New Feature: Related Tags

The Infolinks Related Tags feature adds a unique In Text cloud within the content of a web page with carefully selected informational tags. These related tags are the most powerful keywords on the page and they perform similarly to In Text ads. When a visitor hovers over a tag, an Infolinks advertisement bubble appears and each click awards the publisher with additional revenues. Like with In Text ads, no space is required for this feature and no changes are made to the website layout. Here’s a first glimpse… (this image is taken from another website; to see it live, visit the In Text Ads Example Page)

Pilot Results: 30% Higher Revenues

Before offering Related Tags to its publishers, Infolinks ran it as a pilot on 200 websites selected to represent a general but varied population. Selection criteria included size, geographical area and site category. To ensure consistency, only websites with 6 months of stable earnings were allowed to participate. Data was collected and analyzed over a two months period. Comparisons were made between earnings before and after adding the Related Tags as well as the placement of the Related Tags on the web pages.

The results were surprising: not only did the Related Tags positively affect publisher earnings, it did so considerably. On average publishers who used the Related Tags feature increased their overall earnings by 30%.



In Text Position Matters

The position of the Related Tags clouds within the pages also had a substantial impact on earnings.  When the Related Tags were placed at the top part of the web page earnings increased by 35%, when placed in the middle a 20% increase and finally at the footer, a 15% increase.

A word from Infolinks: “By simply adding a small informational cloud to a website, online publishers can significantly improve the overall results. A small tweak can make a big difference. The Infolinks Related Tags feature has proven itself, it dramatically increased In Text advertising earnings and therefore we recommend In Text users to give it a try.”

A word from me: Well, it looks promising…!

Bloggers’ Concerns about In text Ads

By now, you already know what In Text ads are. Simply put, they are double underline links on your blog that upon a mouse hover open a bubble with an ad inside. When the mouse is moved away, the bubble disappears. Only upon a click, the reader is redirected to the advertiser’s landing page and you get paid. You should also know – by a quick Google search – that they can add on top of your Google AdSense earnings anywhere between 50% to 150%, depending on several factors. In Text ads are not merely an AdSense Alternative, they are an AdSense Supplement. If your blog is monetized well, you know this can be a lot of money. Then, what’s stopping you? From my experience, it can be one of the following reasons: (1) community objections; (2) poor past experience; or (3) emotional attachment to content. Let’s review them one by one.

Your Community will Not be Affected

“My returning readers and community are very sensitive to ads on my blog and I’m afraid they will object to in-text ads.” This is the most common concern among big bloggers and it can easily be mitigated. First, keeping the integration transparent and sharing with your readers the importance of the new ads for supporting your blog as a business should be enough. Second, from my past experience you will soon learn that only a tiny minority of readers would actually be bothered by the new links on the text; the double underline links don’t interfere with reading more than regular hyperlinks. Third, and most important, you can remove the ads for your sensitive community by either letting them opt-out through the ad network (this would place a cookie on their computer), or by setting the ads to appear only for search engine traffic or for users who are not logged-in. In Text ads are placed on numerous blogs and your readers are probably used to them, and for the few who are not, you can still offer the same content without the ads.

In Text Ads are Now Better. Much Better

“I tried in-text ads two years ago and was disappointed by low revenues and a script that slowed down my blog.” Well, Google AdSense wasn’t perfect on day one as well. Every new technology has to mature and in-text advertising has done so during the past two years. If you choose correctly among the leading in-text ads networks, you would be amazed by the improvements. Higher revenues, no slowing down, flexible control over the ads. You can easily set your ads to a minimal number of links, customize their graphic appearance, and even get 70% revenue share to guarantee significant earnings. If you tried in-text before, I recommend that you try it again to see the difference yourself.

Content and In Text Ads are Not Mixed

“I keep a strict dividing line between my content and paid-for ads.” This can be understood and it’s even important for the integrity of your content. But let’s face it, the contextual ads surrounding your content today are very tightly related to the content. Google AdSense is doing a remarkable job in making sure that the ads match the text. Why doesn’t this bother you? Because your readers know the difference between ads and content. This is also true about in-text ads, which are now served to over 500 million users every month, and online dwellers have grown to recognize them as ads. It could be that you’ve just worked so hard to produce your content, that you can’t bear the thought of external links on it. You’ve become emotionally attached to it. If this is the case, you can also set the ads to appear only on posts that are a few days old, and thus let the time difference heal your feelings.

