 |
|
|
1. About CN Search
2. Getting Listed
3. Bids and Positioning
4. Campaign Tracking and Reporting
5. Billing and Payment Plans
6. Security and Legal
|
|
|
|
|
a. What is CN Search?
CN Search is a pay-per-click search engine which enables you to list your website and ad listings when relevant keywords are searched, and pay only when someone clicks through to your site.
b. How does CN Search work?
Simply write your ads, choose your keywords and specify how much you wish to pay for each click - the higher you bid, the higher your search ranking and greater the likelihood of attracting visitors.
c. Where are CN Search results displayed?
CN Search results are accessed by over 30 million installed CommonName users. When a user has our software installed, they can search using keywords from his or her browser address bar or CommonName toolbar. Further, users of our search platform XPSN (www.xpsn.com) and XPSN’s partner websites will also see CN Search results.
d. Which countries can I advertise in?
Currently you can choose to advertise in either the United States or the United Kingdom. Shortly we will be expanding our service to other countries.
[Back to top]
|
|
|
|
|
a. How do I get listed in CN Search results?
To get listed, simply open a CN Search account and devise your campaign. While registering, you will be asked to specify the keywords you wish to use and the ad listings to be displayed. As soon as these listings have been approved by our review team, they will go live. To open a CN Search account, click here.
b. How much does it cost to open a CN Search account?
There is a one-off non-refundable administration charge of $25 in the US or £25 in the UK to open an account. However, the full $25 or £25 charge will be credited to your account to pay for clicks, so you are getting full value for your money.
c. Is my listing reviewed before being displayed?
Yes. Each keyword and ad listing submitted is reviewed to ensure they are relevant to your business, and that they conform with our acceptance guidelines. The review process can take up to 3 working days.
d. What are the listing guidelines?
There are a number of rules to consider before submitting your ad listing. For example, you may only select keywords that are directly relevant to the content of your website. It is in your best interests to do this anyway as any clicks that you receive will be from users that are genuinely interested in your products.
For a full list of listing guidelines, click here.
e. How quickly is my listing displayed?
Your ad listing will be displayed within 24 hours of it being approved by our review team. The review process can take up to three working days. If your ad listing does not conform to our acceptance guidelines, we will suggest acceptable alternatives.
f. Can I change my listing?
Yes, you can change your ad listings after they have been submitted. You can do so at any time online. If a change is made, the ad listing will be treated as a new application, and will be subject to review before it is displayed to ensure it meets our acceptance guidelines.
[Back to top]
|
|
|
|
|
a. What is the minimum bid amount?
The minimum amount you can bid for a click from most keywords is $0.05 in the US and £0.05 in the UK. Some very popular keywords have a higher minimum bid price, which are identified when you bid.
b. What is the maximum bid amount?
Advertisers are asked to enter a maximum bid amount for each keyword. This is the maximum amount that you are willing to pay for each click that you receive. Our bid saver policy (see section d.) means that you will only pay what is required to maintain the listing position that you are entitled to.
c. How do I improve my position?
CN Search is a pay-for-placement system. Advertisers bid against each other on a pay-per-click basis to obtain rankings for their ads in our search results. To improve your ranking, you simply increase your bid amount to a level where it gives you a ranking that you are happy with. The top five ranking spots typically receive more clicks as a group than all the other ranking spots put together.
For example:
| 1. |
ABC Bookstore chooses to list their site in the US when users type "books". They use our Current Bid Tool to see the following bid values for "books".
|
 |
1. $0.25
2. $0.22
3. $0.19
|
|
| 2. |
To ensure top position and thus to drive as many clicks as possible, they enter a bid at say $0.30. As a result they achieve top ranking and push all other advertisers down one position. However, because of our bid saver policy (see below for more information), ABC Bookstore would only actually pay $0.26 per click - enough to keep them in top position.
|
|
1. $0.30
2. $0.25
3. $0.22
3. $0.19
|
d. What is our bid saver policy?
Our bid saver policy means that you will only pay what is required to maintain the listing position that you are entitled to. In the example above, ABC Books would only actually pay $0.26 per click even though they have made a maximum bid of $0.30. This is because only $0.26 is required for them to maintain the top position, which is the position they are entitled to because of their $0.30 bid. If the second position advertiser increased their bid to $0.28, then ABC Books would actually pay $0.29 per click.
e. How do I check my position?
