How To Monetize Your Site With Widgets

Widgets for Fun and Profit! Woody Wood, Product Manager, Amazon Associates August 10, 2009

Introduction

Amazon

Woody Wood

Angela Pak

Amazon Associates overview

Widgets Main Entry: wid·get Pronunciation: ˈwi-jət Function: noun Etymology: alteration of gadget Definition: Widgets are rich , interactive mini-applications that bring functionality to your website. What are Widgets?

Q. When is a widget not a widget?

Gadgets

e.g. Google Gadgets, Vista Sidebar Gadgets, Apple Dashboard Widgets

GUI widget

A. When it’s for you!

How does it work? Creators Distributers Publishers Viewers Advertisers

Widget Creators

Why create a widget?

Dynamic

Mini

Viral

How do Widget Creators make money?

CPC, CPM, CPA models all work

Indirect value

Widget Distributors

Why distribute Widgets?

brokering between creators and publishers

able to inject advertising

Widget Publishers

Why publish widgets?

JupiterResarch 2008

Why use Widgets? = Longer user sessions Better monetization

Widgets versus Links/Banners Comparing Click-through rates Vs. Slideshow has 92% higher CTR than Banner

Widgets versus Links/Banners Comparing Click-through rates Vs. Slideshow has 25% higher CTR than Text Links

Affiliate Widget Examples Ticketmaster EventEngines

Library Thing & Shelfari

GetGlue

Widgets

Anatomy of a Search Widget View Search results inline (viewers don’t leave your site) Set default search term View ratings/price info in popover Filter search results by product category Customize size/color theme to match your site [ Demo ]

What works?

Select the right widget for the job

Place it in the best available spot

Use widgets as a self-expression tool

Change widget content regularly

Select the right widget for the job

What’s best for *your* site?

No ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution

Is it a product-focused niche site?

Search Widget, My Favorites, Carousel

Is it a personal blog?

My Favorites, Wish List, Carousel

Do you run a movies/music related site?

Use MP3 Clips, TV & Movie Show preview widget

What widget size/placement works best?

Center of Page size for one-off, very topic-specific widget

Banner/Sidebar sizes for products that are relevant over a longer period of time

Free-size widgets when you control the size of the ad slot

What ad sizes are supported by Widgets?

Some widgets are ‘free-size’:

Others have preset IAB sizes:

Use Widgets as self-expression tool

Add user comments to My Favorites, Slideshow, MP3 Clips

Use Widgets as self-expression tool

Even personalizing the widget title helps

Change widget content regularly

Should you hand-pick content or let Widget Owner decide?

Hand-picked wins over automated selection any day

Can you regularly update your hand-picked selection?

If you use Bestsellers/New Releases, select a category that’s relevant to your site. Change category frequently.

Change widget contents regularly

Widget Source for power users

Create widgets programmatically

Easily change widget contents by making simple changes in code.

Complete programmatic control over widget look-and-feel

Build really cool mashups with Widget Source [ Demo ]

As with all other ad types: Experimentation and Measurement are key.

Spot the Widget: http://www.101cookbooks.com/

SoundUnwound: Widget as Content <script type='text/javascript'> var amzn_wdgt={widget:'MP3Clips'}; amzn_wdgt.tag='soundu-20'; amzn_wdgt.widgetType='ASINList'; amzn_wdgt.ASIN='B0016CGROY'; amzn_wdgt.title=''; amzn_wdgt.width='234'; amzn_wdgt.height='60'; amzn_wdgt.shuffleTracks='True'; </script> <script type='text/javascript' src='http://wms.assoc-a mazon.com/20070822/US/js/swfobject_1_5.js'> </script>

Deals Widget on PSP Gaming site

Don’t …