Let’s Talk about In Text Ads on your Blog

I wrote before on how much you can earn with your blog. I tried answering objections to In Text ads. The past year has yielded amazing results with many thousands of bloggers integrating In Text ads. And yet, some big blogs haven’t joined yet. What’s stopping them? If you have additional ideas, please comment below. If you have a big blog yourself and you’re still not convinced, drop me a line through the About page – I’m looking for insightful discussions to learn more about this. If you take my invitation to talk about this, I’m willing to guarantee you a no-risk trial with thousands of dollars guaranteed in return. If you have a big blog, with 2 million page-views monthly, that number of $50,000 for your first year is a done deal. What do you say, can we talk about it?

WordCamp Chicago Speech

Good morning. I feel right at home here at WordCamp Chicago. My brother and his family live nearby, so I get to Chicago often. I have been using WordPress for my own blog OnlineSiesta.com, which celebrates its first anniversary this week. In fact, I fell in love with WordPress, and when my father asked me for help in setting up his own website about regenerative medicine, we did it with WordPress as well. It took my father less than a couple of hours to get the idea and his WordPress site now flourishes.

I’m here with a small team of two from Infolinks to celebrate the launch of our new WordPress Plugin. As part of this launch we will offer all of this weekend’s participants a small gift plus a special bonus worth $40, so please be sure to visit the booth outside to get yours. You can easily find us – simply follow the smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

In one sentence, the Infolinks WordPress Plugin places In Text Ads on your website –– those double underline links that upon a mouse hover open a small bubble with an ad inside. Now, I know, nobody likes ads on websites, but we don’t put them there for their mere beauty… these ads cover the costs of the website and can add an additional profitable stream of revenues.

If you have Google AdSense ads or any other contextual advertising solution on your site, then you’ve already acknowledged the need to monetize your content. But these flashy banners can be noisy and also, they may not pay enough. In Text links are harmless – very much like regular links on your content, they don’t interrupt the flow of reading – and they only open ads when your visitors actively express genuine interest.

Trying In Text ads used to be free. Now, we actually pay you $40 to give them a try. Also, if you’re offering a service to WordPress users, we have an attractive affiliate program. It took me less than a minute to install the new Infolinks Plugin on my blog and on my father’s website, and within a single day I could see my earnings accumulate. I invite you all to try it as well.

So, again, we’re here for the weekend and we’ll be happy to continue the discussion about In Text advertising. Please don’t forget to stop by the Infolinks booth with the cookies to collect your gift and bonus. Have a great WordCamp weekend!

Related Links to WordCamp Chicago

WordCamp Chicago Website

Infolinks In Text Ads WordPress Plugin

Regenerative Medicine at MyNewTherapy.com

Well, after several months of writing from my experience about In Text advertising, you can finally find double underline link ads on my site as well, and not only on the In Text Ads Example page. I will be looking forward to hearing any feedback you may have.

The In Text Ads Integration: Easy!

How easy or difficult was the integration? I was amazed. It took me less than a single minute to set it up and since the website was already approved (for the Example Page), the double underline links appeared immediately. I know, I sell such ads for a living and promote them… I told many people how fast and simple the integration is. But, having experienced it here myself, it was a very nice surprise to find out that the sales pitch is real.

The New WordPress Plugin

This blog runs on WordPress and to integrate the new In Text ads I have used the new WordPress Plugin from Infolinks. While it can be downloaded from the Infolinks website, I took an easier path. From the Plugins section on the WordPress dashboard I clicked on Add New, searched from Infolinks, and clicked there on The Official Infolinks Plugin. Then, I clicked on Install Now and after a few seconds, went to Infolinks Settings under the regular Settings area (on my dashboard it’s on the bottom left part). There, I entered my Publisher ID from Infolinks and the Website ID, and… well, that was it! I reload the blog and presto – In Text ads are live… within 24 hours, I will already have access to my earnings report. I will update

How would In Text ads look like on your very own website? You can now get a quick and easy preview by visiting AdsOnYourSite.com.

