Are Ads Polluting Your Green Site?There is nothing worse than coming to a green site that is fully ‘sponsored’ by dirty fossil fuel ads. You’d be surprised how often it happens. And it turns my stomach every time I see those ads competing with the hard work that went into curating important environmental editorial content — and all they had to do was to target you through Google Adsense for a less than the cost of a Starbucks coffee for a thousand impressions. Or, worse yet, publishers might not get paid anything to display the ads because they are using the pay-per-click model and no one in this audience is actually interested in what Chevron will do with oil from the Canadian tar-sands. The fact of the matter is that, for better or for worse, the ads you allow on your site are part of your content and by extension, a reflection of your brand. This may not seem intuitive to people who spend most of their time hard at work editing articles and blog posts until they are just right, but from a vistor’s perspective, it’s true. Visitors are influenced by the ads on your site just the same way that they are influenced by the editorial content on your site. And when a reader comes across your professional, vibrant, green-living website with a giant tar-sands ad on the home page I guarantee it isn’t giving off the impression you were hoping for. So, like any other content on your site, the ads you showcase should be useful, relevant, current and look good. They should provide a quality experience and, above all, they should complement your content. Here is the deal. To give your readers the quality experience they deserve, you have to hold your advertisers to the same — or higher — standards that you apply to your editorial product. Don’t let a third-party reflect badly on you or your brand. Especially if you are not generating any significant revenue doing it. I know, easier said than done when you spend most of your time on creating quality content. But, if you really want to grow and sustain that conversation you are having with your readers, advertising is a critical part of your site’s success. So don’t leave it unattended and allow it to wreck what you have spent a lot of time and money building. Here at 350 Media we believe the ads on your site should help tell your story; any content you publish (including ads) should speak to your reader and the relationship you want to build with them. As a network for green marketers and publishers we accept only qualified environmental companies in order to deliver the highest quality advertising experience for you and your readers. You’ll never find a tar-sands ad placed by us on your site - unless of course it’s a Tar Sands Action ad that is working to stop the building of pipelines. Bottom line: If you’re trying to attract readers and generate revenue with advertising, don’t drive your readers away from your site with annoying, inappropriate garbage ads that yield neither sufficient revenue nor reader loyalty. If you don’t have time to manage your ad inventory and fully monetize it with quality ads allow 350 Media to help you. It’s money well spent. It will be money well earned. And it’s content and product you can feel proud to show off to the rest of the world. Sign up today to work with us and take the headache out of seeing bad ads polluting your website in 2012!
Bioenergy,
Geothermal Energy,
Green Power,
Hydropower,
Hydrogen - Fuel Cells,
Ocean Energy,
Other,
Solar Energy,
Wind Power,
Energy Efficiency
The information and views expressed in this blog post are solely those of the author and not necessarily those of RenewableEnergyWorld.com or the companies that advertise on this Web site and other publications. This blog was posted directly by the author and was not reviewed for accuracy, spelling or grammar.
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