Effective Ad Placement
By Pat Rafferty
Everyone wants to make more money. I know, call me "Master of the Obvious". In the music industry, bands "sell out" all the time. In the online industry, sig whores are everywhere. Selling out is a normal practice, and the underlying ideals can be applied to your website so your business can pull in more money. You see, most webmasters don't realize that they could pull in a ton more money every month, even if their incoming traffic totals stay the same. If a feeling of skepticism just washed over you, then this article was written precisely for your eyes. Accomplishing this task is relatively simple, however problems lie in knowing when to stop. The key to this process is that you need to treat every inch of space on your site as potential ad space. I'm sorry, did I say inch? I meant pixel. Sounds easy enough right? Then let's get started.
Analyzing your website marks the first step. Your design needs to be somewhat "open", or rather unrestrictive. Simple designs work well because they create more usable space. More usable space equals more options for buyers, which puts more money in your pocket. Steer clear of templates, those are your enemy here. Aside from the design, your traffic also needs to be analyzed very carefully. First of all, how much are you pulling on average every day? Once you get that figure, take a look at your sponsors to see where your traffic is leaving. If you only have half your incoming traffic leaving through sponsors, then you've got the potential to make a lot more money. As noted above, knowing when to stop is key here. Overloading your site with ads will blur the definitive line between content and ad space to your viewers, and as a result you may lose traffic in the long run. Every site is different, so play it by ear and know when to say enough is enough. Feedback always helps, whether it's from a friend or from some of your surfers.
So you've checked out your site, and come to the conclusion that you probably need an entirely new design, right? Hold on there, Chief, you don't need to hire a flashy designer for this project. All you need to know is our little friend known as CSS; more specifically how to use CSS Positioning. Using CSS Positioning allows webmasters to organize everything on their pages down to the very pixel, so you can squeeze in as much ad space as possible. And if you need more, it's extremely easy to accomodate. A few basic lines of CSS code allows you to perfectly position link lists, endless banners, plugs, and more without leaving any wasted space. Most surfers these days have the default monitor width of 768 pixels, so that's how much you have to work with as you add more ad space.
Once the site makeover finishes, the next step is to bring in the cash. With extra ad space, you won't have to turn potential clients away or put them on a waiting list. Many webmasters have sales experience in the business world, however this article was written for those of you who haven't. Many clients will come to you, as many already have. Following this guide will allow you to bring more in, that's a given. Though with your new design in place, it's time for you to take action. There are countless webmaster forums in every corner of the Internet (like WickedFire haha), mainstream and adult, for you to sell your new space. If you've ever worked as a telemarketer or in any sales job, this is very similar to making "cold calls". The same rules apply, and these "calls" are the final piece to bringing more recurring clients, and essentially more cash. Don't be shy either to negotiate newer and bigger deals with your current clients!
Keeping that happy medium between ads and content is not only the key, but also the definitive line of where you need to stop. Be sure to tinker with your new design until you feel that you've maximized both elements: ads and content. If you overload your site with ads, you'll win with more money in the short term but the long term may prove to be fatal. Tread carefully!
By Pat Rafferty
Everyone wants to make more money. I know, call me "Master of the Obvious". In the music industry, bands "sell out" all the time. In the online industry, sig whores are everywhere. Selling out is a normal practice, and the underlying ideals can be applied to your website so your business can pull in more money. You see, most webmasters don't realize that they could pull in a ton more money every month, even if their incoming traffic totals stay the same. If a feeling of skepticism just washed over you, then this article was written precisely for your eyes. Accomplishing this task is relatively simple, however problems lie in knowing when to stop. The key to this process is that you need to treat every inch of space on your site as potential ad space. I'm sorry, did I say inch? I meant pixel. Sounds easy enough right? Then let's get started.
Analyzing your website marks the first step. Your design needs to be somewhat "open", or rather unrestrictive. Simple designs work well because they create more usable space. More usable space equals more options for buyers, which puts more money in your pocket. Steer clear of templates, those are your enemy here. Aside from the design, your traffic also needs to be analyzed very carefully. First of all, how much are you pulling on average every day? Once you get that figure, take a look at your sponsors to see where your traffic is leaving. If you only have half your incoming traffic leaving through sponsors, then you've got the potential to make a lot more money. As noted above, knowing when to stop is key here. Overloading your site with ads will blur the definitive line between content and ad space to your viewers, and as a result you may lose traffic in the long run. Every site is different, so play it by ear and know when to say enough is enough. Feedback always helps, whether it's from a friend or from some of your surfers.
So you've checked out your site, and come to the conclusion that you probably need an entirely new design, right? Hold on there, Chief, you don't need to hire a flashy designer for this project. All you need to know is our little friend known as CSS; more specifically how to use CSS Positioning. Using CSS Positioning allows webmasters to organize everything on their pages down to the very pixel, so you can squeeze in as much ad space as possible. And if you need more, it's extremely easy to accomodate. A few basic lines of CSS code allows you to perfectly position link lists, endless banners, plugs, and more without leaving any wasted space. Most surfers these days have the default monitor width of 768 pixels, so that's how much you have to work with as you add more ad space.
Once the site makeover finishes, the next step is to bring in the cash. With extra ad space, you won't have to turn potential clients away or put them on a waiting list. Many webmasters have sales experience in the business world, however this article was written for those of you who haven't. Many clients will come to you, as many already have. Following this guide will allow you to bring more in, that's a given. Though with your new design in place, it's time for you to take action. There are countless webmaster forums in every corner of the Internet (like WickedFire haha), mainstream and adult, for you to sell your new space. If you've ever worked as a telemarketer or in any sales job, this is very similar to making "cold calls". The same rules apply, and these "calls" are the final piece to bringing more recurring clients, and essentially more cash. Don't be shy either to negotiate newer and bigger deals with your current clients!
Keeping that happy medium between ads and content is not only the key, but also the definitive line of where you need to stop. Be sure to tinker with your new design until you feel that you've maximized both elements: ads and content. If you overload your site with ads, you'll win with more money in the short term but the long term may prove to be fatal. Tread carefully!
