Ads after first post of topic

Discussion in 'Monetization Techniques' started by bauss, Jan 5, 2013.

  1. bauss

    bauss Regular Member

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    What do you think about ads after the first of a topic? Has it been a good spot for ad revenue on your forum?

    I'm considering adding a ad in this location on my forum, but I don't want it to make my forum look like it's packed with ads.
     
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  2. Artixion

    Artixion Regular Member

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    I don't think this is a good idea because of how people may think its a real poster. I would much rather put ads on the side of my sites.
     
  3. Jessi

    Jessi Regular Member

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    I really don't like seeing them. If they're not too intrusive, then I will tolerate them because I know owners need to make some money, too. If you have ads all over the rest of your site, though, it could come across as too much.
     
  4. bauss

    bauss Regular Member

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    What do you think about just displaying ads after the first post of topic to guests only? I seen another forum that does this.
     
  5. Martin W

    Martin W Regular Member

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    I think as long as it is clear that it is an add and not a post it is a good idea. They will be seen an awful lot and also really good for revenue in my opinion. Worth a shot I think.
     
  6. Jessi

    Jessi Regular Member

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    I think this is ideal.

    Guests are unlikely to be run off by it and chances are, weren't going to join usually anyway. You can have a banner that informs people they can remove the ads by joining, too, which might be enticing enough for some people.
     
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  7. sheepishwolf

    sheepishwolf Regular Member

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    I think in moderation, they can work. If you have them after every single topic, often times peoples eyes will become accustomed to it and simply skip over looking at it, and not even notice it. When I use websites that have that, regularly, I don't even notice that it's there anymore. Also, having ads in places that should be primarily for content, can scare away new users, and give them the impression that you only have the forum to make revenue. I know that sometimes when websites and forums have such badly placed ads, I often get that as an impression and often don't return to that website.
     
  8. bigbigfan

    bigbigfan Regular Member

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    I prefer ads INSIDE the first topic or above it and I prefer to remove ads for members. This has, in my experience, produced the best results.

    Ads after the first post that look like a member post might eventually get you in trouble unless you clearly show that it is an ad and not a member.
     
  9. Cerberus

    Cerberus Admin Talk Staff

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    I think making the ad after the 1st post look like it is a post is the best way to go.. Maybe giving it an avatar and signature and everything is the way to go.. Most people think the way to make money is to get people to click your ads.. But in most cases you get paid higher when a spider/search engine clicks your ads. So if you can make your ad look like content.. Blend in and look relevant the spiders will index the link and viola you get paid.. If you make it nice and dynamic for each thread then you can get a lot of SE traffic clicks.. Organic traffic for the win :)
     
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  10. bauss

    bauss Regular Member

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    I think that's only true if you make the ads look like a post. Anyways I'm not going to do this on my forum anymore, because I thought of other ways to monetize my site, and I don't want too much ads on my forum.
     
  11. KneeHigh

    KneeHigh Regular Member

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    I've actually had to contact a forum admin before in order to get info about an ad that he had on his site. He was rotating a bunch of ads just after the first post, and there was one that caught my eye, but I wanted to finish the thread, and clicked to page two -- forgetting that the ad would disappear. :). After hitting refresh about twenty times, I just gave up and contacted the admin for help.

    I think I made his day because I really wanted the discount that was advertised and I stayed after him. Then I shared his link with my buddies. (It was for a local business that we'd never seen a discount for -- so for us, it was a big deal. We were all over it!)
     
  12. bosconian

    bosconian Regular Member

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    I think it can be a good place for the ads. But you must make it clear that it is an ad and not a reply to the post. I have seen this before and I think it looks good. Don't know how good it is in terms of click rate but I don't mind seeing ads after the first post.

    Usually when I have seen this kind of placement it only appears for guests. For logged in users these ads are hidden.
     
  13. cpvr

    cpvr Regular Member

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    I have ads like this but for guests only. I couldn't tell you how much it generates because I don't use channels, I just have it set up to display how much the domain generates because my brother also runs a Youtube channel that generates money.
     

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