All you have to do there is enter your URL and a preview of your website with In Text ads will appear.

How Much Can I Earn with In Text Ads on My Site

This nice preview tool at AdsOnYourSite also gives you a rough estimation of your potential monthly earnings from In Text ads.

Disclosure: the AdsOnYourSite website is free to use but it’s operated by Infolinks.

The AdsOnYourSite Widget

AdsOnYourSite.com also offers a free widget that can be added to your website or blog by simply copying and pasting the html code. This free widget gives your visitors the opportunity to preview their websites with In Text ads and estimate their potential earnings.

Have you ever hovered over an in text ad double underline link only to find a bubble that offers to search more information about the highlighted term? This is a Search Bubble. When clicking on a search bubble, the visitor is lead to a landing page with search results for that certain highlighted term. Clearly, this is not exactly an advertisement, because the visitor is only offered search results and not more related content from an advertiser. But you do see quite a lot of these search bubbles among other in text ads… Where are they coming from? And more importantly, who pays for them?

Paying for Search

The publishers do get paid per click even when the in text bubble only contains a search link. In most cases, the advertiser is the search engine itself. In an online world dominated by Google, smaller search engines and niche search engines are forced to buy search traffic. In other words, to promote their search services, they pay for people to use them for search.

A good example for this is Microsoft’s Bing search engine. A relatively new comer with clear intentions to win market share over from Google, Bing is paying for campaigns to promote searches, trying to get people to appreciate their services and come back for more searches. Another example can be business directories or specialized niche search engines, which pay for initial searches, hoping for returning users later on.

This way, the in text ads network places search bubbles, but in fact, these are actual ads paid for by the target search engine. Therefore, in the eyes of the publishers, these are regular ads with standard pay per click model, while for the visitors of the websites, these ads simply offer more information in the format of search results.

Paid for Search Results

In addition to the search bubbles financed by the target search engines, sometimes the search bubble leads to search results that contain paid for results. The business model here is based on the potential revenues from visitors who click on the sponsored results.

Let’s clarify this with an example. Joe is looking for information about a certain disease through Google. He gets to a website with information about this disease and one of the possible treatments is highlighted with double underline as an in text ad. Upon a mouse hover, the opening bubble offers Joe to search more information about this treatment using a health related search engine. After he clicks, he lands on the health related search engine’s results page. These results are relevant to his search and he’s happy. He clicks on one of them from a local clinic that offers that treatment and becomes a lead for that clinic, a potential customer. The health related search engine paid 20 cents for that click. The in text ads network kept 30% of it, and paid the remaining 14 cents to the original publisher, which makes them both happy. Now, the health related search engine specializes in health clinics and was able to sell that ad to a local clinic for 70 cents. Again, both the search engine and the clinic are happy. The clinic for purchasing a valid lead for a price it was willing to pay, and the search engine for earning the difference between prices, in this case – 50 cents.

Search bubbles are sometimes condemned for being a tool for traffic arbitrage – publishers who buy cheap traffic in the form of run-of-network (RON) campaigns and transform it into revenues from higher paying ads. However, as shown in the example above, when handled correctly, all participants can be very happy with it. From the original website and visitor, through the in text ads network, and all the way to the search engines and their advertisers – all involved sides managed to earn from the transaction that got the potential customer and clinic in contact. And who knows, perhaps that in text search bubble would get Joe healthier.

Shopping Comparison Bubbles

One type of in text search bubbles is purchased by shopping comparison websites. While a publisher could get paid a little more for displaying an advertisement from the final online retailer, many online shoppers prefer going through a shopping comparison website that offers reviews of the product and price offers from different online retailers together with reviews of the retailers themselves.

This preference has lead to in text ads with shopping comparison search bubbles. Upon a mouse hover over a double underline link, mostly of a highlighted name of a product, the opened bubble will offer the visitor shopping comparison for that specific product. The target landing page will present the visitor with shopping alternatives and reviews. Due to the nature of in text ads that require the active permission of the visitor, shopping comparison websites find high conversion rates from such ads that bring visitors with good chances of purchase, which explains why they are willing to pay per click. Again, all sides are happy, from the publisher who got paid for the click, through the network and shopping comparison website, and on to the online retailer at the end of the line that gets a lead that has actively chosen to get there with high potential of purchase.

