Blogging Tips

I was reading ProBlogger today and was pleased to see that Technorati has launched it’s own ad network. The ad network is called Technorati Engage. It’s currently in a beta stage however sign ups are not being restricted and publishers and advertisers can sign up today.

Not surprisingly, Technorati has used it’s influence to sign up some large blogs already including I Can Has Cheezburger, LifeHack and The Inquisitr.

As a publisher you currently have 3 ad options :

• Text Ad
• Photo Ad
• 125×125 Banner

When the network is fully launched they will also offer 728×90, 300×250 and 160×600 banner ads.

Photo ads are very similar to their text ads except there is a small thumbnail image at the left hand side of the ad (available in 4 set square dimensions: 25, 50, 100, and 200 pixels in width). I think this will prove to be a very popular option and it should generate more clicks than the standard text link ad option.

I’m quite impressed with the ad network so far. Particularly the stats about advertisements. Each website shows Estimated Clicks/Ad/Week, Average CPC, Repurchase Rate, Alexa Rank, Avg Weekly Views/Ad and Average CTR. It also shows the countries where clicks are originating from.

Previously ad networks like this relied heavily on Alexa, Google PageRank and Compete scores so these metrics should give a more realistic picture of how popular the site is.

Some more information about this new network

• You have the option to rotate up to 40 ads in a single zone.
• Can be paid via Paypal, Check or Wire Transfer. The minimum withdrawel amount is $20 for a Check, $50 for Paypal and $1,000 for a Wire Transfer. Though you can set these limits higher if you wish.
• Technorati Media takes a 40% of all ad revenue you generate (i.e. you make 60% of the ad price you set).

It’s early days but from what I have seen so far it looks like bloggers have a great new alternative for selling banner and text ads on their blog. I’m going to give the 125×125 banner option a try over the next few weeks and see if the site generates any sales.

Check it out and let me know what you think

Link : Technorati Engage