Looking for opinions on how to best monetize this ad space.

[Perfection]

I have a site that averages about 10,000 unique visitors per day (anywhere from 7k to 15k depending on the day of the week or the time of the year, but about 10k unique visits on average).

It is NOT a forum, if that matters. It's pretty much just articles about one specific subject.

It currently earns revenue through Adsense. There is one ad unit at the top of each article, and another at the bottom (longer articles have another in the middle somewhere).

However, above every article in the header of the site (at the top of everything else) is the logo. To the right of the logo is space for a 468x60 banner ad.

This space is currently not used. I've tried some affiliate banner stuff there before, but it didn't really earn much. Adsense didn't do so great there either (especially compared to how it does in the spots I currently have Adsense in).

I'm kind of running out of ideas, but I'm beginning to think some form of CPM advertising might work best in this spot.

So, I guess what I'm wondering is, does CPM seem like my best option here? And, if so, what are the best/most recommended CPM networks?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[eljefe3]

That or you could put in some related affiliate links that were text and not banners. Test whether the cpm banner makes you more or the affiliate links make you more. Of course if you found some nice sites that were compatible with yours and they wanted to rent some real estate there.............:)

[Admaster]

10,000 uniques per day should be bringing in a decent level of income for you. What kind of niche are you in? The trick is to use ad formats that mix in well with your colour scheme and the environment. I would suggest using google ads first down the right side of the page and then also simple text ads in the middle of articles. Ads that have text around them seem to do well. I have 22 sites and get around 8% click through rate. If you can achieve 5% from 10k then 500 clicks at say $0.20 will add up. After you test the adsense ads, you can then create key menu pages and build traffic to these. You can then sell these at a premium to companies who will be prepared to sell you a set fee per month. You should also come up with a nice media pack and possibly a video intro with screen shots. This has worked for me. I advise website oweners and webmasters about advertising and I am happy to help. Good luck with everything. All the best.

Admaster