Happy People

So, the next time you see an in text ad with a search box inside it, either from a general search engine or from a niche information provider like a shopping comparison website, you can smile. True, this is not exactly an ad, but when managed correctly by the in text ads network, it creates a cycle of happy people.

In text advertising comes in many formats. The original and most recognized format for the hooks – the highlighted terms which carry the ad bubble – is the double underline. But there are other formats that could be more suitable for your website and it’s important to know the differences.

I already wrote a tip relevant to this topic: use a distinct format for in text ads. In text ads should be subtle enough not to interrupt uninterested readers, and yet they should send a clear signal to readers informing them about available additional information. Using a distinct format assists your visitors in determining whether or not they are interested in the advertisers’ content. Informed readers lead to clicks based on permission which in the long run helps achieving higher revenues from happy advertisers.

The double underline format has been in use as default by leading in text ads networks and with time has become the industry’s standard. Readers already recognize double underline links as standing for in text ads and they can make their choice: keep on reading uninterrupted, or hover with the mouse to learn more before they decide if they want to click on the advertisement. The double underline format is not in common use for anything else, which makes it a distinct and preferred format for in text ads.

The Evil Alternative: Single Underline Ad Links

In the earlier days of in text advertising, publishers where offered to set the ad links to appear with the regular single underline format. The justification was that readers complained that the then new double underline links were disturbing their reading. Consequently, readers where then clicking on the ad links without knowing that they lead to advertising landing pages instead of additional non-paid-for content. I call this the Evil Alternative because it contradicts the idea of permission marketing. When visitors are fooled into clicking, they tend to get angry and quickly leave both the advertiser’s landing page and the original website. Despite the short run increase in click through rate (CTR), after a short while the revenues from such ad links would drop as a result of advertisers refusing to work with a website that has high bounce rates. No advertiser wants to pay high pay per click sums for unintended clicks.

To avoid this unwanted result, the in text ad networks had to set single underline in text ads to require two clicks. The first click would only open the bubble – without charge to the advertiser and without payment to the website’s publisher. Only the second click, after the ad was opened within the bubble, would be counted for charges and payments. Although this was better than the unintended clicks, with this double click requirement, the number of paid for clicks decreased substantially and readers found the confusion between regular links and ad links quite annoying. Bottom line is that using the single underline format for in text ads on a website is in fact the evil alternative and it is not recommended.

The Positive Alternative: Other Distinct Underline Formats

Positive Alternative is a nice rhyme which already makes it interesting. Some website publishers simply don’t like the standard double underline format. They feel it doesn’t go well with their website’s design or that their visitors either disregard them or dislike them. While keeping the best practice of using a distinct format for ad links, they still wanted other graphical formats. And the ad networks agreed. Hence the dashed, zigzag or combined underline formats were thrown into the online advertising ring.

Instead of the standard double underline format, publishers can now choose other link formats that are still clear enough as being different than the regular hyperlinks. Ad links can be formatted as a dashed underline, a zigzag underline, or any combination thereof. In fact, they can come in many other graphical appearances as well. As long as readers understand that they are different than regular links, this works quite well. It should be noted that new visitors would not recognize the in text ads as such, since these formats are not the industry’s standard which they recognize from other websites. This usually means a higher rate of hovers and then clicks, which explains why this is the Positive Alternative. But then again, it may also annoy the visitors a little as a new type of interruption.

Bonus: Icons Next to In Text Ads

In the spirit of the search for balance between making the in text ads stand out and not interfering with the flow of reading, there is another bonus option: adding a small icon next to the highlighted term. Some of the leading in text ads networks allow publishers to insert a small icon next to the ad link. This icon can be anything from a tiny bubble symbol that signals to readers that there is a bubble waiting for them upon a hover, and on to an icon which is relevant to the ad’s content. For example, a tiny magnifying glass icon when the bubble only contains further search options. Adding such an icon may prove to be exactly what your visitors are looking for – a distinct format that helps them identify which link is a regular hyperlink and which link is in fact a paid for advertisement. However, some visitors find these icons to be a little too much for them when added within text.

