Local Ad Link Review: It’s a Scam People! Here’s Why…
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I am sure my stance on this Local Ad Link (LAL) “opportunity” is going to raise some havoc with some of my followers that might be true believers in this program. However, this is a subject I have been wanting to touch on for awhile. Bear with me, as I plan on going through each positive spin of Local Ad Link and completely debunking everything they have to offer. I have been approached, as well have a couple of my clients, on not only using Local Ad Link, but selling it. Being the skeptical, analytical person that I am, I decided to do some deep research on how this program works.
I will admit, I would love to build my referral program to be as big as the sales force team that has hit the streets for Local Ad Link. However, at the end of the day, I would rather have my integrity in tact. (Shameless plug: If you’re interested in selling something legitimate with long term commissions, contact me:) )
Right out of the gate here, let’s get some facts straight. The BBB has LocalAdLink with a “D” rating. Please visit the BBB for more information on why they have this rated where they do.
EDIT – THIS GRADE WILL OFTEN FLUCTUATE BETWEEN A “D” AND AN “F”.
Secondly, for all of you Bob McNulty (CEO of Local Ad Link) fans out there, lets look at his history: Read This Article
He’s an entrepreneur, who has been involved in some big things. People tend to stop there and listen to only what they want to hear. The facts are facts, and he isn’t as great as it may seem. Especially considering he was asked to resign his position, and worked an agreement to actually get more money as a contractor than what he was making as an employee. This should give you some insight into the “person”. If not, then continue on being a bad judge of character:) I have also heard that there are 15 brand builders that get in on special phone calls with the man himself. When that phone call is done, don’t think for a minute that there isn’t another round of special branders that get a phone call. He knows how to create buzz and build a fan base, I will give him that.
Okay, now that we’ve kind of gotten those overviews out of the way. I want to delve into their “robust” system and how the operation works.
Most LAL salespeople will discuss the geo-targeting system that truly targets a local area. They will also go on and on about the 2 million + websites that partner with Local Ad Link. For anyone that has any idea of how Google Adwords and Pay Per Click functions, you will see that this isn’t a Local Ad Link system at all. Instead, they just piggy back Google’s Adwords technology and claim it as their own. Adwords can be defined based on geo targeting. Also, the 2 million partners that Local Ad Link has, are not THEIR partners. They are Google’s partners and any website that displays Adsense. If I go and create a little sales page website, add some Adsense, I am now a partner of Local Ad Link! Mr. McNulty has claimed an agreement is in place with Google. Nowhere can any details of such an agreement be found. LAL is taking Google’s technology and practically branding it as their own. I certainly foresee a major issue from Google’s standpoint in the near future.
Another benefit that is often described is the ability to add your company to their directory. There are literally thousands of directories out there. You’ll actually gain more search engine ranking benefit from having a listing in DMOZ. It’s also been argued that you can get more favorable results in Yahoo’s search rankings with a listing in their directory ($250/year), though I am skeptical of that. That’s a story for another time. You can also add coupons to a listing on Google Maps. When it comes to adding videos and what not, that’s great…but why wouldn’t you put that video on your website, or even on YouTube? A video on youtube will be found much easier than if it’s in the LAL directory.
To me, the worst part about this system, is that the customers are paying for LAL’s traffic. Yes, when the pay per click campaign is set up, they are not linked to the customer website. Instead, they are linked to their directory listing on LAL. So now you require two clicks to get to your website. This leads to another problem; Google’s Quality Score (QS). This is assigned based on how well your PPC ad matches to the content of your website. Since the ad text is compared to the directory listing, this doesn’t leave much room for ad variance or optimization.
The technology behind LAL is simply an ad rotating mechanism. This rotates customer ads so they aren’t being displayed at the same time if there are competitors. This is why they won’t guarantee how often your ad is displayed. They’re system simply makes sure that two ads for the same keyword aren’t displayed at the same time. Hardly “robust”.
