An Introduction to In-text Advertising

Companies like Vibrant Media, Infolinks, and Kontera have popularized a special form of online advertising known as in-text ads.

In-text ads, as the name implies, appear dynamically within the text content of a web page. Thus, they can increase monetization potential of a website, without taking up any extra space within the web page. In this article, let’s see more about in-text advertising.

Contextual vs. In-text Advertising

Contextual ads are those blocks of links placed typically on the sidebar or on the top of the content of a web page. They thus take up some amount of space within the page. On the other hand, the in-text ads are incorporated into the text of the page and hence don’t need any more space.

In-text ads are dynamically generated. When a user visits a page, specific phrases on the page are converted into links, with the help of a piece of JavaScript code called from the server of the in-text ad provider. Nevertheless, these dynamically generated links are not visible as anchor elements in the source code of the page and are hence not recorded by search engines. Therefore, these links impart no SEO benefits to the respective advertisers.

When users hover over these dynamic links, they will see small pop-up boxes within the current browser window (above the text). They show a tiny description of the advertised product, with a button to visit the product page. A click on such a button can earn the publisher a percentage of the CPC. Some pop-ups may also display videos or images. These pop-ups disappear when users move to other parts of the page.

Both contextual ads and in-text ads are contextually targeted, which means, the ads displayed depend on the content on the page and search queries used to find it. They are both pay-per-click ads, which means, advertiser pays for a click and a specific percentage from this payment is paid to the publisher of the content.

Advantages and Disadvantages of In-text Ads

In-text ads have many advantages over their contenders, contextual text ads, banner ads, full page ads, and others.

1. In-text ads don’t need any extra space on a website.
2. Implementation is very easy as it requires embedding a snippet of JavaScript code only once for the entire website (usually above the </body> tag).
3. Most of the providers help you configure the looks of these links to correspond to those in your website. So, you can make them look like natural links, which can guarantee a higher CTR (Click Through Rate).
4. The configuration of the ads can be done through a centralized system, which makes it a lot easier. In case of contextual ads, you need to edit settings for each block you use, and there may be several blocks.
5. They can effectively increase the total monetization potential of a website, though may be inferior in terms of CPC. This is mainly because the in-text ads don’t need any extra space.

However, there are quite a few disadvantages as well to in-text advertising.

1. Intrusion to content: The links are dynamically embedded to content, so you need to limit the number of such links. Otherwise, the content may get messy with lots of links.
2. Slow loading: Though the in-text links are displayed after the entire page has loaded, they may sometimes be unresponsive. This is because many in-text ad providers use video ads and image ads, which are all syndicated from a common server. This may cause bad user experience.
3. Monetization potential: Though in-text ads have a lot of advantages, the number of advertisers and the CPC (Cost Per Click) are still relatively low. So, in-text campaigns can provide less money than contextual ad campaigns.

In-text Ad Providers

There are several online advertising providers who provide in-text ads to publishers. Here are the main three of them.

Vibrant Media: Vibrant Media is perhaps the pioneer of in-text advertising. The dynamic links, when hovered over, generate small pop-ups within the browser window, displaying a short description of the product/service advertised. Sometimes, it may include videos or pictures. In order to be a publisher for Vibrant Media, a site should have minimum of 500,000 page views in a month, besides other conditions.

Infolinks: This service is getting more and more popular in in-text ad arena. The service is more streamlined and easy to understand to most publishers. Also, there is no page view requirement to join Infolinks. The ads are typically small pop-up boxes with description of the advertised product and a button to visit the product page.

Kontera: Kontera also provides in-text ads, which look like those of Infolinks and Vibrant. But these ads are rather slow-loading than the others. Kontera also places no page view requirements to the publishers who can join.

It is advised that you enable ads from only one provider on a website at a time. You may try changing the providers to see which gives more benefits.

Conclusion

In-text ads, requiring no extra space, are a great way to augment the money you get from your website now. With great traffic, the earnings can be pretty substantial. With the technology developing, more and more advertisers will be interested in in-text advertising. This rising competition can bring about higher pay per click rates for publishers.

