Do you own a “cash cow”? How Career Professionals Can Generate Advertising Revenue from Their Websites Susan P. Joyce Publisher Job-Hunt.org August 22, 2008

Agenda How the process works How to get advertisers and ads Where to put the ads How to control ads and advertisers How the numbers work How to increase revenue once you’re rolling Gotcha’s

How the process works

How to get advertisers and ads

Where to put the ads

How to control ads and advertisers

How the numbers work

How to increase revenue once you’re rolling

Gotcha’s

How the Process Works Follow the Bouncing Browser You have an ad on a page of your Website... You may be paid every time that page is displayed on a browser one thousand times OR A visitor sees and clicks on the ad, and – You may be paid for that click; revenue shared with the ad network (e.g. Google), OR You may be paid based on what someone does when they arrive on the advertiser’s Website

You have an ad on a page of your Website...

You may be paid every time that page is displayed on a browser one thousand times OR

A visitor sees and clicks on the ad, and –

You may be paid for that click; revenue shared with the ad network (e.g. Google), OR

You may be paid based on what someone does when they arrive on the advertiser’s Website

How to Get Ads Evaluate Your Site Get data about YOUR Website – Number of “page views” a month Number of “visitors” a month Most popular pages on your site Visitor demographics? Room for ads? Technology used on site? Fit with your image and goals?

Get data about YOUR Website –

Number of “page views” a month

Number of “visitors” a month

Most popular pages on your site

Visitor demographics?

Room for ads?

Technology used on site?

Fit with your image and goals?

How to Get Ads Basic Internet Advertising Terms “ Publisher ” – the Website owner, YOU (except at ClickBank) “ Affiliate ” – you, again “ Traffic ” – visitors to your Website “ Impression/Page View ” – display of a single Web page “ Click ” – a visitor clicks on a text link or image link with their mouse “ Banner ” – a clickable link which is visible as a graphic ad “ Text Link ” – clickable link that is a text ad (e.g., Google AdWords) “ Landing Page ” – advertiser’s destination page after the click “ Conversion ” – a visitor’s actions generate a commission “ Revenue Share ” – splitting commissions with the network “ Co-Brand ” – content provided by another site with your logo added and also usually on your domain name

“ Publisher ” – the Website owner, YOU (except at ClickBank)

“ Affiliate ” – you, again

“ Traffic ” – visitors to your Website

“ Impression/Page View ” – display of a single Web page

“ Click ” – a visitor clicks on a text link or image link with their mouse

“ Banner ” – a clickable link which is visible as a graphic ad

“ Text Link ” – clickable link that is a text ad (e.g., Google AdWords)

“ Landing Page ” – advertiser’s destination page after the click

“ Conversion ” – a visitor’s actions generate a commission

“ Revenue Share ” – splitting commissions with the network

“ Co-Brand ” – content provided by another site with your logo added and also usually on your domain name

How to Get Ads Revenue Generation Terms Advertising Payment Models: CPC/PPC – Cost-Per-Click or Payment-Per-Click payment for traffic/visitors from your site (or blog or newsletter) CPA – Cost-Per-(visitor)Action payment for actions taken by visitors from your site, landing page dependent CPM – Cost-Per-Thousand (“M”) impressions selling space/visibility on your site (or newsletter) Flat rate per placement & time period

Advertising Payment Models:

CPC/PPC – Cost-Per-Click or Payment-Per-Click payment for traffic/visitors from your site (or blog or newsletter)

CPA – Cost-Per-(visitor)Action payment for actions taken by visitors from your site, landing page dependent

CPM – Cost-Per-Thousand (“M”) impressions selling space/visibility on your site (or newsletter)

Flat rate per placement & time period

How to Get Ads Revenue Generation Terms Ad measurement statistics: CTR – Click-Through-Rate [clicks/impressions] EPC – earnings per 100 clicks (CJ term) eCPM – effective CPM [earnings/impressions x 1,000]

Ad measurement statistics:

CTR – Click-Through-Rate [clicks/impressions]

EPC – earnings per 100 clicks (CJ term)

eCPM – effective CPM [earnings/impressions x 1,000]

How to Get Ads Start Up No selling required by you: Indeed (affiliate program) Friends & Associates CommissionJunction Amazon (affiliate program) Google AdSense (publisher side of AdWords) Yahoo Publisher Network ClickBank BurstMedia (need pretty good traffic to qualify)

No selling required by you:

Indeed (affiliate program)

Friends & Associates

CommissionJunction

Amazon (affiliate program)

Google AdSense (publisher side of AdWords)

Yahoo Publisher Network

ClickBank

BurstMedia (need pretty good traffic to qualify)

How to Get Ads What Do Advertisers Want? According to Google , publishers must: Own their domain Own the copyright of their content (or have permission to use from copyright holder) Not be “under construction” Have a functioning Website Use English or other supported language Not have porn, gambling, hacking info, or other disallowed content on their site

