 Website
Magazine
Are you seeing double?
By Deirdre Cavener
Published: April / May 2008
As many of you know by now,
content is “king” when it comes to online success from
the standpoint of both the readers and the search
engines. The problem with online publishing today is
that articles are littered with untargeted, irrelevant
advertising and spread out on multiple pages - the last
being my biggest pet peeve. Why does a 500-word article
require 4-5 clicks in order to read it in its entirety?
I am not sure how online publishing got so muddied.
Maybe it originally started when scrolling was
considered bad (when your mouse couldn’t scroll), but
those days are long over.
Who is making the rules and why are they doing things
online that make absolutely no sense? The entire system
of online publishing needs a shot in the arm and must
get off the bandwagon and stop grasping at straws. My
philosophy is: offer great information in a clean
environment and then add complementary products and
services that enhance the user experience.
So what are publishers to do? Step back, think, and
execute programs that actually maximize your advertising
dollars!
Is in-text advertising carving out a spot in the
ever-evolving field of Internet Marketing?
In-text advertising is not new, first launched in 2004,
but the technology is being fine-tuned by a few industry
leaders and is now appearing on websites throughout the
Internet.
Distinguishing an in-text ad from a hyperlink is
elementary. A hyperlink has one line under it and most
in-text ads have two. When a reader places his mouse
over the in-text keyword, a small window opens with a
relevant ad linked to the advertiser’s website or a
specific page within the site. The ads can be static or
rich media forms of advertising including video, audio,
flash animations, and interactive forms promoting
events, products, movies, music, TV ads, music videos,
and services.
The in-text ad program works by finding the occurrence
of particular keywords that are of interest to their
advertisers; when a match is found the program places
the ad. The ad is only viewed when the user places his
mouse over the keyword making this type of advertising
100% user driven.
In-text ads are monetized for Website publishers. When a
reader clicks on one of the links the publisher earns
revenue.
Examples of In-Text Advertising
“Replacing florescent light bulbs with energy efficient
light bulbs can save you money over the long run while
helping the environment.”
If you were to mouse over the underlined text it would
show an ad related to the keyword phrase “energy
efficient light bulbs.” Unlike with banner and
contextual advertising, the user has the option of
whether or not to view the ad. Not only does this type
of advertising clean up web pages, it can save the
reader time if it is something that interests him. If
the in-text advertising wasn’t there and you were
interested in the keyword you would have to leave the
site, go to a search engine, enter the search, and hunt
for the product … very time-consuming.
Types of Websites that would benefit from In-Line
Advertising
There is a lot of
controversy brewing online about whether in-text
advertising makes web content less credible and
intrusive to readers. Is an underlined word more
distracting than a display ad in the middle of an
article or having to read one article on multiple pages?
I think not! If a user is engaged in the content and you
can offer him a “deeper” experience while saving him
time, I would consider that revolutionary. As in-word
companies improve their ability to target keyword
advertising I see this as a viable and innovative way
for publishers to monetize their sites and advertisers
to promote their products and services.
Don’t abandon something new because you don’t think your
readers will understand what to do. Instead take the
opportunity to educate them. Remember that not so long
ago the majority of the population didn’t know what a
search engine was, let alone a hyperlink!
For more information on In-Text Advertising visit the
following:
Deirdre Cavener, MCP is
president and CEO of
K.I.S.S. Marketing, Inc. and
founder of
PinellasLife.com,
MyGreenPages.com,
Chicken Got Lips, and
The
Beach Life. Deirdre is a Microsoft Certified
Professional (MCP) in Analyzing Requirements and
Defining Solutions Architecture and graduated Magna Cum
Laude from the University of South Florida in 1996 with
a degree in Management Information Systems from the
College of Business. She can be reached at
deirdre@kissmarketing.com
or 727-517-8450.
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