Here is an alternative view of in text advertising, do you find it intrusive?

Articles and Affiliate Marketing

(Written by Penreflections - Buy Articles like this at Constant Content)

Remember the Article’s Role

Article marketing can be a very big part of affiliate marketing-if you truly understand the role you play as the writer.

We choose a niche, choose the product that we want to promote as an affiliate, find the optimum keywords and then write articles around these keywords. Sounds very cut and dried, right? Those are the basics of the process, yes, but if we only look at these articles as housing for the keywords and nothing else then we are missing a crucial part of what they can do for us.

The content that you write around those keywords establishes your role in the selling process. You are setting the stage and helping to establish the reputation of the product that you want customers to purchase. To set this stage you have to establish your own reputation through your content.

Affiliate Article Writers need to provide Value

Whether you are writing your marketing article to submit to article directories or to put on your blog or sales website - or any combination of these - you want to provide value to the reader. Many affiliates make the mistake of thinking that if they provide too much value in their articles, the readers will be too satisfied and won’t go on to purchase the products the affiliates are trying to sell. This is almost always the wrong way to look at it. Granted, you don’t want to feed them all of the information that they need in your articles, but you do want to give them enough to gain their trust in your intentions. Give the readers good, solid, usable information in your articles and then subtly let them know that they will get even more benefits when they purchase the product.

Create Confidence, Spur a Buying Decision

You want to think of your marketing articles as part of a process that helps potential buyers ascend up the buying levels. The keywords that you put in your marketing articles will bring the readers to one level, which is finding your articles in the search engines and clicking on them. You want the articles themselves to take them up another level, not keep them on the same ground. Approach the writing process like you have called a meeting of people who are interested in the subject that you are going to talk about. Imagine yourself on a podium in front of all of these potential buyers who have “clicked” into your meeting. What are you going to say to them to keep them from walking out disappointed?

Know your Niche

The niche upon which the product that you are promoting as an affiliate is based should be something that you talk about with authority. If you write articles about something that you know little about, it’s going to show, no matter how many big, important words you put in those articles. You also want to be enthusiastic about the niche that you’re discussing. The general school of thought is that you shouldn’t try to promote any product that you don’t care about or believe in. Yes, people do it all the time and even get away with it, but you really are giving yourself an edge if you are truly excited about the products that you promote. Buyers are emotion-driven, and your enthusiasm can be contagious. Let buyers know through your knowledge and enthusiasm that they can trust what you’re telling them, and can subsequently trust the product that you’re promoting.

Affiliate Marketing Success

Affiliate Product Marketing Requires Hard Work, Persistence, Patience, and Knowledge

M. Deskins (Buy articles like this at www.constant-content.com)

Affiliate marketing is a very effect means of earning a living from home. Many people are turning to the Internet now as a way to generate an income. Despite the woes of the economy and the recession, affiliate marketing is a multi-billion dollar industry that keeps on growing every single year. The more the industry expands, the more that web-based companies must compete with one another. One way they do this is by working with affiliate marketers.

There are plenty of opportunities for Internet affiliates. The money is out there, they just need to know how to go about obtaining it. Unfortunately, many don’t know what they’re doing and give up in no time at all. When it comes to making money on the Internet, the only way in which an individual can “fail” is by giving up. As long as an affiliate keeps going forward, he or she will eventually find success. Sometimes hard work and patience are needed, and some people just aren’t willing to invest that kind of effort.

As for other investments, having a successful Internet business doesn’t necessarily have to cost a lot of money. It’s a common misconception that some people make that in order to “make money”, one has to “spend money”. Yes, some money is needed here and there, but in the affiliate marketing business, hard work and persistence are required more than anything else. Many beginners believe that all they have to do to make money is pick out a few products to sell, throw up a website, and sit back as the cash comes rolling in. Unfortunately, a lot more is needed for Internet marketing success.

The infomercials and ads make it all seem so easy. They make it seem as if anyone can earn a thousand dollars a day just by signing up for a certain program. While it is possible to make a thousand dollars a day as an affiliate, that level of success doesn’t just happen overnight.