According to Google , publishers must:

Own their domain

Own the copyright of their content (or have permission to use from copyright holder)

Not be “under construction”

Have a functioning Website

Use English or other supported language

Not have porn, gambling, hacking info, or other disallowed content on their site

How to Get Ads Your Options Find advertisers yourself Indeed Amazon Google Join an affiliate network CommissionJunction (owned by ValueClick) ClickBank Join an advertising network BurstMedia DoubleClick Solicit advertisers on your Website

Find advertisers yourself

Indeed

Amazon

Google

Join an affiliate network

CommissionJunction (owned by ValueClick)

ClickBank

Join an advertising network

BurstMedia

DoubleClick

Solicit advertisers on your Website

How to Get Ads Site Considerations Inventory of ad space you have available Needs/interests of your visitors Level of potential revenue possible Amount of control over advertisers desired: Size and “sizzle” of ad Competitors’ ads? Inappropriate ads (for your visitors) Your site’s traffic Your time and interest Platform – Website, blog, and/or newsletter

Inventory of ad space you have available

Needs/interests of your visitors

Level of potential revenue possible

Amount of control over advertisers desired:

Size and “sizzle” of ad

Competitors’ ads?

Inappropriate ads (for your visitors)

Your site’s traffic

Your time and interest

Platform – Website, blog, and/or newsletter

How to Get Ads Evaluating Advertisers Visitors may view ads as “recommendations”: Are you comfortable recommending them? Would your visitors be interested? Quality of the advertiser – “Anonymous” Website or organization? Google buzz? References?

Visitors may view ads as “recommendations”:

Are you comfortable recommending them?

Would your visitors be interested?

Quality of the advertiser –

“Anonymous” Website or organization?

Google buzz?

References?

Where to Put Ads Popular Web pages Blog pages Usually, above “the fold” Current Google “ heat map ” for Websites Current Google “ heat map ” for blogs Newsletters (if advertiser allows)

Popular Web pages

Blog pages

Usually, above “the fold”

Current Google “ heat map ” for Websites

Current Google “ heat map ” for blogs

Newsletters (if advertiser allows)

Where to Put Ads Taking an Ad Tour Google – text ads JobStar.org – Google + Indeed RileyGuide.com – Google + Indeed Job-Hunt.org – text ads BellaOnline.com – graphic ads IEEE-USA Career Center – co-brand Ad format examples from Google.

Google – text ads

JobStar.org – Google + Indeed

RileyGuide.com – Google + Indeed

Job-Hunt.org – text ads

BellaOnline.com – graphic ads

IEEE-USA Career Center – co-brand

Control Over Advertisers Ad Ad Ad Advertiser Placement Content Risk Indeed total none very small Friends total good very small CJ/CB total good small Amazon total good small Google total little depends * CJ = CommissionJunction.com CB = ClickBank

Ad Ad Ad

Advertiser Placement Content Risk

Indeed total none very small

Friends total good very small

CJ/CB total good small

Amazon total good small

Google total little depends

Control Over Advertisers: Indeed US, UK, and Canada You pick the ad format you want (“What? Where?” is very effective). You can have your own mini-job site with Indeed! No resume posting on Indeed. You click on the button to generate the HTML code. You put the code where you want it (your tracking id is embedded in the code) If you also include the job posting capability, watch out for fake jobs from fake employers.

US, UK, and Canada

You pick the ad format you want (“What? Where?” is very effective).

You can have your own mini-job site with Indeed!

No resume posting on Indeed.

You click on the button to generate the HTML code.

You put the code where you want it (your tracking id is embedded in the code)

If you also include the job posting capability, watch out for fake jobs from fake employers.

Control Over Advertisers: Amazon Probably international: You determine the products you want to sell. You pick the ad format you want to use. You click on the button to generate the code (your tracking id is embedded in the code). You put the code where you want it. With some Amazon ads, they select the hot items to promote. Sometimes they take “marketing” discretion to promote other things. Job-Hunt’s Amazon store.

Probably international:

You determine the products you want to sell.

You pick the ad format you want to use.

You click on the button to generate the code (your tracking id is embedded in the code).

You put the code where you want it.

With some Amazon ads, they select the hot items to promote.

Sometimes they take “marketing” discretion to promote other things.

Control Over Advertisers: Google You pick the ad format(s) you want. You place the ads where you want them. No more than 3 of each kind of ad unit on a single Web page You click on a button to generate the HTML code (your tracking id is embedded in the code). The Competitive Ad Filter allows you to block up to 300 URLs from advertising on your site.

You pick the ad format(s) you want.

You place the ads where you want them.

No more than 3 of each kind of ad unit on a single Web page

You click on a button to generate the HTML code (your tracking id is embedded in the code).

The Competitive Ad Filter allows you to block up to 300 URLs from advertising on your site.