Best Practice: Try and Try Again

With all these options of formats for in text ad links, the best practice would be to conduct some testing. You may start with the default of double underline links and then, after you have accumulated enough information, test the results with other formats like the dashed underline and adding an icon next to the links. You should monitor both the bottom line results and your visitors’ feedback until you find the balance best suited for your website. And then, after a while, you should probably run some further testing. That’s how it is with website monetization, the optimization process is ongoing. But it’s also fun.

After a few months with in text ads on your website, you will probably get used to the monthly payments and accumulated revenues. At this stage, many publishers tend to think of in text ads as a simple money machine. The integration was easy and after some optimization they require no maintenance. But then, sometimes the average earnings change – either up or down – and publishers hurry to ask: What happened? Before rushing into conclusions, it’s better to understand the industry in which in text ads networks operate. This can shed some light on revenue fluctuations. In text ads are not a merely money machine, they represent an entire online advertising market.

Three Market Factors

There are three main factors in the online advertising market that influence any website’s monetization. The first two stem from the human nature: both your visitors and the advertisers are after all real people with changing patterns of behavior that influence your earnings directly. The third factor has a more mechanical nature. As smart as they’ve become, the systems that manage in text ads have some limitations that also influence the levels of earnings. Let’s review these cycles one by one.

Online Advertising Cycles

The advertisers who buy online campaigns have cycles like any other advertiser. Most prominently, advertisers are subject to seasonal increases in advertising and of course to seasonal decreases. For example, in the US many advertisers spend much more around the shopping carnival that precedes the winter holidays around November and early December. Many website publishers experience a surge in earnings during these months. But then comes January and they see a decline in revenues. Before getting startled, simply remember that this is a living marketplace and when the shopping season is over, many advertisers also limit their campaigns. Some advertisers are linked to other types of seasons, like specific sports seasons. For example, if your website is suitable for ads related to a specific sport, you can expect lower revenues once the season is over.

Online Surfing Cycles

Just as advertisers have seasonal highs and lows, your website visitors also have repeated patterns of behavior year round. In addition to the shopping or sports seasons, you probably know that your website’s traffic changes with time. For example, during family oriented holidays, when people tend to spend more time with their families and less time in front of the computer, you may see lower volume of visitors and respectively, lower revenues.

But your visitors have additional behavioral patterns that are related to the method of website monetization. If you have a community of dedicated visitors who often return to your website, you might notice a slow decrease in click through rate (CTR) over time that would lead to lower earnings as well. The reason is obvious, once they get used to the double underline links, your visitors may tend to overlook them. When this happens, you should consider if this is perhaps good for the overall user experience, or alternatively, you may choose to change the links color or appearance, in order to attract new attention. The human eye is very sensitive to such changes.

Automated Campaigns Cycles

A third factor that influences your earnings is tightly related to the fact that the online advertising market is mostly governed by automated processes. While most systems try hard to spread budgets evenly over time, they can’t measure the spending every second. If a system is set to spread the budget evenly over a whole day, it would usually divide the budgets into hourly caps. But since there are no measurements every minute, within a single hour, there may be higher spending at the beginning of the hour, and once the hourly cap is reached, there may be a drop in spending until a new hour starts.

Similarly, many systems, including Google AdWords, offer advertisers as default to set a daily budget cap. For this reason, the beginning of the day may be more profitable for websites than the last few hours of the day. This phenomenon is most visible in the monthly cycle, where earnings in the last few days of a month could be lower than the monthly average, as many campaigns simply run out of money.

Why has my eCPM Decreased?

When you see a decrease in your daily eCPM, before getting startled, ask yourself whether this could easily be explained by one of these cycles. Has a shopping season just ended? Could it be the end of the month? In most cases, seasonal fluctuations are self explanatory when taking into account that in text ads are not merely a money machine, but are part of the online advertising market. Waiting a few days until the beginning of a new month or season would suffice in most cases and you will then see earnings going back up.

