1. PPC Advertising Networks
Google AdSense is the most popular option under this category, but there are also
others. Basically you need to sign up with the network and paste some code snippets
on your website. The network will then serve contextual ads (either text or images)
relevant to your website, and you will earn a certain amount of money for every
click.
The profitability of PPC advertising depends on the general traffic levels of the
website and, most importantly, on the click-through rate (CTR) and cost per click
(CPC). The CTR depends on the design of the website. Ads placed abode the fold or
blended with content, for instance, tend to get higher CTRs. The CPC, on the other
hand, depends on the nice of the website. Mortgages, financial products and college
education are examples of profitable niches (clicks worth a couple of dollars are not
rare), while tech-related topics tend to receive a smaller CPC (sometimes as low as a
couple of cents per click).
The source of the traffic can also affect the overall CTR rate. Organic traffic (the
one that comes from search engines) tends to perform well because these visitors were
already looking for something, and they tend to click on ads more often. Social media
traffic, on the other hand, presents terribly low CTRs because these visitors are
tech-savvy and they just ignore ads.
List of popular CPC advertising networks:
* Google Adsense
* Yahoo! Publisher Network (YPN)
* BidVertiser
* Chitika
* Clicksor
2. CPM Advertising Networks
CPM advertising networks behave pretty much as PPC networks, except that you get paid
according to the number of impressions (i.e., page views) that the ads displayed on
your site will generate. CPM stands for Cost per Mille, and it refers to the cost for
1,000 impressions.
A blog that generates 100,000 page views monthly displaying an advertising banner
with a $1 CPM, therefore, will earn $100 monthly.
CPM rates vary with the network, the position of the ad and the format. The better
the network, the higher the CPM rate (because they have access to more advertisers).
The closer you put the ad to the top of the page, the higher the CPM. The bigger the
format (in terms of pixels), the higher the CPM.
You can get as low as $0,10 and as high as $10 per 1,000 impressions (more in some
special cases). CPM advertising tends to work well on websites with a high page views
per visitor ratio (e.g., online forums, magazines and so on).
List of popular CPM advertising networks:
* Casale Media
* Burst Media
* Value Click
* Advertising.com
* Tribal Fusion
* Right Media
3. Direct Banner Advertising
Selling your own advertising space is one of the most lucrative monetization methods.
First and foremost because it enables you to cut out the middleman commissions and to
determine your own rates. The most popular banner formats on the web are the 728×90
leaderboard, the 120×600 skyscraper, the 300×250 rectangle and the 125×125 button.
The downside of direct banner advertising is that you need to have a big audience to
get qualified advertisers, and you will need to spend time managing the sales
process, the banners and the payments.
Related links:
* How to Find Advertisers for Your Website
* Finding Advertisers for Your Blog
* Direct Advertising Sales for Beginners
* Openads Ad Server
* OIO Publisher Ad Platform
4. Text Link Ads
After Google declared that sites selling text links without the nofollow tag would be
penalized, this monetization method became less popular.
rany website owners are still using text links to monetize their sites, though, some
using the nofollow tag and some not.
The advantage of this method is that it is not intrusive. One can sell text links
directly through his website or use specialized networks like Text-Link-Ads and Text
-Link-Brokers to automate the process.
Text link marketplaces and networks:
* DigitalPoint Link Sales Forum
* Text-Link-Ads
* Text-Link-Brokers
* TNX
* LinkWorth
5. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is a very popular practice on the Internet. Under this system you
have a merchant that is willing to let other people (the affiliates) sell directly or
indirectly its products and services, in exchange for a commission. Sometimes this
type of advertising is also called CPA (cost per action) or CPL (cost per lead)
based.
Affiliates can send potential customers to the merchant using several tools, from
banners to text links and product reviews.
In order to find suitable affiliate programs you can turn to individual companies and
publishers like Dreamhost and SEOBook, or join affiliate marketplaces and networks.
List of popular affiliate marketplaces and networks:
* Commission Junction
* ClickBank
* Azoogle Ads
* Link Share
6. Monetization Widgets
The latest trend on the web are widgets that let you monetize your website. Examples
include Widgetbucks and SmartLinks. Some of these services operate under a PPC
scheme, others behave like text link ads, others yet leverage affiliate links.
Their main differentiator, however, is the fact that they work as web widgets, making
it easier for the user to plug and play the service on its website.
List of companies that provide monetization widgets:
* WidgetBucks
* ScratchBack
* SmartLinks
7. Sponsored Reviews
PayPerPost pioneered this model, with much controversy on the beginning (related to
the fact that they did not require disclosure on paid posts). Soon other companies
followed, most notably Sponsored Reviews and ReviewMe, refining the process and
expanding the paid blogging model.
Joining one of these sponsored reviews marketplaces will give you the opportunity to
write sponsored posts on a wide range of topics. Not all bloggers are willing to get
paid to write about a specific product or website (because it might compromise the
editorial credibility), but the ones who do are making good money out of it.
If your blog has a big audience you could also offer sponsored reviews directly,
cutting off the commissions of the middleman.
List of sponsored reviews and paid blogging networks:
* PayPerPost
* Sponsored Reviews
* ReviewMe
* BlogVertise
* Smorty
8. RSS Feed Ads
With the quick adoption of the RSS technology by millions of Internet users, website
owners are starting to find ways to monetize this new content distribution channel.
Feedburber already has its own publisher network, and you can sign-up to start
displaying CPM based advertising on your feed footer. Bidvertiser recently introduced
a RSS feed ad option as well, with a PPC scheme.
Finally, some blogs are also opting to sell banners or sponsored messages on their
feed directly. John Chow and Marketing Pilgrim are two examples.
Related links:
* Feedburner
* BidVertiser
* Pheedo
9. Sponsors for Single Columns or Events
If you website has specific columns or events (e.g., a weekly podcast, an interview
series, a monthly survey, a special project) you could find companies to sponsor them
individually.
This method increases the monetization options for website owner, while giving
advertisers the possibility to target a more specific audience and with a reduced
commitment.
Mashable illustrates the case well. They have several advertising options on the
site, including the possibility to sponsor specific columns and articles, including
the “Daily Poll” and the “Web 2.0 Invites.”
Problogger also runs group writing projects occasionally, and before proceeding he
publicly announce the project asking for sponsors.
10.Premium Content
Some websites and blogs give away part of their content for free, and charge for
access to the premium content and exclusive tools.
SEOMoz is a good example. They have a very popular blog that gives advice and
information on wide range of SEO related topics. On top of that visitors can decide
to become premium members. It costs $48 monthly and it grants them access to guides,
tools and other exclusive material.
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