Follow up make money from your customers searching

[goldmercury]

I started a thread a few months ago about ways to increase profits in the PC repair business. One of my ideas included a custom toolbar/script injection into customer's browsers with links to my affiliates accounts.

See the locked thread here

As a follow up and taking into consideration some of the comments posted on the original thread I've redesigned my idea into a somewhat useful security check.

I've created a custom google search page via adsense. When a customer uses my search page to search google they will get the usual search results however a portion of the Adwords clicks go to my adsense account. This setup is something that google provide under thier adsense ad's managment area it's called "custom search".

I've added my logo to the search page and specified "safe search" when the customer uses my search page they can be safe in the knowlege that they are searching the web using my safely hosted search page and not had a browser highjacked page.

The logo links to a page on my website that details what the safe search is.

There is also an opt-out box on my repair form. If the customer does not cross this out I change there homepage and search bars as stated in my terms and condtions.

Here is a link the search page internet security protection

Hope this post is useful. I'm actually looking for a better desinged start page with my company logo and the google logo but as of now I've just ripped the google front page. If there are any designers that can help with this please PM me

I'm hoping if I get this onto a few hundred machines in the next year or so I'll be making £20/$15/day from people that search and click the adwords. An extra step in my repair process but once I've got a script in place that does this all on auto pilot then I could have an extra 3k/year to play with. Will at least pay for a holiday!

 

[Pc Fixed Right]

This idea is more sound than just injecting affiliate links into peoples machines.

 

[MrUnknown]

Yeah, this is a much different approach than what you mentioned in your other thread.

I don't see anything wrong with this either so long as the client somehow knows about it. I also wouldn't do it on every repair, only things that would cause the browser to go to the default page.

Some people count on their startpage to get them to things like email and such. I had one client call me back saying they couldn't get into their email and all they were referring to was the mail link on the Yahoo start page they had.

 

[JRDtechnet]

IMO it's a little underhanded to make it opt-out. You should tell the client it what it is and what it does and ask them if you want to use it. As MrUnknown mentioned above a lot of people use their homepage to get their email. I learned this early on after I had to talk my customers through getting their home page back over the phone after I left since in the course of the repair the home page got reset to MSN or whatever.

 

[Pc Fixed Right]

I have not dabbled with this yet but is it possible to include major links for major email services on the same page as the custom search?

 

[Steve202]

Instead of doing this on every repair and using the opt-out box, why don't you explain to your customer what it is and if they want to use the service. Explain to them its free and at no cost to them.

If I was an end user and a repair company done this to me without telling me, I'd be pretty pee'd off about it. I use my homepage for my email and I know several of my customers do aswell.

Although I think it is a good idea, I just think you need to explain it to your customers properly.

 

[goldmercury]

I think you guys are right about asking the customers permission. Maybe I'll ask them how they access thier email and if they use a dedicated client I'll sell them the "safe search" feature.

I've found ways to create custom search providers for both IE & Firefox so the customers that need email as there start page I could maybe still sell them the custom search providers in thier search bar within the browser.

Keep the comments coming - negative and positive they are all good! Hopefully we can refine the process here and I'll do blog article on all the steps required to get this working.

Also as mentioned I'm looking for a start page designer! We could resell a template or make free to technibble memebrs a template start page All that would be required would be your adsense account ID and company logo

 

[vdub12]

I have hated Opt-Out with assumed automatic opt-in.

This is the way spammers think.

Why should I have to opt-out if I never opted-in in the first place

 

[Harold]

It still looks slimy to me. If I want to be secure in the fact that I'm not using a browser hijacked search, I'm going to be using www.google.com. Not www.whoever.com/google/wepromiseyoursearchissafe.html.

I don't care how many logo's or icon's you put on the page. As a consumer, it looks like you are hijacking the session for your own motives, not as any added value to me.

Combine this with the Opt-out page and it again is a spammers mentality.

Stick with creating services that add value for your customer, not ways to trick them into creating hidden revenue streams for you.

 

[vdub12]

It still looks slimy to me. If I want to be secure in the fact that I'm not using a browser hijacked search, I'm going to be using www.google.com. Not www.whoever.com/google/wepromiseyoursearchissafe.html.

I don't care how many logo's or icon's you put on the page. As a consumer, it looks like you are hijacking the session for your own motives, not as any added value to me.

