Publishers – How To Avoid The Top Online Advertising Mistakes (Plus Cool Alternatives To Google AdWords)

Christian Harris

Christian Harris, 22/01/2010, posted in "Analysis"

Christian Harris is editor of BCW. Christian is an IT journalist with over 17 years industry experience. In that time he has launched, edited and written for numerous magazines ...more info

Christian Harris is editor of BCW. Christian is an IT journalist with over 17 years industry experience. In that time he has launched, edited and written for numerous magazines and Web sites including PC Magazine, ZDNet, TechWorld, VNUnet, PC Advisor, PCW, GameSpot, Stuff, Press Gazette, Web User, The Daily Mail and The Guardian. As a copywriter/blogger, Christian also works on freelance marketing projects that include producing Web sites and writing white papers, case studies and press releases. Christian has a BA (Hons) in Publishing from the London College of Communication. ...less info

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Everyone knows that Google AdSense is the current leader in content-sensitive Web-based marketing. Online publishers simply can place Google AdSense JavaScript code on their Web pages and their ready to go – Google’s servers then show context-sensitive advertisements (Google AdWords).

However, Google’s terms and conditions are a pain in the derriere – excluding many Web publishers from using AdWords on their sites – and Google takes a very heavy-handed approach to click fraud. If the company’s policy police start sniffing around your site, you’re gone – even if it’s for reasons that are completely beyond your control.

Any budding publisher wanting to make decent money from a Web site should forget about doing business with Google. The problem is that the majority of alternatives to Google are pretty useless and the good ones are only interested in sites with a large volume of visitors. There are some neat alternatives for smaller publishers, however.

Cool alternatives to Google AdWords

• Clicksor
• Tribal Fusion
• AdBrite
• BidVertiser
• Chitika
• AdToll
• Exit Junction
• Yahoo Publisher Network
• ValueClickMedia

If you’ve tried ads and you’re not getting the results you imagined, don’t worry. Let me give you a few tips on how to optimise your site to improve your earnings.

Don’t limit yourself to one type of ad format

Ever heard of putting all your eggs in one basket? This holds true for your ads as well. A lot of publishers are too comfortable with just using banners and many are reluctant in tryout other formats. You make a comfortable amount of income in the short run and there is nothing wrong with that. But over time, your readers and audiences will become used to your ads, your click rates will drop and ultimately, your ad earnings will suffer. In other words, don’t be too.

Don’t get too comfortable with just one type of ad

There are a variety of ad formats to choose from. Publishers can choose from text, graphical, link unit, banners, pop-unders and interstitial ads. You can use them in conjunction with each other and each has its own advantages. If you’re not sure on what type of ads will work best for your Web site, have a look around at some of the bigger sites and see what ad formats they’re running. Only by trial and error with different ad formats will you earn the most income for your Web site.

Blend ads with your Web site

If you are already running advertisements and you’re not getting the results you imagined, chances are the ads are not blending with your Web site. Not blending your site and ads together is one of the biggest publishing mistakes any publisher can make. For instance, if your text ads have different colour and font from your Web site, chances are it will stick out. Your readers will identify the ad right away and you will get less clicks and earnings.

Most advertising service will provide you with an admin area where you can edit how your ads will appear on your Web site. If you are running text banners, try to have similar colour, font and background to your Web site. Remember, some ads work on a contextual basis, so the content of your Web site will affect the quality of ads as well. If you want more iPod or MP3 ads to appear, try to use terms like ‘iPod’ and ‘MP3’ more often in your article. Have a health amount where it’s readable to humans, search engines and more importantly ad calls.

Don’t give up too early

You have ad codes inserted to your site, have done a little optimising, but you are still not getting the results you wanted. You’ve compared your Web site to others but you still haven’t figured out what’s wrong. Don’t give up and move on. By doing this, you are missing out on hundreds if not thousands of pounds of ad revenue.

There could be various reasons for why your Web site is not performing as well as others. Web sites develop over time and the more traffic you get will generally yield higher clicks and more income. However, there are other reasons.

Various hot spots in your Web site attracts attention to your audiences. Are you putting the ad codes in the right places? Try to run different types of ads and track how they perform. Remember, every Web site is different. Try to keep the content in your articles up to date with current trends. Publishers can influence the type of ads show up on their site with the right content.

Sometimes, there could be nothing wrong with your site. Like the shopping seasons, advertisers take breaks and it will affect your earnings. Be a smart publisher.