• Time needs to be spent on researching the current market trends.
• New affiliates need to carefully choose the products they want to sell.
• They need to promote products that they themselves would be interested in buying.
• The products need to be promoted on an affiliate’s own website or blog.
• That website or blog needs to be promoted.
• Website promotion needs to be professional and friendly. In other words, a website should never be spammed all over the place.
• Affiliates need to treat the customers with respect. A strong, customer-relationship management needs to be maintained at all times.

All of these are essential for Internet marketing success. Anyone who doesn’t have the time or willingness to do all of the above won’t earn money online. Not only do affiliates need to do all of these steps once, but constantly. Making a full time living online requires continuous hard work and effort. The journey doesn’t have to be difficult; in fact, it can be somewhat easy, just as long as an affiliate knows exactly what he or she is doing and doesn’t mind doing hard work. All it takes is time, effort, persistence, patience, and knowledge.

I use Facebook, and although I have been trying for two weeks to get an answer facebook avatar, facebook photos, facebook graphics there, nobody replies. Beside the name of each person in Facebook there is a photo or what else the person puts. All these images have disappeared - mine and those from the others. I found them in the file “my documents”. How to get them back where they belong?

I’ve seen quite a few complaints about this problem, but precious little help or answers. I went into the Facebook help center and found this message that relates to photos: Some users are unable to view photos or photo albums. The photos are appearing as a small empty box, or are missing completely. This problem should be resolved shortly. This is under “Troubleshooting” and there is an option to report problems at the end of the message. My first suggestion is that you go here, directly to Facebook and report the problem if you haven’t already.

Change Facebook Application

While you are waiting for a reply or resolution from Facebook, you can try a few other things to get the photos to work correctly. One user had the following suggestion for people who had photos missing from their profiles:

1. At the bottom left hand side of your Facebook page, find the Application tab and choose Edit All.
2. Find the Photos app and click Edit.
3. Choose Profile.
4. You will see “box:available (add)”. Click “add” and choose OK.
5. Go back to your profile and choose “boxes”.
6. Your albums will appear at the bottom of the page. Click on the “pencil” at the top of the photos and choose “move tab to wall”.

Download Latest Java and Adobe Flash Player

Although it’s a long shot, it has been suggested that downloading the latest Adobe and Java can help you restore your photo functionality in Facebook.  You can find the newest Adobe Flash Player and Java by clicking on the links. You should not have to remove old versions of these programs before updating unless you are having problems with the installation.

Because this is a problem for some users and not others - I have not noticed this issue personally with my own account - you could always delete your current account and start a new one. Of course, if you have many friends and photos this can be a difficult decision and you may just want to wait for Facebook to resolve the problem on their own.

How To Write Keyword Articles

Many marketers waste time and money hiring people to write keyword articles for them when they can do it quite easily themselves.  All you need is the ability to write about the products you already sell. 

Keyword articles can help you bring many visitors to your site when used properly. 

How Do I Write A Keyword Article?

Writing a keyword article is rather easy.  If you already have a list of keywords that have been generated by an SEO engine you are ready to write.  If you don’t have a list of keywords, hop on the Internet and find a business that will generate these for you based on the items you currently are marketing.

There are two types of keyword articles that you commonly find on the Internet.  Fluff pieces that are merely designed to draw visitors to your site but they don’t have any substance to them.  The other type of keyword article is informative.  As the owner of your site, you can determine what the purpose of your article is.

Keywords are described as primary or secondary.  The primary keyword or keywords are to be used most often within an article.  The secondary keywords are to be used either once or twice within an article.

Most articles are under 1000 words; the majority are 500 words or less.  Generally they consist of at least five paragraphs. 

You should mention the primary keyword or keywords once in the title of the article.  The introductory paragraph should mention the keyword or keywords once in the first sentence and a second time within that paragraph.  Each additional paragraph should include your keyword or keywords at least once, with the final paragraph mentioning the keyword at least once. 

Try not to exceed the keyword use more than seven times within your article or search engines may reject it.  Believe it or not, there can be too much of a good thing with this type of writing.

