AdSense and In-Text Ads

[EmptyRoom]

A few questions:

1. Why doesn't AdSense implement in-text ads? Any ideas?

2. I've been using a combination of AdSense and Infolinks for a while. A fellow webmaster recommended me Kontera instead of Infolinks. Does anyone here use Kontera? Do you perhaps know how it performs compared to Infolinks?

3. Whichever ad provider I use, they seem to load "forever" -- meaning that they considerably slow down the loading time. Any way to prevent this?

Thanks a bunch.

[Lame_Wolf]

1. Why doesn't AdSense implement in-text ads? Any ideas?

Because they are crap?
I'd never use them. They are a PITA for the user.

2. I've been using a combination of AdSense and Infolinks for a while. A fellow webmaster recommended me Kontera instead of Infolinks. Does anyone here use Kontera? Do you perhaps know how it performs compared to Infolinks?

Sorry. I only use Adsense.

3. Whichever ad provider I use, they seem to load "forever" -- meaning that they considerably slow down the loading time. Any way to prevent this?

Doubtful. Have you tried them on a dedicated server?

[JohnNZ]

In answer to 2

I have used both, I think Kontera first - neither performed very well. Didn't seem to impact on Adsense income though. Have removed them now. Neither seemed very well targeted.

E.g. not a specific example but you get the idea
"I went a for a long car drive yesterday" - drive would be highlighted with ads for hard drives :-/

As a web user, I don't like them which is probably why I got rid of them, rather not have the minimal income they provided and have a cleaner page.

[Clarence]

Google Link Units are kind of like the equivalent of in-text ads.

Google doesn't use in-text ads because it's the opposite of their business model. Each Google Ad Unit is in competition between advertisers. That competition, and Rank in the ad unit "1st, 2nd, 3rd" is what increases their income. This isn't the same using in-text ad which has no ranking.

Info link is terrible Kontera is even worst, and Adbrite in-text links are full of spam.

The best in-text advertiser is Vibrant Media. Yesterday I made $40.57 from 1,600 visit and 2,700 page views, with Google I made $106.61, So that's almost half of my Adsense earning.

Also don't believe the hype, users don't hate in-text ads! They are just like any other ad unit, and sometime the in-text ads provide your visitors with value.

But get away from Infolinks, it's terrible.

Since the price of Adwords has been increasing, Advertiser have been looking for Alternates and a lot of respectable advertiser are trying in-text advertising.

And when you compare, that for around the same amount of clicks on my website advertisers paid under half the price vs Adwords for in-text ads, they are getting a Good deal.

For me it increases my income and allows me to diversify my income sources.

[EmptyRoom]

Clarence, I heard about Vibrant Media, but I also heard that it is very hard to get an account. Apparently they only accept sites that receive 500k+ visitors per month. I'd love to have an account there, but since it seems impossible, I have to use Infolinks or Kontera.

[ember]

I was using Kontera and they did well until they suddenly didn't. Support said they all of sudden did not have enough inventory for my site, even though its topic is broad and popular. Now using Infolinks and the ads are doing better than Kontera ever did.

[kemcar]

Getting 500k+ visitors is a very big thing for any small tme business. And I too agree that maybe Vibrant Media is generating better revenues but it is not easily accessible even. And as far as the question of in-text ads go, none of the providers are good to be true.

[Kontera]

Hi guys,

This is Jonathan from Kontera. Empty Room, Kontera generally performs better thanks to our Content Activation Platform which delivers more relevant ads and because of our exclusive ads inventory from some of the biggest brands in the world.

However, and this speaks to ember's point, because our ads are geo-targeted, it will depend on if your content is in a topic our advertisers are targeting, and if your readers are in regions our advertisers are targeting, if you experience the same level of differentiation most publishers see.

Regarding load speed, that's not an issue with Kontera, as by default Kontera is the last element of a page to load.

[Clarence]

You're right Vibrant does require around 500k impression "I think" a month, and this doesn't have to come from a single website. I have 8 websites so the traffic combined reached that per month when I applied 2 years ago.

But you could possibly email them. When I first applied I wasn't doing 500k a month, but I emailed them, told them i made X on Adsense, and someone recommended them to me and I wanted to switch from info links.

I was approved in like 24 hours.

But Vibrant is diff from Adsense, Each code is specific to a single site, and every new site you have to request a new code. But the beauty is, the in-text ads aren't general, they are specific to your site, because they put you sites into a category "Travel, Auto, Finance, etc". So the ad are very relevant, but each site requires a manual review and Vibrant does the categorization of your site.

So I would say Apply, Then email and let them know that you monetize with Adsense and Infolink and looking to earn more.

I think they set their standard high to prevent all the spammers. The problem with infolink and Kontera is their standard are so low, and anyone get's in. So the spammer get in, put the ad on scammy site, or click on their own in-text ads, and the Good advertiser leave.

If your site get OK traffic, isn't spammy, and earn $1,000 plus per month from Adsense they will def let you in, that' more money for them.

[Kontera]

Hi Clarence, Kontera only accepts publishers with quality content. Additionally we have extremely advanced click fraud detection, so losing advertisers isn't an issue. We continue to work with some of the biggest brands in the world including MacDonald's, Microsoft, L'Oreal, GM, ABC, Sprint, and more.

[jpch]

Yesterday I made $40.57 from 1,600 visit and 2,700 page views, with Google I made $106.61

IMO that's a really nice Page RPM.

