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Part 1: Preparing Your Website for Advertising

August 25th, 2010

photo credit: carol.am - "Alright, just a little to the left. No! No! Your other left! Perrrfect."

By Matt Cook
Point Click Media

If you’re a blogger, media outlet or any other form of web publisher, you know that one of the most traditional and stable methods of generating revenue is through simple web based advertising. Just like any newspaper, magazine or television show, there is commercial support to keep the product running – and your website is no different.

So where do we start when preparing a website for online advertising?

When putting together the credentials for web advertising there are a few things to consider. The first is to consider your content and where advertising should be placed so that your advertisers can get the biggest bang for their buck. Of course, as much as revenue is important, it’s equally important that the content of your website not be comprised. Remember, it’s content that keeps people returning, not a page full of ads.

Take time and study your website when choosing ad placements and have others use the site as well to get feedback. By doing this you’ll begin to figure out which parts of each page on your website garner the most eyeballs and thus have the most earning power. For example, websites typically charge more for advertising that is placed “above the fold” or “above the scroll” – meaning advertising that is placed high on the page so that a user doesn’t have to scroll down to see it.

Blending advertising in with your content is also an excellent way to combine both content and advertising towards a single revenue goal. Society is growing increasingly immune to the constant bombardment of ad after ad and slogan after slogan. This requires publishers to get a little bit creative. By targeting advertising and incorporating it into your content, you stand a much better chance at having interaction between your users and your advertisers. For example, if your blog or website is about movie reviews, you may want to begin targeting movie theatres or rental stores, etc.

After you’ve identified what portions of your website would be the most appealing to potential advertisers, you’ll need to take the next step and decide what kind of guidelines your advertising will need to follow.

Next week we’ll be looking at choosing ad types and sizes for your website. Is your current website layout not quite ready for advertising? It may be much more ripe than you think. If you’d like some help with the review process, contact Point Click Media.

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Posted in Web Tools on August 25th, 2010

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