Making the Most of Pay-per-Click Programs(continued, part 2)
1) How do they count click-throughs?
This is an often overlooked factor of pay-per-click programs, since it is usually not highlighted and often is only mentioned in the fine print of the program's operating agreement. Most programs are set up to pay you one time for each unique IP address that generates a click in a 24 hour (or longer) period.
The reasoning behind this is simple: it prevents the program from being cheated by an unscrupulous affiliate that makes it their full time job to click over and over again on their own banners.
However, this method of preventive action also poses a threat to your ability to earn a fair income. Since many ISPs, especially larger ones, assign IP addresses dynamically, it is entirely possible that a large number of clicks would not be counted since they are coming from different people, but using the same ISP, and therefore the same IP address. Also, clicks from the same person, in a 24 hour period, even if they came during different visits to your site, would not be counted.
There are programs that have lower restrictions than once every 24 hours, but you need to be wary of many of these program also. Some programs with these 'loose' guidelines have gotten in over their head as far as their ability to pay affiliates, and are generally more likely to cancel your account since they have lower tolerances for cheating.
In the end, this is a factor to be aware of, to know what their guidelines are before joining so you can know what to expect. There is no definitive answer as to what time period is best for counting clicks. However, programs that have very high restrictions (48 hours or more) should generally be avoided.
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