Amazon CPM Ads: A Possible Alternative to Google AdSense

[Clarence]

From Amazon Publisher page:

What is Amazon CPM Ads?
Amazon CPM Ads is a display advertising program that enables you to show ads from Amazon and other premium advertisers on your web site(s). You will be paid on a cost per thousand impressions (CPM) basis for each ad impression served.


\Note: Other Premium Advertisers.


How does Amazon CPM Ads differ from Associates Banners, Widgets, and Product links?
Amazon CPM Ads offers the following benefits:
Cost-per-thousand impression monetization that gives you the opportunity to earn revenue from every impression.
Display ads from Amazon and other premium advertisers.
Set your target CPM and you will earn a monthly CPM that is guaranteed to be at or above your target for the ad impressions we fill. Any unsold impressions will be sent to your existing ad network via the passback feature.
You only need to integrate the ad code for Amazon CPM Ads once. Ads are automatically updated to stay fresh and relevant to your users.


This could be a hugh benefit to Adsense Publishers. I'm getting ready to test it out.

[IanCP]

Even with a fill rate of around 28% the critical question I would ask is?

How does the eCPM earned from Amazon compare to your likely eCPM from AdSense?

In other words, would you allocate real estate to Amazon at the expense of AdSense?

Back in June, 2003 I did the exact opposite. I replaced ads for Amazon products with AdSense.

Even today I'm unlikely to reverse it, let alone allow Amazon CPM ads.

[coachm]

my fill rate is about the same

[Clarence]

IanCP This isn't an Amazon Vs Adsense Things.

It's not a zero sum game where Only One can have the space.

Amazon could be used as an addition Ad unit paying per impression.

And Amazon CPM is different from the typical Affiliate Banner.

[Swanny007]

How does the eCPM earned from Amazon compare to your likely eCPM from AdSense? In other words, would you allocate real estate to Amazon at the expense of AdSense?

My Amazon CPM is higher because I took the existing AdSense CPM and put it in the box that asked for a minimum CPM when generating the code. It shows Amazon's ads if it can beat that amount, and if not, AdSense is my backfill.

So... if I lower my CPM I should see a higher fill rate. I'm not interested in doing that.

[Pennywise]

Does anyone know I can implement advertising on my website Amazon movie?

[netmeg]

Sorry, I don't understand the question.

[IanCP]

Amazon could be used as an addition Ad unit paying per impression

Except that would, in my case above, violate my first rule:

Do not annoy my visitors.

To explain for those who don't know me. My educational sites existed long before the word monetising came into my vocabulary.

Because I was now retired, I couldn't afford the ever increasing bandwidth due to my site popularity and escalating traffic, I had to do something. Because I had recommended books to read, someone suggested I join the new Amazon programme. Jeff Bezos only sold books back then.

The commission on book sales covered all my outgoings with a bit left over for the occasional nice dinner.

There was no real advertising in the generally accepted sense, there still isn't. There never will be.

Five years later AdSense came along. I watched it for one week, and because of real time reporting I was induced to swap my Amazon book recommendations above the fold with AdSense. All done swiftly by changing one SSI file.

The rest is of course history. The next full day of AdSense equalled nearly one month of Amazon commissions.

In short? I still have one AdSense above the fold and little else. I still have Amazon links around my site where appropriate.

I'm in the education business, not the advertising business where I generate content like a newspaper to simply justify advertising.

In other words? I will not inflict more than one ad space on my visitors. My code of conduct, my choice.

If money was a dominant consideration to me, I'd go back to work as a consultant, across a number of disciplines, at some obscene daily rate. But then I'd likely have to cope with idiots, and this 72 year old is a real curmudgeon.

Sorry to be long winded.

[Clarence]

IanCP

Doesn't sound like your site/philosophy would be a good fit for this type of program.

There are many variety of Advertising Models and it depend on the site/subject/attitude of the webmaster.

* Pay Per Click
* Pay Per Impression
* Pay Per Lead
* Pay Per Action
* Joint Venture
* Content Marking
* Branding
* And many more

Many different Goals and strategies.

If a strategies doesn't fit you, it wouldn't be a good idea to try it.

So i would have to say, The Amazon CPM model doesn't fit your strategy and philosophy, but you already knew that....


But it does fit many other Webmaster's Goals/Strategy/Philosophy

So I think this program would be more suited for them.

[Swanny007]

Well I'm on day 10 of my experiment. Fill rate is still low at about 33% today, however my CPM has gone up 74% and daily earnings have nearly doubled since the first two days. It is single digit $ earnings per day but I'll continue to give them a chance. I sent them feedback with my opinion and suggestions.

[Clarence]

My earning are looking good PLUS it's extra money. I put an Ad on the side bar below all other ads "near comment section" and a few Banner on page that don't get much traffic, and I'm earning real money.

Cool addition to Adsense. As of now I wouldn't remove an Adsense unit to replace it with Amazon, BUT I would add an Addition Ad-Unit to earn more.