If you can’t identify a relevant cycle – from the advertisers, visitors or the automated systems – then it’s time to talk with your in text ads provider. Perhaps there’s something else. Sometimes an internal change or mistake requires taking care of. And in other times, it could be that some additional optimization is needed to get back on the natural waves of highs and lows. Understanding the seasonal peaks and valleys in your earnings graphs is a first step towards knowing when it’s time to act and when you simply need a little patience.

1. In Text Ads are Quiet

When reading content online, we all got used to reading continuously even when there’s a hyperlink over a few words. That’s how the Internet is built. The double underline links are no different. They don’t stop or disturb our flow of reading. As opposed to banners that tend to be graphically noisy with many colors and animation, and sometimes even literally noisy with sound, in text ads are subtle additions to the original content. As website publishers we strive to keep a good balance between content and “noise” and in text ads are a good choice in this regard. When most websites have Google AdSense units with flash objects within them, claims that in text ads are intrusive are already part of the Web’s history.

2. A Good Source for Additional Revenue

In text ads generate extra revenues from a website without affecting other sources of income. When considering your website monetization plan, remember that in text ads represent an additional source of income that can be as high as Google AdSense in some cases. Before flooding the website with complex affiliate programs and jumpy full-page ads, publishers should give in text ads a try. For many thousands of publishers, the stable monthly payment from their in text ads provider has become a corner stone of their website revenues.

3. The 1-Minute Integration of In Text Ads

Integrating in text ads into a website is so easy, that even I managed it myself. It can take less than a minute to simply paste a line of code into the website and that’s it – the in text ads are there automatically. This is one of the only money making additions to a website that does not require changes to the website or any development or IT work. Giving it a try and seeing the revenues accumulate is actually easier than writing a new post or updating your Facebook.

4. In Text Ads are Pay Per Click

Most in text ads are on pay per click basis (PPC) and the website publisher gets paid for every click. We sometimes put so much effort into affiliate programs with pay per lead (CPL) or pay per acquisition (CPA) models, that we forget the joy of PPC. Every visitor that clicked on an ad earns you revenues. Even the Google AdSense Link Units require two clicks to earn something, and many websites still use them. This is a clear advantage that calls for in text ads to come early in the game.

5. Focus on Good Content

I had this conversation with a major newspaper publisher regarding his online edition and he said that the authors claim that in text ads disrespect their editorial professionalism. A quick look on the website revealed a Double Click ad unit with a flash banner of a completely naked woman inviting the reader to have sex with her right now (from AdultFriendFinder). How can this lady’s offer be less disrespectful, I asked, than a double underline link over an important keyword within the content? He had to agree. In text ads complete and supplement good content and keep it in the main focus of the reader.

6. In Text Ads don’t take Real Estate

All web designers now follow the Apple approach of empty spaces and white areas to draw the readers to the actual content. Since they attach themselves to the content, in text ads don’t take any real estate on a website. As such, they leave the designer the option to choose where to place banners and where to leave some blanks for virtual air to flow through. This design benefit of in text ads is a major factor when comparing them to many other monetization and advertising methods.

7. In Text Ads are Relevant

In text ads are hooked on actual terms within the content and they are mostly relevant and supplement the content. Complaints about non relevant ads should be considered within the context. First, they are mostly much more relevant than the supposedly contextual banners around the text. And second, relevancy is in the eye of the advertiser. The great feedback from advertisers prove that the matching algorithms work well. By the way, when a top Alexa 1,000 website editor told me that she got a complaint from a visitor about a non-relevant ad, I had to tell her that it was great news. Receiving a single complaint out of many thousands of community members speaks strongly about the relevancy that the vast majority of visitors did find.

8. In Text Ads are a form or Permission Marketing

The marketing guru Seth Godin has set the stage for modern marketing by focusing advertisers on permission marketing: when a potential customer permits the advertiser to bring front his message, the potential for conversion is high. While most online advertising techniques try to interrupt people from their online activities, like TV ads do in the middle of a show, in text ads do not open unless the visitor expressly requested more information. The mouse hover is an intended action that reveals a small ad within the bubble, and then the click on it, being a second active request, represents double permission. As publishers, integrating in text ads means that you respect your online visitors by not interrupting them without genuine interest.

