A lot of website owners struggle with the idea of monetizing their sites, especially when it comes to advertising. They want the income of ads, but not the clutter. And some fear that advertisements will make them appear greedy to their readers, elicit nasty feedback or even lose them subscribers.

But is having a few ads in your sidebar that big a deal? Are ads really going to draw the line between a hugely successful site and one that appeals only to the most ad-tolerant minority? Possibly, but only if your site sucked to begin with.

On-site Advertising. Debunking the Reasons Against.

1. Ads take people away from your site

This isn’t actually 100% true. I mean, ads do take people away from your site but there are so many solutions for this it’s not really much of a detriment.

First, there’s always the “Back” button and everyone knows how to use it.

Second, if you’re going to put ads on your site, make sure that when they’re clicked they open in a new window. This is done by simply adding: target=”_blank” to any link away from your site.

Third, modern browsers like IE and Firefox now offer “Open link in new tab” and “Open link in new window” features. So while it is true that visitors may temporarily leave your site, it’s also true that they’d have to be morons to not be able to find their way back.

IF THEY WANT TO, which brings us to the next point.

Your site should be good enough that your visitor bookmarks it. Your branding should be good enough that your visitor remembers it. If neither of those are true, it’s not the fault of your advertising, is it? If your site is forgotten the moment your visitor leaves, it’s certainly not because your site has an ad banner.

Besides, nowadays, with the proliferation of RSS readers and social bookmarking sites, it’s even easier for your visitors to leave themselves breadcrumbs to your site.

2. Ads are distracting

Are they? Maybe, but is that the fault of the advertisement or your site?

If the ads are more interesting than your site and therefore “too distracting,” you’re either picking awful ads OR your site is flawed and needs:

Better content
Copy that looks good and scans well
Better branding and design

If a couple 125×125 ad buttons spell destruction for your site, there must be something else amiss, no?

To be perfectly clear about this, I do realize there are some really truly obnoxious ads out there. Some are so bad they may very well be the offspring of Jack Palance and Jabba the Hut. I’m not promoting throwing up any ad that’ll make you a few bucks.

I am promoting using some discretion when choosing the ads to display because, ultimately, whatever finds its way onto your site is your call.

And the excuse of being stuck in an ad network that only offers such slime doesn’t really hold much water either. In fact, as obnoxious as the ads are, they don’t pull great numbers. Such ads do your site and ad revenue a disservice, and you’d be much better off hand picking some classy and highly targeted ads for your audience.

3. Ads make you look greedy

This is one of the more dangerous of the arguments, as it’s sort of oppressive at its foundation.

Why shouldn’t you make money with your site? You put a lot of work into it. You’re offering good content. You’re helping others. You’re compiling advice from dozens of sites perhaps and making it available in one place. You’re shortening the runway for people to achieve their own success. Why should you not be paid for that? Receiving some sort of gain, income or sense of well-being for your work is far less oppressive than working for free. Communism doesn’t work with countries and it doesn’t really work on the internet either.

4. Ads are bad for your site’s SEO

No they’re not. Unless you format them incorrectly.

Search engines assume that a link on your site to another site is a vote in that site’s favor. If the search engine then finds that your sites are not really a suitable pair, your site’s ranking may be penalized.

The way around this is to simply include rel=”nofollow” in the link to the advertiser’s site and you’re fine. Search engines may still follow the link and even index the advertiser’s site, but they don’t assume YOUR link is a vote and so will not penalize you.

Why you should have advertising on your site

First and foremost, it’s a just reward. If you’re providing content or services of value, you should be paid. Anyone who’s worked at a job where production was rewarded with higher pay or fat bonuses knows this to be true. If you know you’ll be rewarded, you’ll put in the time. On the other hand is the person who is expected to work his/her butt off all year, with the potential of getting a twenty-five cent raise at review time. Where’s the incentive in that?

Being paid well and being offered rewards can very well light a fire and inspire you to do an even better job, provide even better content and go a step beyond what others in your niche are doing.

I remember more than a few sites that I really liked that one day just disappeared. All they left behind was a message along the lines of, “Sorry, folks. Financial pressures and costs have made maintaining this site a nightmare. Gotta go.” Advertising may have solved those problems, and those sites may very well still be around today.