I'm noticing that Amazon ad don't affect Adsense CTR, so it's free money from CPM.

Next week I'm going to roll out an addition Amazon Ad unit to all my websites.

I also notice that the 300x250 work better for me, Anyone else notice that?

[Clarence]

My earning are looking good PLUS it's extra money. I put an Ad on the side bar below all other ads "near comment section" and a few Banner on page that don't get much traffic, and I'm earning real money.

Cool addition to Adsense. As of now I wouldn't remove an Adsense unit to replace it with Amazon, BUT I would add an Addition Ad-Unit to earn more.

I'm noticing that Amazon ad don't affect Adsense CTR, so it's free money from CPM.

Next week I'm going to roll out an addition Amazon Ad unit to all my websites.

I also notice that the 300x250 work better for me, Anyone else notice that?

[Swanny007]

Hmmmmm I should try the 300x250 with AdSense as the backfill, I've only tried the 728x90 and am pleased that it out-performs AdSense in my forum.

Clarence, what is your fill rate with that size ad?

[Clarence]

My fill rates is different for an unit sizes:
728 x 90 is 87%
300 x 250 is 49%

[Swanny007]

My Amazon CPM fill rate is below 20% the last few days. Things have really dropped off, I'm going to guess due to the new year and companies not renewing their ads just yet.

[spook2992]

Might be good in niches where websmiths have a hard time getting an adsense click, like some tech niches.

I think that a combination of Adsense and this would be good, especially if you could add it to forums!

[IanCP]

Might be good in niches where websmiths have a hard time getting an adsense click, like some tech niches.

I run a technical educational site, and I'm quite pleased to see that the "big names" are now using AdWords on content sites. "Big names" people would recognise and want to see what's on offer.

Several years ago it was only the smaller players in Blue Widgets, now I see on my sites the big name distributors of Blue Widgets.

One even offered me an account via CJ. I keep reminding myself to do something about that, BUT like Amazon 18 years ago, they are essentially only using you to build up their customer base. That was how Jeff Bozos [sic] became established.

With both "Big Name Widgets" and Amazon, any repeat business will only be entirely based of "site loyalty" of your visitors.

Being a ready technical reference guide for repeat visitors helps enormously.

As for Amazon displaying Google type Ads on my sites? I would need an enormous amount of convincing.

Improbable springs to mind.

[jpch]

They banned one of my sites and didn't even have the common courtesy to tell me that they did it or why. Ads just stopped showing and at first I thought it was a glitch with their reporting. I contacted their support and they said site was banned so no ads were being shown.

[netmeg]

My state is heading towards an internet tax, which means Amazon is probably going to kick out all the Michigan affiliates, which means I probably won't be able to try this either.

[getcooking]

I just got on the wait list for the cpm ad program with Amazon. Anyone been on the wait list and actually get into the program?

For those serving the cpm ads, are you using an ad server? I'm curious if the low fill rates being talked about are because the ads aren't targeted accordingly (such as US only, desktop users, capped per user, etc) or if it's just poor fill overall.

[Swanny007]

are you using an ad server?

No, AdSense is my backfill through Amazon CPM. Amazon gets priority, if they don't fill the space, they serve my AdSense code. Win-win.

[EditorialGuy]

I'd be interested in trying the Amazon CPM ads, but the network is limited to U.S. publishers, which suggests that it lacks the global reach of AdSense.

[Swanny007]

but the network is limited to U.S. publishers

I'm not from the US (think:colder norther) and I'm using it, it just showed up in my account so I got started.

[EditorialGuy]

I'm not from the US (think:colder norther) and I'm using it, it just showed up in my account so I got started.

Maybe Amazon's FAQ needs updating:

Who is eligible to participate in Amazon CPM Ads?
Amazon CPM Ads is available by invitation to select US Associates.

Or maybe someone at Amazon thinks everything between Alaska and the Lower 48 should be part of the U.S.A. :-)

[Broadway]

You're right Netmeg. To participate even in the CPM program you have to be an affiliate. And the affiliate program TOS says you can't be a resident of one of the internet tax states. Unfortunately for me I am.

[fumanchu]

It's still early days with Amazon's CPM ads, but I have been very pleased indeed. I am an affiliate so I have access to the program. I have mine set to $1.00 as the minimum and my fill rate has been fairly good for three ad tags. Some days it has been beating Adsense, which doesn't surprise me because I think my sites were smart priced ages ago by Google.

Anyway, if you can get access to the program I suggest trying Amazon's CPM ads. I would not replace Adsense with them, but they can earn additional money for you if you have a spot on your pages for them. You can use display three ads maximum, so it's similar to Adsense in that regard.

I'm very happy with Amazon's program so far, it's by far the best CPM network I've dealt with on my sites.

[netmeg]

Yea, Michigan passed the law, so as of next October, I'm probably out of Amazon.

[farmboy]

Anyone have that current list of states that are "out of Amazon's" program?

I know of:

1. North Carolina
2. Michigan?

FarmBoy