How to Make Money Selling Ad Space on Your Website

Selling ad space on your website can put extra money into your pocket.

Selling ad space is a key factor in supporting your website. If your site gets a steady stream of visitors, you can earn money just by allowing companies to place ads on your site. You earn commissions based on the number of people who click the ads, and/or purchase the products advertised. You can sell ad space on your website using the do-it-yourself method: setting pricing, locating potential clients, and auctioning your ad space on sites such as Ebay. Using ad server software such as Ad Butler is necessary when using this method. You can also sell space using an easier method, pay-per-click, using Google adsense, Adbrite, or Commission Junction.

Things You'll Need

• A traffic-generating website
• Sparklit/Ad Butler account (optional)
• Ebay or other auction site account (optional)
• Google adsense account (optional)
• Adbrite account (optional)
• Commission Junction account (optional)

Instructions

Do-it-yourself Options

1. Determine the prices you will charge for selling ad space. You can charge a flat fee per month, or you can charge a set price per thousand page views. Also determine the size of the ad space, location, and whether you are selling space for graphic banner ads or text links. (Reference 1)

2. Install ad server software that helps you track statistics for a particular ad running on your site. The statistics gathered will also help the advertiser determine if it's worthwhile to continue to pay for ad space on your website. There are many ad server providers to choose from. You can research services provided by Ad Butler, and pricing information. A link to Ad Butler's site is located in the resources section below.

3. Post information about your site in webmaster forums such as www.webmasterforums.com and www.webmaster-talk.net. Many webmasters frequent these forms for assistance with web design, site monetization, hosting, etc. After creating a user account with these forums, you can create a post letting the community know that you are selling ad space on your website. Include some of your website's statistics in your post (and make sure you're able to prove your stats) so that potential advertisers can determine whether it's worthwhile to pay for ad space on your site.

4. Join a site that has a network of buyers and sellers of ad space. Some of these networks may have certain requirements before allowing you to join, such as page rank requirements, traffic, etc. Gotadspace.com, which connects buyers and sellers of ad space, is one of many sites where prospective clients can be found.

5. Auction off your available ad space on Ebay or one of many other auction sites. Auctioning your ad space will give you the potential to advertise your ad space and market your website to a large number of prospective clients.

Pay-per-click Options

1. Create a Google Adsense account. Google Adsense allows you to place text or image ads on your site based on its content. You will receive a commission based on cost-per-click, or cost per 1,000 impressions.

2. Create an account with Adbrite. Adbrite is another site that connects buyers and sellers of ad space. Adbrite offers a variety of ad formats, such as full-page ads, britepics, and inline ads.

3. Create an account with Commission Junction, which helps you earn money for your ad space through a combination of affiliate marketing and pay-per-click advertising. Signing up is easy: you can have ads live on your site within minutes.

References

• Problogger: How much should I charge for my advertising space?

Resources

• Webmaster Forums
• Webmaster Talk
• Ad Butler
• Google Adsense
• Adbrite