Nextag.com is a top four comparison shopping engine and a worthy source of qualified CPC referrals. Like any CPC shopping search channel you don’t want to leave it all up to the channel to make sure your product listings (product ads) are optimized in terms of attachment to the right records and optimized for the right searches.
Product Matching and Category Mapping
Optimization on Nextag means first and foremost, part number matching and category mapping. Nextag has some helpful tools in their merchant user interface to map / remap your categories and also to select the best match for a given product among similar products.
Product and Category Bidding
Nextag does allow product listing level and category level bidding. Product level bidding may be easily accomplished in their data feed. Nextag calls bidding its Rank CPC program. Nextag is a bit unique in that it offers max CPC (cost per click) and fixed price CPC bidding. In practice there is probably not a lot of use in fixing your CPC other than to enforce a breakeven CPC or budgeting goal. If product level bids are above the category minimum they take precedence over category level bids
Promotional Text
Nextag has what they call their Marketing Message program. This is a way to charge the retailer to include short marketing / promotional text along with their listing. If you have a strong offer this can be quite effective.
The Marketing Message program allows the merchant to display a text message up to 40 characters in length next to a product listing. This may be done on the product or category level. The messages are typically shipping, rebates, BOGO (buy one get one) and coupon offers. Again, if you have a strong offer but little other reason for a consumer to click, such as a great merchant rating or recognizable brand, then you really do need to consider promotional text. You bid on the placement of the text. Bids start at five cents on top of any Rank CPC bid or category minimum.
General info
Merchant listing health: Nextag has an above average set of merchant tools in their user interface. It’s important that the diagnostic information they supply is reviewed regularly and action taken by the merchant to keep their presence well maintained.
Tax & Shipping: Tax and shipping information is very important to provide. Their merchant tools help simplify this process.
Merchant logo:Â The extra CPC cost for logo inclusion ranges from five to ten cents.
<a href=”http://merchants.nextag.com/serv/main/seller/help/TrustedSeller.jsp?nxtg=df070a280511-2D269813A87EA50B” target=”_blank”>NexTag Trusted Seller Program</a>: Make sure you qualify for this program. All criteria are based on customer feedback.
Here are the details:
Comments? Let me know your thoughts below. We’d all benefit by a good discussion on NexTag.