Before you sign on the dotted line to purchase advertising, there are a few things you should consider:
- How closely aligned to your site is the target market of the site you want to advertise on?
- How many sites are there like the one you are considering advertising on? Are there other sites you could use to reach the same audience?
- What size ads are allowed? Generally, the larger the ad, the more it costs.
- How many ads are on each page? The more ads on a page, the lower the click-through rate for any particular ad on that page. Generally, the more ads on a page, the lower the price per ad.
- Where on the page will your ad appear? Top? Bottom? Side? Above the fold or below?
- What ad rotation system is being used? Is there a comprehensive program that automatically profiles the visitors and provides the best
ad? The more targeted the audience, the more expensive the ad; these profiling systems can provide ads to a very targeted audience. - What are the site’s competitors charging?
- Does the site have a sliding-scale ad rate?