You have a decent turntable. I owned a Clearaudio Emotion for quite a while and it is very similar to your table. You have a really cheap phono stage.
Here are a few suggestions.
Try getting a really thin sheet of sorbothane and setting the motor on that. Thin being the key, if it's too thick the belt may ride too high and come off the platter. The sorbothane can leave stains on things, so take that into consideration. Blue tack might work. The thing I least liked about my Emotion was that the motor could move around. The sorbothane really helped.
Don't be afraid to give the platter a little spin and give the motor a little help to avoid the belt slipping.
The ticks and pops become less noticeable as you get better gear. People are often surprised when they hear a really good analog setup and it's dead quiet.
Many new pressings have a lot of ticks and pops. Static electricity can also be an issue. Cleaning records can help with this, and there are devices that are purported to reduce static (I haven't tried any, so won't comment on their efficacy).
There are places you can get information on the quality of different pressings. The Steve Hoffman forums are one and you can also look up the release on Discogs and see ratings and often there will be comments about the pressing quality. Unfortunately, it's often a crap shoot - one person will get a great copy and the next person will get a poor copy.
If you are open to an upgrade, check out the Parks Puffin. I think they are under $500 new. It's a great phono stage at its price level and has a "Magic" setting that will reduce clicks and pops.
If you have a hi-fi shop nearby, take the table in and have them check your setup and the cartridge. That shouldn't cost much.