To check your position, check search results using a CommonName enabled browser, or go to either www.xpsn.com or www.commonname.com and enter your keyword in the search box. Your listing will be displayed in the results delivered.
f. What happens if two advertisers enter the same bid?
If two advertisers enter the same bid for the same keyword, the advertiser that entered the bid first will be displayed first.
g. Is there a way to secure top position in results?
Yes, you simply enter a maximum bid amount that is high enough to ensure that you will maintain top position in the rankings. In the above example ABC Books chose $0.30 as their maximum bid amount, thereby ensuring that they will receive top position until another advertiser makes a higher bid than $0.30.
h. How long does my bid remain valid?
Your bid remains active until you decide to change it, or your account runs out of credit. You can deposit funds to increase your account balance at any time.
i. How do I change my bid value?
To change your bid, simply login to your CN Search account, and change the bid for the relevant keyword.
[Back to top]
|
|
|
|
|
a. How do I access online reports?
To see your latest CN Search report, simply login to your CN Search account and go to the reports section.
b. What information is contained in online reports?
Your online report contains a full breakdown of your keyword results including number of clicks and cost for each keyword and ad listings.
c. What are the benefits of tracking my results?
By tracking results, you are able to monitor the success of your campaign in terms of volume and cost of traffic to your site. By knowing the value and number of sales/conversions generated, you can work out your return on investment from our service. You can also adjust bid amounts and test different keywords and listings to maximise the number of qualified leads to your website. We give you the tools to optimise your account.
d. How frequently are online reports updated?
Transactions do track instantly, however it takes time for them to be processed and displayed in the reporting facility. Reports usually appear within 10-30 minutes but can occasionally take longer.
e. What should I do if no results are appearing?
If your results are listed but no results are appearing, contact our support team immediately at cnsearchsupport@commonname.com.
[Back to top]
|
|
|
|
|
a. How do I pay for ad listings?
To open an account you are required to pay a one-off non-refundable administration charge of $25 in the US or £25 in the UK. However, the full charge will be credited to your account to pay for clicks, so you are getting full value for your money. Thereafter you can make deposits manually or choose to top up your account balance automatically using one of our automatic payment plans. You pay by credit card - visa, mastercard or debit card.
b. What payment plans are available?
You can choose from the following payment plans:
- Not-Stop Traffic - Your account is automatically charged and topped up by an amount you choose each time it drops below a level that you choose. This is the best plan for maximising clicks and traffic to your website because your account will never become empty and suspended.
- Fixed Monthly Budget - You choose the maximum amount of money that you wish to spend each month. When you have reached this budget each month your account will be suspended untill the next month, where your credit card will be charged again for the forthcoming month’s budget.
- DIY Pre-Payment - You choose when to add money to your account. When your account balance reaches zero your account will be suspended until you add more money to it.
c. How often do I get billed?
If you choose the DIY Pre-Payment plan, you determine when payments are made to your account. If you choose the Fixed Monthly Budget plan, you will be billed monthly as long as less than 50% of your budget remains from the previous month. If you choose the Non-Stop Traffic plan, the frequency of your billings will be determined by the speed at which you receive clicks. The more clicks you receive, the faster your account balance will decrease.
d. Are my payments refundable?
Apart from the one-off $25 or £25 administration charge, all money deposited into your account is refundable within 30 days if it has not been used.
[Back to top]
|
|
|
|
|
a. Is my account password protected?
Yes
b. Are my transactions secure?
We use the strongest form of normally available commercially encryption technology (128 bit) to protect your details. Our payment gateway partner uses even stronger encryption.
c. What is the CN Search Registration Agreement?
The CN Search registration agreement contains the legal terms and conditions which apply when using the CN Search system. Click here to read the CN Search Registration Agreement.
d. What is the CN Search Privacy Policy?
We maintain a very strict privacy policy. Click here to read our privacy policy.
e. Will my contact details ever be used by a 3rd party?
No, in accordance with our privacy policy your contact details will not be given to a third party unless you authorise us to do so.
[Back to top]
|
|
|
|
Upgrade your browser
Search from your browser address bar, navigate using everyday words
Enable >>
|
|
