Should I Sell Advertising Space on my Website?

Consider the advantages: income; and disadvantages: it could be distracting to your visitors, taking them away from the process of buying your products or services and sending them to another business. Of course, if most of your traffic is from visitors actually typing in your website address, chances are they will be able to get back to you no problem. I would also suggest having the links open the pages in a new window that can easily be closed when the visitor is finished.

Remember that your greatest source of income should be your readers, so don’t include so many ads that you annoy your visitors or detract from your message.

How long should my site be up/how many page views must I have before I can offer advertising space?

Create your site with advertising space in mind. Leave room for all the advertising options (text links, sidebar banners, header banners, etc.) Include an “advertising” page to outline options and allow potential sponsors to contact you for more information. Even if your traffic is very low, it may give you some idea of the interest out there and make it easier to incorporate ads when you’re ready.

Consider filling empty spots with Google AdSense or affiliate banners while you wait for more profitable advertisers.

For many, many reasons, make sure your website is attractive, uncluttered and very easy to navigate before you consider offering ad space.

How much should I charge?

You should have a good idea of your traffic already (I recommend Google Analytics). Some advertisers will be interested in your first-time visitors, while others will be content to know your page views per month. While most resources say that for a 125x125pxx banner in the sidebar, a CPM of $.50-$2.00 is reasonable (that works out to $50 – $200 for a site with 100,000 page views per month), consider how much you would pay for an ad on your site, consider your potential advertisers and what they may be able/willing to pay. For other ad sizes, adjust the cost accordingly.

When first starting out, consider offering 2 weeks free. At the end of the two weeks, show them how many visitors they have received as a result of their ad!

Should I do it myself, sign up with an ad marketplace, or use an ad manager?

Selling directly to advertisers is going to be your best option to get the highest return. Most ad marketplaces charge 50% to recruit and bill advertisers. If you’re just starting out and you don’t want to invest too much time, consider using a manager like TextLinkAds.com. They’ve been around a while and get consistently positive reviews.

Another option is to use an ad manager that you can integrate with your site. Several, like OIO Publisherhandle not only ad purchases, but subscriptions and advertiser traffic data as well. They also offer an advertiser marketplace where your advertisers can leave feedback regarding their experience with you.

What kind of advertisements should I offer?

Text links or banner ads?

Text links are the least distracting and look less like ads. They may get increased traffic because they look like part of your site, but are likely to surprise visitors by sending them to another site. Consider adding text links to a bulleted list labeled “Sponsored Links” and remember to add the “no-follow” tag to prevent page rank dilution. Use caution when using text links in the content of your site.

Banner ads tends are more obvious advertisements which may catch the eye of your visitors and by their nature supply more information. Banner ads run from a 125x125px sidebar to a 728x90px heading or footer banner.

What if someone requests a refund?

Clearly state your refund policy. It is not unreasonable to make a one-day or even one-hour refund policy. Also, make sure you clearly state that you are selling ad space, not website traffic. The success of their ad depends not only on your visitors, but also on the perceived value of the resource by your customers and the quality of their ad copy or banner.

How do I convince advertisers to space on my website?

Start with a top-quality advertising page and make it simple. Thank your readers for their interest in advertising on your site. Smart advertisers only advertise on relevant sites, so let them know immediately who your audience is. Will you supply data to show how well your advertisers links are performing? What types of ads are available, where will each appear, and how many total ads are being offered?

Supply information on your statistics, including:

• Unique visitors – a must
• Page views – a must
• Average length of visits
• Number of new visitors
• Newsletter subscribers
• Facebook fans

Is there anything else I should put on the Advertising Page?

Specify your guidelines. Consider items such as:

• Who will supply the banner or ad copy?
• All advertisers, banners and ad copy are subject to approval.
• Will you accept adult/gambling ads?
• Disclose that you will use a “no-follow” attribute on all ads.
• Refund policy
• Are prices subject to change?

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