| |
|
|
|
Selling Ads on Your Website |
|
Alternative Advertising
With banner networks, affiliate programs by the thousands and new contextual contenders, you would think online advertising has all the bases covered. However, there are several other options for selling links and other ad space on your site. I'll cover the best options I'm aware of here.
There are two different camps here, javascript based ads for the sole purpose of getting visitors from direct clicks, and straight text link ads. The javascript ads are a safe bet if you are worried about being labeled as a link-buyer by the SEs. The straight text links can be purchased for SEO, click-throughs or for both. You need to assess the risk however, as most engines consider buying and/or selling links to increase your search rankings a no-no. Even if you are buying and/or selling straight text links for the sole purpose of direct traffic, you need to consider the risk.
|
| |
|
Networks for Selling Ads Just for the Traffic - Javascript or Other |
Ad Brite was founded by Pud about a year ago, and looks to be the most mature service of this type. They definitely don't want to do anything that would upset the engines, which is comforting to some webmasters. Basically you sign up, put code on your site and wait for sales. The code includes a "Your Ad Here" link for visitors to click through to AdBrite and purchase ads on your site, and you will be added to their website's network of sites for advertisers to locate your site and purchase.
You get a Partner Account Manager contact to help you place and sell your ads. AdBrite say you should easily have ads sold on most sites within 30 days. You can have your ads run as part of their run-of-network, or turn the feature off and only have ads that are purchased specifically for your site. You approve or reject any potential advertiser before the ads run, and you get to set up the look and feel of the ads. AdBrite take a 25% cut of the revenue.
AdEngage are very similar to AdBrite, but they currently have a much smaller network of publishers. This means there are probably a smaller number of advertisers. The ad formats are limited to traditional banner sizes. You are sent a email to approve or deny the ads, but the ads do begin running as soon as they are purchased.
One interesting difference about this network, is their run-of-network ads include CPA offers. The leads are not tracked in real time, but updated throughout the day. Adengage take a 25% cut.
|
| |
|
Networks for Selling Straight Text Links |
|
Text Link Ads is probably the largest broker of straight text links. Let's get the worst out of the way - they take a 50% cut. Half is pretty strong in this business, but you have to pay if you want to play with this network. With the high commission fee and the chance of being labeled as sketchy by the engines, this is a tough sell to me. One benefit is that ads can be run on the same page with Google's AdSense, since this is not a contextual product. They do require exclusivity in regards to other static html link brokers.
LinkAdage is a text link auction service. Your ad is auctioned to the highest bidder, and your url is not revealed. Specifics about your site, such as PR, age of site, number of backlinks, etc. help bidders determine the value of your ad spot. LinkAdage auction fees run from 8-10% depending on link price. Buys are set by the seller, run at a per month price for set terms of one or more months. You can also set the auction with an option to renew at the same price. Once the term and optional renewal is up, you are on your own to handle sales directly with the buyer or you may post a new auction. |
| |
|
|