My Keywords Don’t Make Sense

As strange as it sounds, the keywords that are generated in a list, no matter how odd or grammatically incorrect, are the ones that you should use.  This is a quirk of the business and it often confuses new writers in this arena.  One way to look at words that seem odd is to write a sentence using them correctly and then switch them to the way they appear on the keyword list.  If you don’t you may just drive yourself crazy or get a really bad case of writer’s block.

Selling Your Articles

Whether you are writing for yourself or someone else you may decide at some point to sell your articles for a profit.  Many writers do this and make a great living or second income doing it. 

There are many places on the Internet in which to market and contract for keyword articles.  Simply type in the phrase in keyword writers wanted and you should get quite a few hits on an Internet search engine. 

Many writers focus on particular subjects whereas others write for the masses.  A great niche is writing for the holidays.  Each year many webmasters are in desperate need for articles on topics such as Halloween costumes, Christmas decorations and the like.  You can write these articles anytime and bank them for when the need is the greatest. 

Pricing Your Articles

Your time is valuable so don’t sell yourself short, literally.  Generally an article takes about an hour to write, maybe more if it is technical in nature. 

Many writers charge one cent per word and use this as their guideline.  Minimum wage in the U.S. is around $6.50 an hour.  Webmasters in a pinch will offer to pay you $2.00 or less for an article that took you an hour to write.  Only you can make the decision on how much to charge for your articles. 

If you are trying to get your foot in the door in this business you may decide to undersell your articles.  After you have built up a few references it would be wise to raise the price of your articles if you intend to do this in order to make a living.

Get It In Writing

Make sure if you are selling your articles to a client (or purchasing them from a writer) that you have decided ahead of time what your terms are.  Many writers will ask for half of the price up front and then the rest at the time of delivery.  You should also decide whether your articles are exclusive or non-exclusive. 

Present your terms prior to starting on a project and it will help you avoid many problems later.

Overall, the keyword writing business is a bustling one.  Whether you are a writer or Webmaster you are sure to be busy on projects year round. 

How to use articles for marketing online?

Article marketing is about driving customers to your small business by placing articles that people want to read on your website.

By purchasing some keywords from search engines, you can be sure that the articles you publish on your website will have priority in the search list when customers type in those keywords in the search screen.

With article marketing, you show your customers that you are the expert in your niche, so customers will have confidence in your products and services.

Worldwide Exposure for your business

Marketing on the World Wide Web gives your small business access to customers all around the world, so your business can be taking orders and making money while you sleep.

The Search Engine Effect

Search engines index articles on several criteria, as well as the keywords, including readability, unique quality, currency, and popularity of articles.

Stuffing an article with your keywords, without making the article make sense will not win you hits from the search engines. Articles need to be well-written in order to both please and interest the customers, and to win the hits from the search engines.

Originality is Key

If you plagiarise articles from other websites, you may not get the marketing results you are after, as the search engines direct customers to the first website that published the article first. Unique articles will draw more customers to your website and market your small business better.

Consistent New Articles

Current and recently published articles will attract more hits from a search engine. Commit to adding new articles at least once a month.

You can archive the older articles, making them available to customers with a link and display the latest articles prominently on the website. If you regularly change the articles, your customers will come back to the website to read the latest news or articles on your area of expertise.

Keep Article Quality in check

Popularity of articles can mean number of hits, as well as customers who click on the article to read the entire article, and not just the initial blurb.

Well-written, informative, interesting, and unique articles will increase the popularity of your website. You also need articles that build up a level of trust and relationship between your business and the reader.

Authenticity and articles that do establish your business or an individual representing the business as an expert in the field will provide better marketing for your small business.

If you are unable to write well, you may want to use freelance writers, or websites like www.Constant-Content.com, where freelance writers sell articles to suit your needs. Purchasing quality unique articles every few weeks will ensure your website attracts the most hits from search engines and will provide your customers with regular information updates.

Article Marketing is Cost Effective and it works

Article marketing has many benefits and is not difficult to start. It can be an extremely cheap method of attracting many customers to your website and can build your customer’s trust in your small business as the expert in the field.