9. Advertisers Like In Text Ads

In text ads get high quality scores from advertisers. From my experience, since the visitor actually gives permission to get exposed to the ad, chances are high that he will be genuinely interested in the advertiser’s content. This is the next best thing after search ads, and advertisers that analyze return on their advertising budgets find in text ads to be rewarding. When advertisers are happy with in text ads, budgets grow, the payment per click increases, and the overall eCPM gets better.

10. Optimizing In Text Ads gets Real Results

While it’s true that adding in text ads on your site takes only a minute, there’s much more that you can do to improve your earning results. Consider the color, the format of the underline, the number of hooks, the location in the page, blacklist keywords, whitelist keywords… such improvements do take some work, but they can add up on your bottom line. When you analyze your eCPM and CTR and act according to some optimization tips (that you can find here as well), you can even double your revenues. Without a third party to optimize your ads, you can get better and this is an important factor for professionals.

10 Advantages and Counting

The more I work with in text ads, the more I’m convinced that this method of website monetization is highly beneficial to the three points of the triangle – publishers, advertisers, and readers. I’ve listed here the top 10 advantages of in text ads, but I’m sure that with time more benefits will emerge. Perhaps some problems too. I’m inviting you to join the conversation and contribute from your experience, and if you still haven’t gained experience with in text, it’s not too late to try. All you need is an extra minute.

Getting to know your audience is a major part of any plan to make money from a website. Now, it’s no secret that a visitor’s choice of a browser can tell something about the expected behavior. If you’re looking to increase your website earnings from in text ads, there are certain specific actions relating to your visitors’ browsers that you can take and that can make a difference. Analyzing general statistics from in text advertising results reveals a few interesting insights that I’m happy to share here.

Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari

This website monetization tip is based on browsing statistics of thousands of websites with integrated in text ads, focusing on the four major internet browsers: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome and Safari. Clearly, as with any statistical analysis, the lessons from this research are limited by being generalized and you might find that in your website visitors behave differently. And still, there is much to learn from information gathered over large volumes of traffic.

In the data used here, from a single day in December 2009, Explorer users counted for almost half of the page views, Firefox users represented 35% of the pages, Chrome browsers where used for 7% of the total traffic, Mac’s Safari users viewed 5% of the pages, and the remaining 3% of web pages where mostly viewed by Opera users. While web surfing behavior is different in India than it is in Canada, the data here was analyzed without referring to the location of the users. Also, while analyzing data from a longer period could tell us even more, in total, the data here included many millions of page views, which should be enough for reaching a few conclusions.

Targeting Safari Users can Earn you More

Mac users with the Safari browser seem to represent a unique group of users who’s often categorized as having a tendency towards graphic and design. In this analysis they represent a rather smaller group of users with two major differences from other users and with a promise for higher revenues.

The first finding is a little disappointing: the fill rate for Safari users reached only 75% of the general fill rate. The term fill rate here stands for the number of viewed pages where the in text ads script has managed to highlight double underline hooks, excluding business related decisions, so it only relates to the influence of technology. The explanation for the lower number of pages could be found in ad blockers or other scripts that interfere with the in text script, but other reasons could also be relevant. From the publisher’s point of view, this means that you should expect less page views with in text ads from these users, which could lead to lower earnings.

But there is a nice surprise from Safari visitors: they yield higher payment per click. In fact, the CPC paid by advertisers for clicks from Safari browsers was nearly 50% higher than the general cost per click. Why is that? It seems that Mac users are highly sought after by online advertisers and the competition drives prices up. These high prices compensate for the lower fill rate and the results from Safari users, measured by effective CPM, do get to the top levels of earnings. The conclusion is that targeting Safari users is a viable strategy for making money online, if you understand that they are limited in numbers from the overall online population and generate lower page volumes with in text ads. How to attract those pricy Safari users is a different story to be discussed elsewhere, but delivering content about Mac is a sure bet for doing so and getting high CPC clicks.

