This might be a stupid question, but is it possible to monetise a website successfully using entirely "dumb" adverts with no ad networks involved?
I mean ads which are simply an image inside an <a> tag. Presumably this is how everyone was doing it before the ad networks existed? (I was around in the 90s but never really thought about it.)
I guess it would take a lot of extra work and expense to approach potential advertisers and make deals. But on the upside you could host only well-curated ads that are relevant to your audience. Presumably they would also be difficult to block (although I suppose ad blockers could start recognising images, maybe they do this already?)
Has anyone had any success doing this? Is it likely to become more common as ad blocking increases?
I feel like I'm missing something incredibly obvious!
I've seen it done on some websites. Typically as a partnership with an online shop that sells things of interest for the website audience.
It is probably very effective if you have an audience with well targeted interests. For example a site about espresso coffee may partner with a shop that sells high end espresso machines and specialty coffee.
However, it is much harder if a website has a broader audience. A news network probably has no clue about what visitors want to spend their money on, so either they use an ad network that does the targeting for them, or they are limited to less beneficial generic partnerships.
It works if you're someone like Amazon that can pay based on sales generated, but that's actually somewhat unusual. A lot of advertisers are hoping to also push their brand, and there fraud is the big problem. A lot of the JS served is just validating that the ads displayed properly, or was seen by the correct target audience.
Yes, ads targeted to the viewer's demographic and interests are far more lucrative. Just try searching for "mortgage interest" or "divorce lawyer" and see how long until your adscape changes when browsing.
Certainly. I had a client who did that (www.greatervictoria.com). He makes decent money at it. I've also seen it on, for example, mrmoneymustache.com and theartofmanliness.com.
I mean ads which are simply an image inside an <a> tag. Presumably this is how everyone was doing it before the ad networks existed? (I was around in the 90s but never really thought about it.)
I guess it would take a lot of extra work and expense to approach potential advertisers and make deals. But on the upside you could host only well-curated ads that are relevant to your audience. Presumably they would also be difficult to block (although I suppose ad blockers could start recognising images, maybe they do this already?)
Has anyone had any success doing this? Is it likely to become more common as ad blocking increases?
I feel like I'm missing something incredibly obvious!