Frank Schulte-Ladbeck

Monetizing a site beyond what your small business offers can be a way to generate more income.

To discuss how to monetize your site beyond the offering of your small business will be handled by another post. However, since I touched upon my Advertising page in the post about a privacy policy, I thought that I would go over this page too.

There are many ways to advertise on your site, and it may be wise to consider what your policy will be. By listing a link to another site, you are effectively advertising it. When you mention a product that you use or sell, you have advertised it. You may think that you will never put up ads on your site, but many shops conduct advertising. Take a look at a grocery store. You will find ads in a holder on the shopping cart, in banners and displays in the aisles, and on monitors at the check out. Your site also offers such opportunities. Advertising is worth considering, but as mentioned, writing about a product, providing a link, or showing a picture of a product is a form of endorsement/advertising. To keep the trust of your visitors, they should understand what motivates you to provide this information.

What is your advertising goal, and what do you find acceptable? There are different forms to an Advertising page. Some websites focus on establishing their authority by giving their PageRank value, along with other metrics. Some explain to you what they will sell you, and how much it will cost. If you look at my Advertising Policy, you will see a page that discusses what I will and will not do. My concern is that a site user will understand what I am trying to accomplish, while giving potential advertisers a cue to what they can expect. Look at the links in my blogroll to discover how differently sites can handle this page. I would suggest going over mine. I cover the basic means that a person can advertise on my site, and how I deal with it.

You should think about an Advertising Policy before or shortly after setting up your site, because you will be contacted. When you are starting, the most common type of advertiser will be a person looking to build links to their site. I currently have one SEO (search engine optimization expert) wanting me to list a particular site. This case is interesting, because she is identifying herself as a concerned citizen, who believes that my adding of this link will be of benefit to my readers. She has forgotten that she contacted me previously. I like the SEO who is honest about what he is attempting to accomplish, because they are typically willing to link back to you. I also have been contacted by companies. In one case, I discussed a particular product, and a firm called me to say that they also made that product, would I include them as a link? Would I review their product? A few times they contacted me without informing me that they worked for the firm that they were suggesting. My point is that anyone contacting you out of the blue claiming to be a reader of your site, and they think that including information about a specific brand, should be suspect. (Maybe they really have nothing to do with that firm, but it is better to be safe).

Advertisers will sneak their marketing onto your blog through the comments. Spam is common to blogs, but there are advertisers who look for posts that are related to their product. The worst case is a pure ad which provides no furthering to your post. The best is a firm which gives more content to your site through the answer, helping your clients. The questionable are firms that make a general comment, but they are not really marketing or adding to the site. If you obtain the comment “nice post”, “good site” or similar, they were looking for the link back to their site that your comment section allows. Sometimes the comment is general; however, it is not a prepackaged phrase. If I find their site acceptable, and it does not seem that they were simply looking for the link, I go ahead and approve the comment.

With those facts in mind, create your own advertising policy for your site. You may copy mine. It would be nice if you give me a link as a form of credit though. Do not copy another sites policy, unless they are giving you permission to do so. Should you include a lawyer to draft a policy? With the privacy policy there may have been a need, but with the advertising policy, I do not think that it needs to be taken that far. You need to understand what is an ad, and what you feel should be your stand on that type of ad. I should include here that you should consider payment options. When you barter for a service, like exchanging an ad space for a product, you have transacted a deal that the law does oversee. This may be were an accountant’s advice is better than a lawyer’s. If you are receiving gifts for advertising, then you will be expected to pay taxes on the income (the amount of the gifts) when specific values are reached. The Federal Trade Commission is currently looking into link advertising and how sites indicate that these are ads, so stricter rules may apply. All the more reason to develop your advertising policy early, even when you do not think that you are advertising.

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