Why Freelance Writing Websites & Blogs Don't Make Money on Ads

Last month, for perhaps the first time since I started writing ebooks, I started to place ads to promote them - small ads on popular freelance writing sites.

On quite a few sites I ran across, I wanted to place an ad, but hated where the ads were placed, so I didn't. I think a lot of website owners who are seeking to monetize their sites via ads are losing out.

As a potential advertiser, here a few things that would make me advertise with you - and a few others that turned me off.

Things that Make Me Want to Spend Money to Advertise On Your Site & Those Things That Don't

1. Ad Placement: Many webmasters bury ads or give them inappropriate placement. For example, on some popular freelance writing blogs, I saw ads that were placed below the "About", "Feeds", "Categories" and "Archives" sections.

If I'm spending money with a site I want my ad to be as prominent as possible. To me, this signals that you think your "Categories" section is more important than my ad.

The reason I was turned off when I saw this is that many sites have quite an extensive "Categories" section. This means in some cases that ads are near the bottom quarter of the page where it's less likely to be seen.

If you're seeking advertisers, give them the most prominent placement possible; after all, it's what they're paying for.

2. Traffic Generation Stats: I ran across one site that said something to the effect of "we're growing; take advantage of low ad rates now." But, there were no hard and fast stats.

Don't make advertisers search for your traffic generation stats. If you're seeking ad dollars, the most important reason advertisers are considering advertising with you is your traffic generation.

Many webmasters try to monetize their sites too soon - ie, when their traffic levels are not high enough to justify seeking advertisers. What should this standard be? I don't know, every niche is different.