difficulties accessing their TOS page :(

but can you choose the ads yourself now on my site about counterstrike i get ads about website counter :S

Originally posted by 3j3ct
but can you choose the ads yourself now on my site about counterstrike i get ads about website counter :S

Change the placement category for the ad and something relative should come up.

but can you choose subject with targetfirst?

yes you can, for example, atm i have chosen Computers > Gaming.

thats what i wanted to hear :D:D

wow, today i have earnt A LOT more than i was with AdSense. One problem i had with adsense was that it would only show one ad on the big 728 ad which could show a max of 4.

This Value Rank thing is also very interesting. One thing I enjoy is a goal, or something to spend some time on, so now i can spend some time improving my rank :D

hmm i have use adsense once, was happy with it, i mite try this out seems very nice.

well im gonna stick to adsense until i get my first money got 20 dollar now so dont want to waste that :D

im going to try TargetFirst, although im still waiting for Yahoo publisher to come to Canada :P

Hmm, sounds interesting. I've been thinking of using Google, but I would much like having it deposited into my Paypal any day.

Keep us updated! :D

Originally posted by Tyler
Hmm, sounds interesting. I've been thinking of using Google, but I would much like having it deposited into my Paypal any day.

Keep us updated! :D

Well i can confirm i am making about 3 times i was with AdSense, one of the reasons being that it ALWAYS shows ads, but AdSense would sometimes show none or just one. Also i have a lot more control, i dont have to rely on a spider choosing interesting relative ads. I would suggest you try both and see which works best for you :)

On the same subject, I have been using a newer company called bidvertiser.com for a few weeks now. Im really impressed with the results I have had. They also payout with paypal at $10 or send you a check at $50.

Update:

There are a couple of cons to TargetFirst now that I have been using them a bit longer. Namely:

1. They ads take a tiny bit longer to load than adsense, and sometimes jolt the display of the forum for a split second, but its noticeable only when refreshing (because once it is in cache they are fast).

2. No doubt they have recieved truckloads of traffic and rapidly expended, however it seems their hardware may be lagging behind. Today for a few minutes both ads were showing "SERVER TO BUSY" thus displaying no ads, thus i got no money and it looked rather ugly. The overloaded ad server probably explains why the ads are a touch ugly.

3. There are a few bugs with the system, however they do not effect the function of the ads, just a few links in the control panel etc.

After reading this you may be turned off of TargetFirst, but I still prefer them much more than AdSense. So far there have been no major problems, and im making more cash, so its fine by me. They will most likely upgrade their infrustructure soon anyway ;)

I also use targetfirst, I have noticed I have seemed to earnt more using it also.

I have always used adsense and i cant see any reason why im gunna change as i have my money paid directly into my bank account

Update: My rankings have jumped from D and E to A and C. I am making even more money now - this is awesome :)

i just noticed something about the sign up page, it does not provide "https" i dont see no security sign in that page..therefore my SS# is not going to be place there ;( good luck to all of you !!!

Originally posted by elfalso
i just noticed something about the sign up page, it does not provide "https" i dont see no security sign in that page..therefore my SS# is not going to be place there ;( good luck to all of you !!!

yeah unfortunetely they have not secured their signup page.

Update: After a few days of low earning I changed my content channel slightly and i am now earning a lot again, roughly 43 cents per click :)

43 cents per click... thats more then u get from most other ad programs....

Interesting. Thanks for the information.

i never really liked adsence i use clicksor ads.... i havent seen anyone really talk about them on forums...i might try this out tho thanks for lettng us know of your good experience.

Originally posted by Ghezus
43 cents per click... thats more then u get from most other ad programs....

Yes, but my CTR isnt too good, however i just need to work on the ad colors and placements to get more people clicking.

Good review, it sounds great!
I guess I could give it a try =)

Good luck with earning money! :D

I've applied, I was recently accepted; I haven't experimented with the ads yet, but I have a good feeling about them :)

Holy moses, i just checked my account. Today I have had 2 clicks with a CPC of 73 cents per click. (falls out of chair)

If only i could get a lot more clicks (i average about 10 a day on this particular site)

Wow. Target First sounds cool. I'm going to check them out.

ok i got a noobish question wats the difference between impressions and clicks?

Originally posted by Xybernex
ok i got a noobish question wats the difference between impressions and clicks?

