| LED Digest 1728: The Banner & Content Relationship? |
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================================================== The LED Digest Moderated Discussion List "Effective Online Advertising, Since 1997" pair Networks: The LED's Web Host Hosting and Domain Reg. from a Trusted Leader pair.com for Hosting | pairNIC.com for Domains ================================================== List Moderator: Published by: Adam Audette LED Digest adam,led-digest.com http://www.led-digest.com ................................................. January 14, 2003 Issue #1728 ................................................. .....IN THIS DIGEST..... ==== CONTINUING ================= --== Banner Exchanges in 2004 ==-- ~ Michael Martinez "People who click on banners are looking for content." ~ Mark Roberts "I would recommend link exchanges with sites that are similar to yours." --== Ad Blocking Software ==-- ~ Peter Warnock "I think the next target will be third party spyware." ~ Marty R. Milette "...where are people like Ken Evoy regarding this whole ad blocking issue?" --== Affiliate Programs & Partnerships ==-- ~ David Yancey "Go get 'em, Mark - but keep track of who your friends are, too." ==== BILLBOARD =================== --== Selling Whois Data ==-- ~ Sheryl Coppenger --== Copycats ==-- ~ Dan Eskelson ===== CONTINUING ================================= From: Michael Martinez Subject: Banner exchanges > Are banner exchanges still popular? If so, can > anyone recommend a good banner exchange to join? - Michael Colucci, LED 1726 > ... I'd have to say that you should stay away from them. > I used to belong to a bCentral banner exchange... As > far as I could tell, I never received any business from them. - Tom Anson, LED 1727 This comes down to banner design and Web site content. I continue to see people naively state (on this list in particular) that most Web sites are commercial. That is absolute nonsense. The vast majority of Web sites continue to be free, content-oriented sites. People who click on banners are looking for content. Xenite.Org participates in the bCentral banner network and we still get up to 2 per cent click-through ratios. So, content remains king. But we also continue to run Commission Junction banners (as well as our own) on our site, and THOSE campaigns continue to get up to 2 per cent click-through ratios. And, just so no one asks, we use traditional 468-x60 banners -- none of that funky, annoying stuff. So, good banner design is also EXTREMELY important. Banner advertising hasn't been a mindless exercise for many years. You need to target your banners and make sure that you don't bury your pages in banner ads. Reading up on Web site usability to learn where banners are most effective (at the bottom of the page, believe it or not) helps, too. Michael Martinez http://www.xenite.org/ ------- new post - same topic ------- From: Mark Roberts Subject: Banner exchanges I agree whole heartedly with Tom Anson's response. Of the items he mentions, I would recommend link exchanges with sites that are similar to yours. As long as Google will continue to use this as a factor in ranking calculations, this is the most effective way to go (without putting out $$). Mark Roberts Roberts Computing Systems http://www.robertscomputing.com ------- new post - new topic ------- From: Peter Warnock Subject: Ad blockers > Do viewers have the right to install software that > defaces their view of your site and removes your > revenue generation mechanisms? - Marty Milette, LED 1722 I don't see legislation being able to block advertising done by site owners. I do however think the next target will be third party spyware. They will need to be clearer about disclosing every aspect of the software so that consumers know where the pop-ups are coming from, etc. Unsolicited email has been regulated because it is burdensome to the recipient since it clutters their inbox and costs them for time and storage. When a visitor comes to a site, there is an implied acceptance of the terms of service. Peter Warnock ------- new post - same topic ------- From: Marty R. Milette Subject: Ad blockers I have two very interesting points to make regarding my previous Ad Blocking post and some of the responses to it: 1. The people making the most negative comments about my post, my site, and me personally must NEVER EVEN HAVE LOOKED at my web site -- otherwise they would not have made the statements they did. In fact, http://www.custom-toolbars.com has VIRTUALLY NO affiliate advertising and NO POP-UPS whatsoever. "bombarded with irrelevent advertising" -- in a pig's eye! (By the way, where are people like Ken Evoy regarding this whole ad blocking issue? One would think that people who's entire business model rests on the ability of 'small guys' to be able to put up affiliate advertising and Google AdSense ads to generate revenue from their web sites would be just as hot as I am on this topic...) 2. The people who suggest my 'business model', is 'no good' -- obviously haven't got a clue about what affiliate programs are all about. Just because you don't understand the business model, don't knock it. (I personally don't like MLM, and would never participate in it again -- but the model must work to some degree at least, otherwise companies like Amway and Tupperware wouldn't still exist today.) It would be wonderful if webmasters could detect that such software was being used to view their sites, and then provide 'ad-free', but pay-per-view alternative pages for these visitors. However, from what I can tell, no such solution is going to be easy to develop. (Even the police have 'radar detector detectors', and will charge you if you're caught using a radar detector where you shouldn't be.) The people who suggest making all sites that wish to generate revenue from their content 'subscription-based' are living in la-la land. Anyway, what skin is it off your hide if someone has a pop-up that asks you to subscribe to their newsletter? Especially when, with the magic of cookies, only ever comes ONCE. And what "pain" does it cause you to have a banner or two on a web site, or affiliate links woven into the text for products / services the author of the page has spent their time researching and is willing to recommend? You always have the option of LEAVING the site -- just like you have the option of changing channels on your TV when you don't want to see the