How to pick the right ads

Now here’s a teaser for you. By now, I’m sure you’ve decided to start advertising on your site and make a bundle of money, yes? Well, I’m going to offer some ideas on how to go about that. You don’t want to go picking any old ad you can get your hands on. Even if it LOOKS good and doesn’t annoy, the wrong ad will be a waste of your site’s ad space and potential revenue.

That’s all coming up in the next post, so be sure to subscribe now and you won’t miss it!
 
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I sat down at the Blackjack table, pulled out a $20 and stuck it on the velvety green tabletop for the dealer to change. He gave me four weathered $5 chips, then neglected to wish me luck.

He dealt the cards and I won my first hand, earning another $5 chip.

While beginning to shuffle, the dealer the said, “I’ll get you the next hand.” He didn’t say it with humor or sarcasm, which I wouldn’t have minded one bit. He said it with that awful I’m-king-of-the-world tone possessed by people who enjoy throwing fast-food wrappers out their car windows.

I looked up at him with my eyebrows raised. Not so much from surprise at what he said, but because I’ve rarely had a Blackjack dealer talk to me at all. And I’ve never had a dealer say something other than “Nice hit,” or “Good luck,” or a well-placed “Sorry.”

The dealer noticed me giving him my best stink-eye, shrugged and said, “What? It’s true. It’s only the odds. The dealer usually wins.”

If you’re in customer service, think like your customer

Ordinary, once-a-year gamblers like myself don’t gamble to win. We gamble because it’s (sort of) entertaining. We gamble because it’s fun to think we might win. It’s the dream. It’s the hope. It’s the tension and getting there that makes it fun. Well, at least as fun as losing money while sitting in palpable cigarette smoke and feeling tumors blossom on your skin can be.

To the Blackjack dealer: I didn’t need a reminder. While a casino may indeed be the perfect locale for a math lesson or explanation of the odds, that’s not what I came for. I know gambling is rarely profitable and hadn’t come to win someone a college education.

I was there to bask in the possibility of it all and maybe have some friendly banter with the other suckers at the table.

Next time, remember you’re in customer service and don’t give your customer reasons not to do business with you.

To other business people who may be taking lessons from the Blackjack dealer: Your customer purchases from you because you’re feeding his dreams, no matter how minor or abstract they may be.

You may be selling him what to you is “just a website” or “just a finance book” or “just a hair cut.” But to him it’s a brand new start, a brand new future or the potential of a hot date.

Don’t remind him.
_______________

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They’d write me and I’d respond with ultra-classy emails such as: “I’m sorry for the short response, but I’m away on vacation until Sunday. I’d be more than happy to discuss your project with you when I return. Until then!”

One for one, without variance, each and every person wrote back and said something along the lines of “Thanks for the prompt reply! And on vacation no less! Enjoy your birthday.”

And one for one those potential clients each became actual clients. Now, only 3 hours into Monday, I’ve got $3400 worth of work lined up for next week. So far. No, that’s not a lot but it’s also not bad for a business that started in late 2007.

I don’t report on my finances much publicly. In fact, that’s the first time I’ve ever done it because people get weird when money is mentioned. They laugh in your face, or start sending you Costco palettes of Top Ramen, or get viciously jealous and steal the hood ornament off your Jag.

But that’s not the point. It’s not about the money. It’s about how you make money and how you live your life and why those two fit together in an inseparable fashion.

How did I win these clients? All I did was communicate. That’s it. It wasn’t even good communication. Not overly happy, not overly polite, not really even business-like. Just fast little emails that I wrote on my phone while squinting through the sun.

How do you solve a problem like Maria?

Communication.

Are you sensing a theme yet?

Communication works. It makes you money. It brings and keeps people together. It’s the only thing that really solves problems.

Ask yourself this question:

Am I communicating as I should be?

If the answer is yes, go get yourself a filet mignon and celebrate with some friends.

If the answer is no, go get a cheeseburger and find a park bench. Sit there and think over how to improve the communication lines of your business and personal life.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:

Our world moves very very fast now. Despite the technology that should only improve it, communication in life and business are suffering. So much so that good communication is no longer the rule, it’s the exception.

Placed right and on the proper channels, about 15 seconds of simple communication on your part can make a big big difference.

 
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