If LAL came out and said they were essentially a PPC management company, then I really would not have a problem with the way they do business. You can attribute the MLM commissions to a campaign management fee. The way it’s hidden, and the way that sales people are armed with all sorts of different information, is what bothers me. You can ask 5 different LAL sales people how the process works, and you’ll get 5 different answers. In the end, LAL just takes advantage of business owners that do not know PPC. Why should a business spend $200 towards LAL, and only receive approximately $50 worth of clicks (clicks to LAL’s directory no less) when they can pay $200 towards Google Adwords and get $200 worth to their own website? That’s really what it boils down to. In my opinion, those that support Local Ad Link simply just don’t understand how the process works.
There’s my rant, I’ll step off the soapbox now…:)
Be sure and subscribe for the latest web marketing strategies and updates! Justin McGill is a web marketing professional and runs a successful Small Business SEO Firm. He is the founder and CEO of SEORCHERS (read: [surch-ers]) - a local web marketing firm specializing in organic search engine optimization (SEO) with a focus on converting visitors into clients.
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Just 11 days ago James wrote:
I was able to find an adzZOO landing page under this search in google: “menswear dallas” and here is a link to their landing page:
http://adzzoo.com/new/listing-gariani-menswear-163.html?gclid=CP-et9Gu8KACFQdinAodCCP-FQ
This landing page and link are already history.
I just did that search and refreshed several times and I couldn’t find it anywhere?
MLM’s SUCK! Sorry, but it is simply true. I have been approached by so many that it makes my stomach hurt (Amway, Avon, Ultraluster, Pre-Paid Legal, Monavie, Local Ad Link, Adzzoo, etc… Even was dumb enough to make the investment and try a few (at quite a cost, I might add)… Finally, I made a solid RULE – NEVER again and I am the happiest in the world. I work for the absolutely BEST Internet Marketing company in the WORLD – Spotlight Media Solutions in South Florida. I am able to offer my customers full tracking of their phone calls, leads, etc., no long-term contracts, no setup fees AND A 100% Money Back Guarantee (plus $500) if we don’t do what we say that we will… Give up on the MLM’s guys – even the BEST sales person will wear out their friends and family and contacts, etc… Not worth it. Okay, I am off my soap box now – gotta get to work! SMILES!
this is a great article. I was called by a Local Ad Link Rep today. It is really too bad that the Reps don’t really know what they are selling. Many people will use the title of Internet Marketer or say that their company specializes in Internet Marketing but none of these companies have the best interest of their customers at heart. If these people are not attempting to get the customer to the top spot via an organic search then in the end they are not helping you because the moment you stop paying for their service your company stops making sales.
I am supposed to speak with a LAL person regarding sales soon. This article has been helpful. I am learning and I do not know what PPC stands for. Can you enlighten me?
Thanks
The sad thing is that thousands of people will be caught out by this scam, and honestly I see this carrying on until Google puts an end to it. Google smacks are painful, and will spell the death knell to the sheisters operating the Local Ad Link Review pyramid.
Rather look for a local firm that does Pay Per Click advertising, or get your feet wet and try it for yourself. There are loads of tutorials out there, just ask your good friend Google the right questions!
Tami Highbaugh-AbdullahNo, you say “Many people will use the title of Internet Marketer or say that their company specializes in Internet Marketing but none of these companies have the best interest of their customers at heart.”
Some actually do have their clients best interests at heart. Maybe most do not, that is why it is important to do your due diligence. Hire companies that sell results, not ones that sell services like this or a web site or even SEO. Agreed that finding a good consulting company is difficult. One measure of a good one is if they focus most of their help in off-line part of the biz.
Mark@breast-cancer-support´s last blog ..Dish Garden
LOCAL AD LINK SCAM ~ Below is one of MANY notes that I wrote to LocalAdLink management and others involved in selling me the membership. A NOTE TO THE WISE: Do NOT have ANYTHING to do with LocalAdLink or Boomj, or anything to do with Bob McNulty who started these company flops that literally will STEAL your hard-earned money.
HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
ANYONE STILL ALIVE OUT THERE ????????????????????????
