17 Mistakes With BANS or phpBAY(API/Plugin)

Those are 17 mistakes with BANS or phpBay(API/Plugin) that many are doing when they are starting. Yes, I did a few of them too. Those are not in any particular order.

1. Using Adsense

Since you want buyers to go to eBay, why are you sending them elsewhere? Yes, you could make a few bucks but you could make more by sending them to eBay.

2. Using affiliates

You think you are wiser and put some related affiliate ads instead of Adsense. Again, send them to eBay. A new signup will earn more in most cases.

3. Not keyword focus

You are showing every items in a category like everyone else. At least, choose an item and find a buying keyword for it using Keyword Elite for example. Use a long tail keywords that has less competition. Focus on that keyword to bring traffic to your site. For example, one of my site got: 1 visitor, 1 wining bid($3) and it was a new signup($25). So, I made $28 total.

4. Targeting only high value items

You only look on those items costing 1000s. But don't forget about impulse buys and signup fees. That $0.99 item can make you $25 extra.

5. Show your sites to everyone on a forum

You go on a public forum and give the URL of your site. If you are keyword focus, why are you giving your keyword research for free? You have some lazy marketers that will use your keywords. They might just double check it just in case but they will still use it. You are not giving away one site but every sites on that IP too.

6. Use their anchor for the site on MMO blogs

Again, why use a link to you site on a Make Money Online blog? The few times I saw a comment on my blog, I deleted the anchor and warned the commenter. But not every blogger will do that or have the time. If you have a blog, don't use the same hosting package for it. I know it cost more but you will make the money back. For example, all my BANS/ phpBay site are on a reseller account on Host Gator. This blog and others in my network are hosted elsewhere.

7. Use the default theme

Be different or at least modify the colors of the default theme. If you can, add a graphic header to make it more like a real "store". It can be scary but you have to learn some basic CSS/HTML skills in this business. Remember to modify or remove the "Powered by Build A Niche Store". Again, you don't want to give away your keywords since some are searching for that.

8. Use third-party themes

If your are not comfortable with CSS/HTML and prefer to use third party themes, make sure that they don't have some "signature" to track your sites down. It might be free but it also come with a cost. That's why in AuctionSiteWriter(free/pay), I did not add: "Created using AuctionSiteWriter" when creating a site using phpBay. I could had free publicity that way but I don't.

9. Does not create unique content

For speed sake, you can use AuctionSiteWriter to build the site for you. But it does not stop you from adding unique content for each pages afterward. If you get third party content templates, modify them for your needs too. A few 100s sites is not the same as a few 1000s using the same content template. Make it your own.

10. Don't analyze your transactions logs

You should analyze the sites logs and EPN(transactions) to see what people bought from you and from where they came from. You might find other niches to exploit or keywords to add. Of course, you will need to have sold items first to see a buying pattern.

11. Not patient about links

You created backlinks(Bookmarking Demon, Fast Blog Finder(free/pay), Directory Submitter(free/pay), Article Submitter(free/pay)) using your anchor keywords. They will be counted when Google decide to count them. You need to be patient but don't under estimate other search engines. The opposite is true and you did not create enough links. At least, do a Bookmarking Demon run. It's the easiest to do.

12. Not using pre-owned domains

Buying a pre-owned domain(2+ years) will give some existing links until your new links get counted by Google. You will also have some residual traffic from people that don't know it changed hands yet. One of my best performer is a .net and pre-owned.

13. Using BANS and .info domains

The ideal was good at first(low cost domain) but Google changed the rules. As of this writing, Google is not too keen on BANS plus .info. Remember my $28 I wrote before? It was a BANS+.info that I converted to phpBay API using AuctionSiteWriter. That transaction happened 2 days after the conversion.

14. Banning some IP

Some might see more clicks but no bids in EPN from one IP thus banned it. Don't forget that other search engines will crawled you too. Yes, Google is the big one but smaller search engines can find you too and will send you buying traffic.

15. Looking at Click-through rate(CTR) in EPN

Since search engines, like I mentioned above, can increase the CTR in EPN, I only look at the bid vs winning bids ratio. I get from 22% to 100% conversion to winnings bids. The lower cost items will get more bids.

16. Not using free options

Use Squidoo and other sites like this to create free backlinks. I'm using software(I paid for them) but some software above(free/pay) let you have an ideal of what it can do before you buy it. They will give you more features once you buy them. Also, sites do exist that may do the same thing. They will often lack in features but it's free.

17. Don't look at the recurring cost

When you buy a software or web service, you did not looked at the recurring cost for using it. Me, I look at one time fee especially in software since that's what I used the most. All of them in this post comes with free upgrades for life. Of course, it's not always possible. Do you have others not in that list? You might want to read: Opinion: BANS vs phpBay(WP plugin) vs phpBay API vs Free Options