[nomis5]

The best in-text advertiser is Vibrant Media. Yesterday I made $40.57 from 1,600 visit and 2,700 page views, with Google I made $106.61, So that's almost half of my Adsense earning.

Similar proportions for me (September aside which is appalling for Vibrant). But beware of depending on Vibrant or any of the in text advertisers because in text advertising does not work on mobiles. You are therefore using an advertisement method which will provide quickly declining income.

All the in text advertisers have been aware of this for some time and no solution has been forthcoming.

[IanCP]

@Kontera

This is Jonathan from Kontera

Jonathan, as a long time participant in your modest programme?

Might I suggest you learn from a myriad of other programmes who pay by some version of EFT? AdSense and CJ spring to mind.

All put money in the bank BEFORE then end of the month, not around the 8th of the following month.

Just an annoying niggle, no big deal but tells me a whole lot about the respect you have for participants in your programme.

Just a heads up Jonathan.

[maldenmark]

I started using Adsense in April of this year and we are pleased with the results even though our CPC is pretty weak (due to the content of the site and our demographics). We recently began experimenting with other networks in addition to Adsense.

My questions are as follows:

1. While I realize that Adsense limits us to three 'banner type' ads, how many ads in total, including other networks, are considered too much per page? By 'page' I am referring to what can be viewed at any one time on a normal-sized full screen laptop or monitor.

2. We are considering adding 'link unit ads' to our inventory as well.... What is considered an average CTR for these ads'... and do any of you recommend these over some of the other networks you have had luck with?

Thank in advance for your help. I joined this forum last night and couldn't put myself to bed due to the great information here!

[EmptyRoom]

A report: I replaced Infolinks with Kontera for 2-3 days... and the change was significant. Infolinks earns 200% more. Needless to say, I rolled back to Infolinks.

[atladsenser]

I was using Kontera and they did well until they suddenly didn't. Support said they all of sudden did not have enough inventory for my site, even though its topic is broad and popular. Now using Infolinks and the ads are doing better than Kontera ever did.

Ember, I had the very same experience you did. Kontera was doing fantastic for me until just 2 or 3 months ago -- I was making four-digit earnings most months -- until it suddenly dropped off the table, to pennies and nickels per day. When I asked the folks at Kontera, I was told the same thing -- the inventory was just no longer there for my site's topic area, and they didn't see that changing in the foreseeable future. I've removed them and AdSense seems to be doing better.

I'd be willing to try another in-text provider -- though for me, I have tried Vibrant in the past and they didn't perform nearly as well as Kontera did for me. Could just be the advertisers they had at that moment, who knows?

Nomis5 is right, though -- their ads don't work well with mobile devices. If you look at Kontera's site now, in-text ads aren't emphasized nearly to the degree they once were -- they offer more of a full portfolio of ad products now, whereas in-text was once promoted as their main bread-and-butter product. I imagine mobile is a big part of the reason for that.

[ken_b]

I've been using Kontera In-text for several years.

A couple months ago they started promoting their new In Image ads (maybe not the exact name). I asked a few questions, still waiting for an answer, 2 MONTHS later.

I'm thinking about just taking them off the site entirely.

Other intext type networks have contacted me over the years with their equally goofy promises of "up to" some apparently unrealistic CPM, but when pressed to put that number in the contract.....

well no they couldn't do that.

[Kontera]

IanCP, I appreciate your feedback. The way we pay publishers is dictated by our internal Accounting department, and unfortunately we can't alter the schedule for individual publisher preferences. I assure you it's not meant as a slight of publishers in any way, it has more to do with nuts and bots accounting decisions.

EmptyRoom, Kontera can take up to 24 hours for ads to first appear and up to 14 days for our algorithm to fully optimize your content. Additionally, Infolinks in it's current configuration also places ads in areas traditionally used by AdSense. Which is totally fine but given that it takes up like 3 times as much ad space for most publishers, comparing it to Kontera + AdSense earnings might be a more accurate comparison. I honestly don't know which would be the best for you, but it would be impossible to tell from a 2 day test.

Ember, atladsenser - having good Kontera earnings does depend on having relevant campaigns for your content. I'll give you an example, during the Olympics we had some great campaigns for some UK sites we wouldn't normally be a good match for. We were very upfront about the finite nature of these campaigns and when they ended, we parted amicably with those publishers. Campaigns start and end all the time and we try to be very honest with publishers if Kontera is a good match for them.

atladsenser, while it's correct we started as an in-text company that's currently only one of the products we provide. Speaking to Nomis5's concerns, we by far have the best advertising solution for mobile in comparison to other providers traditionally associated with in-text. Our ads our fully optimized for all Android and iOS devices. As reported in an infographic that's been making the rounds the last couple of days, 22% of the content consumption on Kontera sites, now occurs on mobile devices.

ken_b regarding In Image ads, I'm sorry we didn't get back to you earlier. If you e-mail me at [e-mail] I'd be happy to answer your questions.

[atladsenser]

We were very upfront about the finite nature of these campaigns and when they ended, we parted amicably with those publishers. Campaigns start and end all the time and we try to be very honest with publishers if Kontera is a good match for them.

Kontera: If that's the case, then why the one-year contracts for publishers with a 30-day notice to remove Kontera in-text ads from a site?

[Kontera]

Hi atladsenser, I think we're talking about two different types of contracts, the ones I was referencing were more 2-3 month contracts with the end date agreed upon from the beginning. However, I think the same principles are involved in your example as well, in both instances we're either trying to give or get advance noticed of changes in the business relationship.