Webmaster e-Real Estate

When you own a property, you base its merit (and value) on the features it has that appeal to you. Maybe your ideal property must have adequate garage space for your new Ferrari or a private bowling alley in your basement (hey, we never said we didn’t have luxurious taste!). But, do you know what the common denominator is that link all these elements together?

Space, and money!   

You need space to build and money to begin.

Owning a website is very much the same thing— except, your web pages and ad spots are your space, and money is your traffic. The more you have, the more your site gains value.

However, these extravagant features alone in the house example above are not enough to ensure a premium value. What if your house was built on an old Indian burial ground?  What if your private airport is operating next to a hospital and the city wants to sue you out?  These factors can screw your value.

Location is paramount. You want every potential spot on your website to be wisely optimized. Today, we’re going to take a gander at all the potential ad-placement possibilities on your site, and we’re going to make sure that you don’t miss out on any opportunities that will add value to your e-real estate!

Back to basics: ad spot possibilities

Homepage & Video page - Above & below the fold

While we could write an entire ebook on the infinite number of ad location possibilities... we're going to save you from that by keeping it short and sweet. We're covering the main spots you might usually find on a website...above and below the fold of a video page.

Obviously, your most valuable spots are above the fold because your user does not need to scroll to access them. Therefore, header and leaderboard spots located above the fold are the bee's knees for good reason— they receive the most attention, and in the end... the most clicks.  In the Media Buying world, a spot like this is extremely valuable in a highly sought after market.

As for the footer, well, that's not exactly chopped liver either. Many would-be buyers will still find interest in a below the fold spot.

In fact, here's an article we wrote about spots and their value a little while back.

(hint:  our previous article contains 3 tips to help your banners reach their full potential.  Don't miss 'em!)  If you’re someone who Media Buys, you’ll definitely want to refer back to make sure you’re paying the right price for each respective spot.

In any case, never underestimate the hard links in any text, and especially in the menus (main or secondary)! These are forgotten too many often when it’s time to monetize your site and they can be some of your top converting tools.

Don’t leave money on the table

Here's a checklist you should be using to make sure you're getting the most out of your ad space.

Mistakes that screw your value

As we alluded to earlier, there are certain factors that can really screw your real estate value, whether we’re talking about physical or virtual property here.  Your website is not exempt from these mistakes.

Here are the most common mistakes you’ll want to avoid:

1 - Same Ad Excess

Yeah, we know—  some of our banners have such a high CTR we can't fault you for wanting to feature them absolutely EVERYWHERE. However, this is not wise to do so try to avoid doing this.

Featuring the exact same ad in a footer square or next to the video on the same page is really a turnoff to any visitor. Even if the banner has proven to convert, and even if you’ve developed it in different sizes & formats... at the end of the day it’s still the same banner.

Always use the top converting banners in your prime spots but make sure to use different ones when they’re going to appear on the same page.  

Expanding your horizons = new possibilities for conversions.

2 - Subject & Product Excess

Lump this one into the fail family...

Using the same girl all over your site to advertise different sites & products = FAIL.

Yes, we'll be the first to admit that we at CrakRevenue tend to use the same images of the trendiest top-converting girls to promote different products and offers; but we do this because we know that these banners can be relevant and apply to the same vertical at hand.

No matter if we offer it or not:  it’s never wise to feature the same girl in any other advertisement to promote any other site.

3 - Missing the Target

Another mistake that we see less of (but can still REALLY screw your efforts) is to flat out miss the target. By a lot.

One example is putting gay banners on a tube site aimed towards the straight.  Or vice versa. Pretty obvious, right? Maybe to some, but we've still seen this happen.

Missing the target can be even more subtle. For instance, never lose sight of the niche you're targeting and what links you have on your site. Never lose sight of what you're promoting, how you're promoting it, what related links you have on your page, and never stop adapting your ads and tours to the niche you're targeting.

4 - Respect the TOS

If you're a Media Buyer, you gotta know the DOs and DONTs of every site you're working with. Get familiar with any restrictions.

Do you know which format types are supported?  How about the size of your banners?

We know it’s boring… but you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t read the Terms of Service, top to bottom.

Restrictions can take many forms: unallowed watermarks, logos, colors, references to products, you get the idea. Make sure that your ads play by all the rules - you don’t want to lose money on careless mistakes.

Don’t forget tube sites are not the only ones that have a TOS to follow. A lot of providers have terms as well. The most common being the countries accepted.

Therefore, be smart and don't promote a product that has a restriction on Indian traffic on a page that's then going to have a lot of Indian visitors. (Just an example.)

Make Your e-Real Estate Value Go Through the Roof  

Now that we've reviewed the main things that can influence your site's value, it's time to look at your babies with a fresh eye. Trust us on this. There's always room for improvement. Just look at the always changing landscape in adult; it's evolving and sites are always being improved upon. An intelligent webmaster will always think ahead and analyze their performance to see if their ads are working or if they can be improved upon.

Having said that, we wish you the very best concerning your property values... both physical and digital! (but of course the latter has an effect on the first one in many ways.)  It's up to you now to increase the values!