An impression is a view, typically known as a page view but is called an "Impression" when dealing with advertising. A click is an actual click on the ad.

oh ok thanks i kinda figured that but wanted to make sure i made like 4.50 off 9 clicks then i guess thats good

Originally posted by Xybernex
oh ok thanks i kinda figured that but wanted to make sure i made like 4.50 off 9 clicks then i guess thats good

dont assume that your going to get a CPC of 50 cents. You could end up only getting say 10c per click.

what did u guys put for montly budget?

my forums are NEW there are no members yet. I dont know how to get people to my forums.

(off topic: i forums are up and running. i went to google and typed my website in and nothing came up, how do i get my website/forums in google search results?) thanks

monthly budget is for ADVERTISERS. You need to sign up as a PUBLISHER on this link:

http://targetfirst.com/Publishers/get-started.aspx

Well i am definally going to be looking into this because it took google over a month just to send the money. I would prefer getting it through paypal, gonna have a look. :)

Today I have gotten 6 clicks at $1.43 per click (average). Although this is AWESOME, I am starting to feel its one of those 'too good to be true' kind of things, and after a while the CPC will tumble down to 2 cents a click or something pathetic like that. I WILL continue to update this thread though ;)

I just don't understand how anyone could compete with Google Adsense in terms of ad values... Just due to sheer numbers of advertisers competing for keywords/keyphrases... I mean, there are keyphrases that cost near $100 PER CLICK on Adsense (I have a search engine of top Google Adsense phrases at www.iotaweb.org, so I know what I'm talkin' about!)... But, of course, Adsense doesn't give you a lot of ability to control whether you display those ads, but...

Hrmm. I'll check it out. Keep updating this thread, plz!

Warm regards,

My application was disapproved they only knew the reason why.

Daniel,

It seems payment is distributed on the 15th of each month, if you have $50 or more in your account. You don't have to tell us the exact amount you have, but could you tell us whether you are expecting payment on the 15th?

If you are, I very much look forward to it, as I will only be 100% satisfied this is something worth while if you do receive your payment.

If not, well, we'll just have to wait another month, or maybe more. :)

Originally posted by Equentity - Jamie
Daniel,

It seems payment is distributed on the 15th of each month, if you have $50 or more in your account. You don't have to tell us the exact amount you have, but could you tell us whether you are expecting payment on the 15th?

If you are, I very much look forward to it, as I will only be 100% satisfied this is something worth while if you do receive your payment.

If not, well, we'll just have to wait another month, or maybe more. :)

Well i've been a member with targetfirst for probably a week or so now, and i have $40 in my account at the moment, so I will definetely be over the $50 threshold, and i have chosen paypal as the option. Will post here when they send me my money :D

hostex may i ask how much traffic you get per day/week to reach this amount of PPC?

This does seem too good to be true, but I'm more than willing to try it out after something verifies that it's legit.

Well, I love Target First as well, started using them last middle of last month, I make close to 70-100$ a day thanks to my B-Rank Value Rating...

Even though I don't understand the system completely, like why do some of my other ads have a ranking of D or E even though they have the most impressions, how does this Value Rank System really work? It would help me to know so I can maximize my profits, if anyone knows, please post :)

Originally posted by VioNetwork
Well, I love Target First as well, started using them last middle of last month, I make close to 70-100$ a day thanks to my B-Rank Value Rating...

Even though I don't understand the system completely, like why do some of my other ads have a ranking of D or E even though they have the most impressions, how does this Value Rank System really work? It would help me to know so I can maximize my profits, if anyone knows, please post :)

value rating means hardly anything, sometimes my site is on A and getting the same as C did. Your making that much because your site gets a lot of traffic, thats all. Do you mind me asking which content channel you are using, and how many uniques you get a day and how many ad impressions?

I guess today is judgement day. Let us know how it goes Daniel.

Yes, how quickly they can send out your money is what interests me most since that's the worst part of Adsense in my opinion. Let us know how it goes.

And this is revenue from August 15th - September 15th correct? Not the month of August?

too bad for me, only english lang sites apply. :(

I don't have adsense because they don't payout through paypal. I'm currently using clicksor so I'll look into this target first.

Thanks for the link, I have gotta check that out. A community website I help run was making upwards to $600/mo, now its down below $100 with google. With the average clicks being the same, but the cost per click is WWWAAAAYYYY down.....

You have to realise that a service that pays more to the publisher means the advertiser is paying more.

And I don't know how TargetFirst advertisers feel about it. Are fradulent clicks been prevented? Are advertisers paying much more than Adwords?

The only way I can see TargetFirst better than Adsense is that a) their service charge is lesser b) They have a wider range of advertisers.

