Could someone take this idea + run with it?...

9 replies
Or maybe it's already being done(?)...

I was just reading on someone's blog (what I'm about to describe was posted *in passing* -- it was NOT the focus of the article)...

Google pays a small % the (gross) adsense $ to the actual website owner. SO, a website owner COULD see which advertisers end up appearing on their site (via adsense), contact those advertisers directly + offer to put their ads on the site for less than google is charging them, and STILL make more $$ than before -- so, a win-win (by cutting google out of the equation). I don't see how google could stop this from happening.

Also, couldn't someone set themselves up as (purely) a BROKER for these kinds of deals -- thus becoming a quasi-google middleman, who happens to charge much LESS than google does -- a win-win-win ---- no?

Thoughts?

-- TW
#idea #run
  • Profile picture of the author Thomas Lucas
    I believe direct advertising programs do exist. However, Google offers much more that placing the ad on that one site. They coordinate a massive PPC campaign, placing a company's ad on hundreds of sites in addition to the SERP. With no Google middleman, it would be pretty touch for the advertiser manually seek out all these sites (and miss out on SEM). For the site owner on the other hand, not a bad idea to get involved with more direct advertising programs.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jill Carpenter
    Why don't you run with it.

    Wait - don't answer that. I might know why. No time? Too much work to set up? Doesn't matter (those would be my current excuses)


    Yes! it sounds like it could be a great idea.

    Not sure if/who is doing it.
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    • Profile picture of the author Dan C. Rinnert
      I've heard of webmasters doing this. But, I've not heard of anyone trying to be a broker in that area.

      Basically, Google IS the middleman. So, what you're really describing is setting up a competitor to Google AdSense. It's possible, of course, but it'd be an uphill battle. I think people yearn for more competition out there, but no one--not even big sites like Yahoo!--have managed to make a sizable in-road into Google's dominance.
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  • Profile picture of the author kevinhdavis
    In 2004-2005 when we were building MFA sites, we had a script that tracked the ads that were being clicked and where the ad actually took them.

    A few times we replaced ads with mock ads promoting the same products that were being promoted through the ads getting clicked.

    Since we are no longer building content sites for Adsense, I wouldn't waste my time with it, but it may work for you.

    Kevin
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  • Profile picture of the author Steven Carl Kelly
    There are already competitors to Google's Adsense program. Google gives the advertisers a simple one-stop-shop method of advertising contextually on millions of sites.
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  • Profile picture of the author TimothyW
    Just to clarify -- this would be a per-site "competitor" to google. That is, one would go to a site that has adsense ads on it -- see which ads appear there -- then, knowing that there is ALREADY $$ being exchanged (through google) via that "relationship," one could approach both ends of the equation (website owner + advertiser) + offer to be the 'tollbooth' rather than google -- the benefit to both ends being that the site owner will make more $, and the advertiser would spend less $ (because you would skim a lot LESS off the entire arrangement (than google does).

    So, it would all be done on a per-site basis, not a global basis -- so you wouldn't be trying to be "another google."
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  • Profile picture of the author kevinhdavis
    And if it is an affiliate running the ad instead of the site owner, you wouldn't know just looking at the ad.

    Realize, that the owner of the site is most likely only paying for clicks.

    The profitable site advertising model is CPM, and you need a lot more traffic to attract that type of advertiser than simply participating in Adsense.

    Can it be done, sure. Best use of your time and effort, probably not.

    IMHO, There are easier ways to make money online than what you are describing here.

    Kevin
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  • Profile picture of the author Steven Carl Kelly
    Big advertisers don't want to manage a bunch of tiny ad relationships. Besides, Google provides things like click fraud protection and conveniences like ad management features that advertisers would lose in a direct relationship with a site (or sites).
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