I realize it is a LITTLE amount, but hey I asked for a refund since shortly after I signed up and saw that LocalAdLink was NOT working the way it was told/sold to me. It’s truly sad that you and your company told people what to say, lied to them, they lied to us, and you STOLE so many American’s hard-earned money.
I’ve heard some people lost over $10K to you! Not to mention hours and weeks and months of their time invested in your scam.
You should be ashamed.
Go look at the previous emails; there have been over 100 of them, asking for the refund with YOUR PROMISES, over and over, to refund my money. AGAIN LIES. I never saw one penny. You just kept promising a refund and never did one thing about it. Shame on you!
What goes around, comes around. When you are having very hard times, remember what you did to me and many others. This will haunt you for many years to come. You may have made you money off of us now, but it will hurt you later; maybe not financially, but there will come a day when bad things happen and you WILL remember this.
I will get this out onto the internet soon. I am truly embarrassed for YOU and everyone involved in the theft you managed to accomplish on so many good people. Again, my amount being so small compared to others that you STOLE FROM … I humbly do this for myself AND so many others.
YOU SUCK! It’s almost comical, but it won’t be when that little thought rises in your head every time something bad happens to you and your family… one person at a time … you will get yours in the end.
Signed by one more person you cheated on your way to the bottom …
Trish Corvelli
Trish@CorvelliRealty.com
703-815-6250
That is surely a scam. People are paying for LAL’s traffic. I have also heard about LAL but I don’t use their services as their are free lance sites that charges low for SEO and web marketing jobs. One example is oDesk. I wonder what’s Google’s say on this…
People must be really aware of these scams and not trust these sites. And these sites that offers free money for just clicking a link woah 10 $ for a link? damn that is not so true. DON’T be fooled by these plots imagine would they give free money for just a link? they must be damn rich to do that
Hey Justin, interesting article – judging by the number of comments it looks like it definitely got a few people talking. Personally I’ve never used LAL and after reading this article and the comments above from the likes of Trish, I never will use it either! Thanks for sharing and pointing out the flaws!
Rose @ Reaper Costumes´s last blog ..About Us
I totally agree. They need sharky sales people for a reason.
seo agency´s last blog ..What does Search Engine Optimization have to do with Advertising
I could have fell on that scam. Thanks a lot for this info, if you only know how you have helped me.. I checked on BBB and saw that F rating..
At the moment, I am waiting to see where this company goes. I started out with lots of enthusiasm and now find myself very dissapointed. Here is why. Ads don’t appear on the Local Adlinks website when searching by zip code. Or at least not all paid ZIP codes. Even after 30 days. Everyone knows it takes time for an ad to get pushed out to the search engines, but when it doesn’t even appear on the paid web portal, that’s a bigger problem.
Justin,
Not going to say much more than, I really appreciated reading this article. I’ve grown up in a family that seems to be chasing one MLM after another. The MLMs often disguise their businesses with other draws, like teaching good moral values, and other things that don’t even relate to what the business is selling in the first place. They’re almost trying to sell a social-networking system within themselves. And what I’ve really come to not like about MLMs is that they really don’t have the costumers best interest in mind at all. It’s just about getting the sale. That urks me. I’m not trying to bash the people in MLMs, because I know lots and they are all wonderful and sincere people, but none of them are inspired to offer the world what really makes them unique because it about the money, even though they say it isn’t.
Wow, this topic has really gotten some of us up on our soap-boxes. But I suppose rightfully so. I’m heading to college this fall. I’m still searching for how to pay for it all, and earlier today, while a friend’s mom was talking to me about Amway Global (an MLM), I remember that I had registered for LAL about a year ago. I went to check it out again, but then started reading reviews like this, and then reading this one by Justin was really good for me to read. This has help me shut my eyes to MLMs for good now
. Which I have been feeling was the right thing to do for a while now.
Thanks for the article Justin.
Local listings can work well for companies ,but if falling prey to “guarantees” and MLM garbage, you’ll get what you deserve.