Internet Explorer is the King of In Text Ads Revenues

Visitors who use Microsoft’s Internet Explorer stand at the top of most categories relevant to earning more with the in text ads on your website. First, they represent the largest group of users, and while Explorer is losing market share to competing browsers, they are still leading. Second, they simply click more often. The click trough rate on in text ads measured for Explorer users is over 54% higher than for users of others browsers. Third, and most important, influenced by the high volume of clicks, the effective CPM from Explorer users is much higher than the expected website revenues from users of other browsers, and this is an understatement. In the data sampled here, the eCPM measured here was in fact 85% higher…!

Why does an Explorer user click more often on in text ads? The answer to this crucial question hides somewhere in understanding who these users are. Since most personal computers are still sold bundled with Microsoft’s Windows operating system and Internet Explorer browsers, using a different browser requires an active choice. It makes sense to assume that users who are less web-savvy won’t make that choice and simply stick with the default. Apparently, there is a direct correlation between your level of web expertise and your willingness to click on online advertising, or at least on in text ads.

The conclusions from this advantage of Explorer users can be taken into consideration on both the targeting level and the technology level or the type of integration you use. On the targeting level, delivering content aimed at users who are less “webby” could prove to be worth it, and it’s up to you to analyze what content they are looking for. From the technology aspect, a website publisher can prioritize in text ads for Explorer users, by identifying these users and then running the in text script earlier in the website’s loading or adding more hooks for them. When optimizing your website for higher monetization results, you can ask your in text ads provider for ideas on how to do that.

There are additional interesting differences among the different versions of Internet Explorer. For example, the newer the version, the higher the CPC. However, these results can be explained by external factors which are not directly related to the browser. For example, it could be that Microsoft manages to generate upgrades to the newer versions of Explorer faster in markets with higher broadband penetration, and such markets probably have stronger online advertising markets.

Firefox Users Generate Less Website Revenues

Firefox users earn less in text revenues for website publishers. This fact is not surprising if you think about who these users are. Making the active decision to switch from the default Explorer to Firefox is probably more common for users who have likes and dislikes about the web. These users click less, only about two thirds of the clicks from Explorer users. Firefox users install add-ons to block ads, they surf more and generate more page views than their respective percentage of the unique users and by doing do so may get more annoyed by ads, and there could be other reasons, but they all lead to this fact – they click less. As a result, the eCPM measured from visitors who use Firefox browsers is just a little over half than the eCPM from Explorer users.

Before any actionable conclusions, it’s important to realize this fact and understand that if your website typically attracts “webby” visitors with a tendency towards Firefox, your monetization results from in text ads will be lower. As for things you can do about it, my best recommendation would be to explain to such users the nature of in text ads. Make sure that your users know that the double underline ad links in your website are there to help you finance better content for them, keep it free when possible, and that they are much less intrusive than jumping banners. By clarifying the advantages of in text ads to their user experience, you may generate genuine interest in these ads and as a result get more clicks. This can easily be done by a sidebar link to an FAQ explaining the nature of in text ads; consider a link saying “Double Underline Explained” or something in this spirit. As for technological improvements, you can optimize the appearance of in text ads to match the taste shown by your Firefox users, and for this you need to first get to know them better and then use the flexibility from your in text provider.

Chrome Users Follow Firefox Patterns

Chrome users seem to follow the footsteps of Firefox users and the statistics of both groups are quite similar – they click less than Explorer users and yield lower in text ads revenues. The similarity of results for Firefox and Chrome users teaches that Chrome users are more or less the same users and the conclusions for Firefox users can be used here as well. Currently, Chrome users still represent a small group of users and it would be worthwhile to study them further as it grows and develops its own unique behavior patterns.

Earn More with In Text Ads

The bottom line is that getting to know the differences between visitors according to their choice of web browser could help you in increasing your revenues from in text ads on your website. There is still much to learn. For example, iPhone and other mobile phone browsers show other surfing patterns, but this seems to stem from the different user experience on the mobile phone, and not only from the choice of browser. Getting to know your website’s visitors and acting upon the findings to optimize the user experience and the in text ads integration is an important part of your website monetization plan. Even if you’re not ready yet for running different scripts according to the user’s browser, you should at least adopt the recommendation about explaining your users the nature of in text ads – it could help with Firefox and Chrome users, and for the long run, this should improve overall quality and results from all users.