Control Over Advertisers: CommissionJunction U.S. and International: You pick the advertisers you want (Monster, HotJobs, Vault, etc. plus many other categories). You apply to join each advertiser’s program. If accepted (often automatic), you pick the ads you want. You click on the button to generate the HTML code (your tracking id is embedded in the code). You put the HTML code where you want it. Check the ad to see that it works OK.

U.S. and International:

You pick the advertisers you want (Monster, HotJobs, Vault, etc. plus many other categories).

You apply to join each advertiser’s program.

If accepted (often automatic), you pick the ads you want.

You click on the button to generate the HTML code (your tracking id is embedded in the code).

You put the HTML code where you want it.

Check the ad to see that it works OK.

How the Numbers Work Number of visitors (or impressions or customer actions) x average CTR x payment per “unit” = revenue More traffic is better – usually a close correlation between traffic and revenue More content brings more traffic More traffic can bring better advertisers Focus on value to your visitors Start small; build your revenue stream, experience, and your asset’s value

Number of visitors (or impressions or customer actions) x average CTR x payment per “unit” = revenue

More traffic is better – usually a close correlation between traffic and revenue

More content brings more traffic

More traffic can bring better advertisers

Focus on value to your visitors

Start small; build your revenue stream, experience, and your asset’s value

Getting Paid Amazon, Google, and CJ prefer to do EFT directly to your bank account, within 45 days of month end (if more than minimum payout). Indeed pays quarterly, 30 days after quarter end. Advertising agencies usually want 60 days or more after month end. (Can be unreliable.) Small, direct advertisers pay in advance.

Amazon, Google, and CJ prefer to do EFT directly to your bank account, within 45 days of month end (if more than minimum payout).

Indeed pays quarterly, 30 days after quarter end.

Advertising agencies usually want 60 days or more after month end. (Can be unreliable.)

Small, direct advertisers pay in advance.

Getting Paid Basis of Payment For CPA, your revenue is dependent on their activity, knowledge, & ethics - the effectiveness of the advertiser’s landing page. Someone trustworthy needs to keep count of impressions, sales, completed forms, etc. You can add your own counter on clicks. You should be tracking the number of page views and visitors your site gets.

For CPA, your revenue is dependent on their activity, knowledge, & ethics - the effectiveness of the advertiser’s landing page.

Someone trustworthy needs to keep count of impressions, sales, completed forms, etc.

You can add your own counter on clicks.

You should be tracking the number of page views and visitors your site gets.

How to Increase Ad Revenue Short term: Change the ad location Change the ad or advertiser More ads (to a point) More advertisers (to a point) Longer term: More pages More traffic (SEO, AdWords?) Better commission rates

Short term:

Change the ad location

Change the ad or advertiser

More ads (to a point)

More advertisers (to a point)

Longer term:

More pages

More traffic (SEO, AdWords?)

Better commission rates

Your Website Privacy Policy Accuracy counts! DMA Privacy Policy Generator walks you through the questions you should ask yourself and address in your Privacy Policy. Don’t “borrow” someone else’s Privacy Policy. Check with new advertisers to see if your Policy needs updating. TRUSTe and BBB are Privacy Policy certification organizations.

Accuracy counts!

DMA Privacy Policy Generator walks you through the questions you should ask yourself and address in your Privacy Policy.

Don’t “borrow” someone else’s Privacy Policy.

Check with new advertisers to see if your Policy needs updating.

TRUSTe and BBB are Privacy Policy certification organizations.

Cautions Advertisers who want you to pay an upfront fee. Promised big commissions for sales which may never happen (meanwhile, free impressions). Short-term cookies (at least 30 days) Giving someone else control/access to your server. “Stealth” ads (FTC) Selling links (search engine penalty)

Advertisers who want you to pay an upfront fee.

Promised big commissions for sales which may never happen (meanwhile, free impressions).

Short-term cookies (at least 30 days)

Giving someone else control/access to your server.

“Stealth” ads (FTC)

Selling links (search engine penalty)

Gotcha’s: On the Advertiser Side Bad ad/revenue tracking mechanism Slow ad servers (slow down your pages, too) Bad accounting (who’s keeping track?) Bad landing pages (on CPA ads) Changed advertiser strategy on level of “sales” they want to have (CPA again) Pop-ups added to links Advertiser fear of “Click Fraud”

Bad ad/revenue tracking mechanism

Slow ad servers (slow down your pages, too)

Bad accounting (who’s keeping track?)

Bad landing pages (on CPA ads)

Changed advertiser strategy on level of “sales” they want to have (CPA again)

Pop-ups added to links

Advertiser fear of “Click Fraud”

Gotcha’s: From User Side Banner blindness Cookie blockers Ad blockers Browser default settings

Banner blindness

Cookie blockers

Ad blockers

Browser default settings