I have been using Adsence for a few months, everything is Ok. I will try TargetFirst, and see how it good ? But I still believed Google than others .

from looking at some peoples sites that display there ads, it doesn't look like they have enough advertiser inventory to become any sort of major player yet.

but as you say, there new so it won't harm publishers from trying them out.

but when your making in excess of 75k a year with adsense and have very decent click through rates because of the relevant ads google displays, you will not be seeing alot of people changing over any time soon. :P

if your earning enough with adsense and can't get EFT, consider secured check. after all adsense pays in your local currency now, so in AU it's only a 2 day clearence for me to get access to the funds.

might check this program in about 6 months to see how it's going, after all.. it's better not to have 'all ya eggs in 1 basket!'

I'm from Romania and Adsense did send cashable checks to me. Can I enter this program and get my money too? I could give it a try if I knew I can get my money.

Seen as though Daniel just got back from vacation, I gathered I would bump this thread so he notices it, so he can tell us whether it really is all what it's cracked up to be. :)

Come on Daniel, did you get the chance to spend your earnings somewhere in the sun? Or did they bail out like Adsense, and not pay you?

Great topic. Please keep the feedback coming all. :)

When I tried to sign up for the program, I got an email-related error, my primary site currently gets about 10 million ad impressions per month, and I'm doing very well with adsense, but there are a few things I don't like about them, and have been looking for alternatives.

I sent an email to TargetFirst's support, and am waiting to see if I can get some status information back from them, I'll update here if and when anything happens.

gippis what's your site?

gippis what's your site?
http://dota-allstars.com/ (We're in somewhat of a transitional stage right now, so not everything is complete)

A good portion of the traffic comes from the forum.

1446 user(s) active in the past 20 minutes (At time of posting)

Wow. That's alot, wish i had that many visitors!

Never got a response.. giving up ;x
Still looking for more PPC or CPM programs, particularly ones that accept forums though.

Originally posted by gippis
Never got a response.. giving up ;x
Still looking for more PPC or CPM programs, particularly ones that accept forums though.

Seems it was payment day and they went out of business :rolleyes:

I'm not sure if anyone knows, but Daniel (Original Poster) started TF review website a bit ago and here's (http://www.targetfirstreview.com/showthread.php?t=89) quite an interesting thread for all clients/possible clients.

I just read that post.

That sounds pretty shady...

Seems it was payment day and they went out of business

I'm not sure if anyone knows, but Daniel (Original Poster) started TF review website a bit ago and here's quite an interesting thread for all clients/possible clients.

Interesting read for sure. I suppose it was expected really.

just wondering... has any received any money yet from targetfirst and how much?

They have failed to pay me the last 2 months. I will be filing a BBB complaint soon if they do not pay. You can look at all the threads on the site i setup about them to see how unhappy people are :(

http://targetfirst.com - website is down ?

Has anyone used them for as an advertiser?

I am currently testing out http://www.chitika.com . I have yet to create traffic to test them though :(
1 click (not me :) ) brought me .73 cents. You can also choose your ads with this one through keywords.

http://targetfirst.com - website is down ?
Get that too... however when *pinging* it I get 3/4 successful requests... so somethings there... *ponders*

Im guna try out this new one of my site :) Thanks.

Any Estimation on how much the average pay is./

Yeah guys, they have been officially dead for quite some time now.

Anyone got any other sites other than this "dead" one now, and other than Google Adsense ???

Am I correct to assume the TargetFirst is strictly PPC? Does anyone know of any really good CPM networks/advertisers?

Thanks,

You are right... :)

I don't believe targetfirst is still around. They pretty much took a lot of money and ran without paying their users.

Yeah, they never approved me so I guess I got lucky!

If you all are still looking, I have been testing out www.bidvertiser.com and have been paid twice now. Its not near as targeted as some of the others but the clicks still come in.

Another is www.adbrite.com. I just started testing this one out. Not as nice as google, yahoo, clicksor or others but am getting real good clicks out of it.

Anyway, I know I'm a couple months late on this post but I hope the info helps just the same.

Adsense is entirely over ratted, only thing I have seen adsense really do is drag the price I can sell my sites for. LOL Not sure if this a completely bad thing, but I still think their should be something a bit better than google... By the way did you guys know they have more doctors on staff than microsoft...I found that kind of amazing when I heard it a couple weeks ago...Kind of pathetic actually when you sit & think about it.

targetfirst.com

I think they were online robbers, their site is down, and I guess no one was paid. sorry about the people how used them.