Growing up I always knew that technology could be addicting. My mom would often kick us off the Sega and tell us to go play outside. Over time the games became more and more immersing. My freshman year of college I had a friend who would stay up all night (even right before big tests) playing Starcraft. Then there were the Golden Eye tournaments in my hall and eventually Halo came on the scene.
My aunt was convinced that Halo was the devil of games. She had seen “good kids” who stopped being productive with their lives and just played Halo instead. However, in talking to gamers, the ultimate in online addiction is World of Warcraft. Where Halo is the nicotine of online gaming, World of Warcraft is the crack cocaine. So how does this relate to online advertising? Let me explain.
AdWords Is A Drug
Caution: This statement has not been reviewed by the FDA.
- The first time is free – If you haven’t seen a free $50 or $25 AdWords offer online you must have been hiding under a rock. You’ve probably even tried it haven’t you?
- The high is immediate – As soon as you turn it on you start getting traffic. Immediate gratification at its finest.
- You keep wanting more – You get a few clicks that generates a sale or two. Now you need more clicks to keep the sales coming.
- If you stop, you crash – Think you can stop anytime? Go ahead … and watch your traffic and sales plummet.
So how addicted are you? Take this poll to find out:
If you said that over 60% of your traffic is from AdWords, you’re a hardcore addict. 41-60% makes you a heavy user. 21-40%, you could quit, but it would be tough. 0-20%, you’re still in the gateway stages.
About Robert
Hilarious post. Is this compared to other forms of PPC traffic or natural SEO traffic? IMO, it’s not fair to call me a hardcore addict because I use adwords. It’s like saying you’re addicted to driving a car (adwords) because you do that 60% more than walking or riding a bike (seo).