Combine this with the Opt-out page and it again is a spammers mentality.

Stick with creating services that add value for your customer, not ways to trick them into creating hidden revenue streams for you.

I would not say its completely slimy. I personally have created a custom search page that I use just like Firefox and ubuntu have. However, I would not put it on every tom dick and harry I help ether. I only use mine when I N&P a system or do something that makes the browser go back to the default page.

The whole opting-out in small print though I think is really slimy.

 

[K007]

I must say you got something good in you, maybe you just need some guidance.
After the balls braking session in the old thread I would've kept it below radar.

 

[Crgky127]

So the idea here is that bad guys would spoof the standard google page, but they wouldn't spoof a personalization?

 

[vdub12]

So the idea here is that bad guys would spoof the standard google page, but they wouldn't spoof a personalization?

My search page dose not look anything like googles.

http://www.CyberCPU.com/G/

I don't try and make it look like Google and make it very obvious its from my business. Customers are free to change if if they like and I only use this when I perform a N&P or anything that requires the home page to be changed.

If I load a system or am forced to change the browsers default settings then why should I use the default search page. Company's like Google, Microsoft, or Yahoo are not paying me to make there pages the home page and if the customer has no problem with it then I don't see why I can't make profit off of it.

That is what running a business is all about.

I have to reiterate that I do not mess with home-pages on simple repairs. This page I only use if default settings or a reload is required.

 

[goldmercury]

vdub12,

your page is exactly what I'mm looking for with my company logo. Anychance of a copy of the template ? I also like the idea of "leave a review" link excellent.

As for the other comments so far. I will probably make it an opt in and ask the customer prior to "high jacking" thier browser.

 

[atlanticjim]

If someone did that to my computer I would DEMAND that they remove it on the spot!

Before you argue, just let me ask you (and anyone else who thinks this is a good idea).

Would you mind if a mechanic changed the radio station presets in your car?
Would you mind if your housekeeper rearranged your furniture?
What would you say if your gardener rearranged your landscape?​

I would never change anything that would effect the client's experience. I won't even line up icons on the desktop. . . if that is the way they like it . . . why would I touch it.

[caveat, I have told my gardener to do whatever he wants. . he has a better eye than me]

 

[goldmercury]

Have to thank everyone so far for helping refine this idea and posting your views.

So thanks for all the comments that have value and keep them coming.

Here is what positive posts I've got so far...

vdub12 has already given a great link to his start page in this thread. Brilliant idea to include the "review me" link.

Steve202 has given me though about opt in and asking my customers prior to any actions. And only preforming it on certain repairs.

Mr Unknown Thanks for raising the email access issue. I may have custom frames on my start page for each web based email provider so I'd have a different template for hotmail/bt yahoo/aol etc...

 

[vdub12]

If someone did that to my computer I would DEMAND that they remove it on the spot!

Before you argue, just let me ask you (and anyone else who thinks this is a good idea).

Would you mind if a mechanic changed the radio station presets in your car?
Would you mind if your housekeeper rearranged your furniture?
What would you say if your gardener rearranged your landscape?​

I would never change anything that would effect the client's experience. I won't even line up icons on the desktop. . . if that is the way they like it . . . why would I touch it.

[caveat, I have told my gardener to do whatever he wants. . he has a better eye than me]

What if the mechanic was installing a new radio?

These should only be used in specific circumstances. I personally use it in situations when I don't want to leave a default search page.

I have came to the conclusion that I have no reason to promote Google, Bing, MSN, yahoo, or Comcast if I don't have any reason to. I am promoting myself. Just like how most of the major ISP's change peoples home page with there software installations I am starting customers off with mine on new system builds, reloads, and any other situation when a default search page is necessitated.

However, there is no way this is the right thing to do on just anyones computer.

 

[totalPCTechs]

+1 definitely wanna know how to do the google search page

 

[vdub12]

vdub12,

your page is exactly what I'mm looking for with my company logo. Anychance of a copy of the template ? I also like the idea of "leave a review" link excellent.

As for the other comments so far. I will probably make it an opt in and ask the customer prior to "high jacking" thier browser.

I just used the basic layout of the ubuntu branded page and put my own twist on it.

 

[YOCS]

Great Idea. I just created my own http://www.yocs.net/SafeSearch. I plan on putting it on new PC's and N&P's ...Thanks!