commercials. I've put a full 'rebuttal' to some previous poster comments at: http://www.custom-toolbars.com/led-digest/ I call it, "In Defense of Internet Affiliates". It represents MY OWN PERSONAL views on the topic, and if you don't like what's there, you can either click off, or vent at me personally, NOT on this list. In any case, there are no popups or affiliate ads on that page, so even the most vehement 'content parasites' can enjoy it even with their ad blockers enabled! :) As LED Digest readers may have noticed, I'm NOT one to hide my opinions -- especially when I see something that steals from the poor to give to the rich. This will be my last posting to LED Digest on this particular topic -- however, please DO feel free to express yourself to me directly. My direct, personal eMail address is here and on every page of my web sites. Marty R. Milette http://www.custom-toolbars.com marty [at] milette [dot] com ------- new post - new topic ------- From: David Yancey Subject: Affiliate programs Whoa up, Mark Whitman [issue 1727] -- in my post in #1726, I was paying you a semi-large *compliment*, not disagreeing with you! ;) For those who missed the post - or my point - here's the full quote: ------------------- "How *dare* Mark say that this "proven" online concept "makes no sense"? If the better-quality, content-rich sites took his advice, I would be left only with crappy, misleadingly promoted affiliate farm sites as possible partners. Not good for a search site that is determined to be the top-quality finding tool for the savvy, educated, busy, affluent consumer. "So what Mark says would be really outrageous -- if he were not 100% correct!" ------------------- Mark, it looks like you decided you were being flamed - something we do not do here in the LED, btw - and perhaps neglected to read the entire post. What I was *trying* to do, Mark, is frame what we both understand would be the normal reaction of most LED readers - *not* express my own opinion. In the minds of most webbies, and I include the very experienced ones, the notion that one must "lose" traffic to the affiliate sponsor is so basic as to be unchallengeable. To get them to see your point is going to take serious education. Being one who comes up with innovations myself, I can tell you that it'll be hard work making several hundred thousand web site owners see affiliate programs in such a different light. But far from disagreeing with Mark, my post outlined some of the ways we are already putting his points to work in our new affiliate program. I also credited Mark with positive thinking re: using newsletters to drive affiliate sales. As one of the larger business newsletter publishers, I am particularly in agreement with this, and you can be sure we will be using a variant of that concept, too, in the coming months. Go get 'em, Mark - but keep track of who your friends are, too. ;) David Yancey http://www.vivante.com ==== BILLBOARD ==================================== From: Sheryl Coppenger Subject: Whois for sale > Here's an email I have received twice [trying to sell farmed > Whois data]. I have no intention of buying... This topic has > been touched on before. Anything new to add? - Nancy Cardinali, LED 1727 I used to be the contact for my work domain. I now privately own a couple dozen domains, mostly .com's. I am not happy that some registrars sell that data or make it relatively easy to grab. The info has to be accessible, but selling CDs is an abuse IMO. It's also the reason that some registrars now sell domain "privacy" options. Typically, the domain contact is going to be either (1) the single individual who owns a vanity domain or micro-business or (2) an overworked, cranky geek who is not interested in buying anything for the business, resents the extra traffic in the inbox, will not, under any circumstances, pass your email along to a "decision- maker" and in a small-to-medium shop may be able to make sure that none of your domain's email ever reaches anyone at that site again. With a very few exceptions (like wanting to buy the domain name) I would say that unsolicited bulk email to a domain contact address is highly inappropriate and I doubt it's very profitable. Just my $.02. Sheryl Coppenger, SEAS Computing Facility Staff The George Washington University seas.gwu.edu ------- new post - new topic ------- From: Dan Eskelson Subject: Copycats > ... a competitor has bought a domain that is very close > to mine in name, then copied my meta tags and statement > at the bottom of my pages soliciting new products verbatim... - A. Brantley, LED 1727 Greetings, I have had similar problems over the past several years, with many sites copying my content and metatags verbatim - apparently because my site is at or near the top of searches for several keywords. I find these scumbags about once a month. To check to see if your copy is found elsewhere on the web, pick several key phrases from your site, and check with Google - enclose the phrase with " " [quotes]. The first course of action is to politely but firmly inform the site owner that he is in violation of copyright law, and the copied material must be removed immediately. Unfortunately, this pertains to content only at this time, as metatag copyright has not been explored sufficiently in the courts (according to my source). If the site owner is not responsive, use NSI Whois and/or ARIN Whois to determine the web host, which normally will insist that the site owner remove the copied material... in my experience, if the necessary documentation is presented in the proper format, the web host will comply. In my case, some sites were shut down completely. A further step is to register a copyright for your site. Then, if you have to go after the offender in court, all costs will be paid by him if you win the case. I was fortunate to have traded services with an informed attorney, who set me on the right path. Finding that your creative energy has been stolen is an extremely disheartening experience! Good luck with your efforts. Dan Eskelson Clearwater Landscape Design http://clearwaterlandscapes.com ------------------------------------------------------- The LED Digest is sponsored by pair Networks: pair.com for Hosting | pairNIC.com for Domains Copyright 1995-2003 Adam Audette. All Rights Reserved. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Confidence is the hinge on the door to success." - Mary O'Hare Dumas |
