It seems that every time there’s a good ’scheme’ to rank high in Google, it ends up getting knocked down. Remember the big ‘cross-linking’ trend a few years back. “You link to me, I link to you” mentality was the rage, and everyone was linking back and forth like crazy. And it didn’t matter who you linked with, just as long as you had a link. WebAdClassified.gooruze.com

That trend ended badly. It looks like the ‘text link ad for PageRank’ craze is about to arrive at a similar fate - especially for those who buy and sell on text ad networks.

In reality, Google really doesn’t want you to sell text link ads. It messes up their backlink algorithm and it takes away from their AdSense campaign (which is JavaScript-based, and does not count as backlinks.)

While convenient and sometimes profitable, the problem with using text link and blog posting networks to advertise is twofold. One, you pay a premium to place an ad through a network. Two, it is my personal belief that sometime soon, the “link juice” from these ads will be seriously degraded, and the publisher websites themselves may be penalized by Google simply for associating with these networks.

And how would Google know what sites have paid-for links from ad networks? It’s simple, really. Virtually off of these networks pay their members to promote the network. Therefore, if a publisher is promoting an ad network, the outbound links on that site become immediately suspect. And while some ad networks provide altered affiliate links, I think it’s only a matter of time before they are discovered.

Natural-looking links (I specify links because banner ads are typically generated via JavaScript, which search engine spiders don’t follow) are more difficult to track. This is why I think that natural contextual ads (embedded links in content) are still the way of the future - but not through traceable networks.

This is the main reason why WebAdClassifieds.com was started. (And will go LIVE soon). It provides a fairly anonymous way for publishers and advertisers to connect on a one-on-one basis. While this is not as simple as a one-click order network, this method can save advertisers money, make publishers more money, and increase the quality of advertising overall as publishers and advertisers are appropriately matched. This should particularly help small businesses who are looking for quality sites in their niche.

Getting creative in advertising opportunities will ultimately bring together the right publishers and advertisers - and in the end, perhaps might even help the big G’s algorithm.

A convenient, simple way for advertisers to add (or remove) themselves from your site, can be done through the use of a PayPal Subscription Form. This will allow you to accept advertising subscriptions and recurring payments on your website through a customized payment button. It’s safe for both publishers and advertisers, as either has the option of dropping the subscription at any time, and it allows systematic payments without the need for recurring billing.

When creating a subscription advertising package, you will want to include some detailed information about your advertising opportunities and some site demographic information. Take care not to mention the terms ‘text link’, ‘SEO’ and ‘PageRank’ on your advertising page.

For Example:

Benefits include:

Cost: Only $XX a month.
You may cancel at any time. Please allow up to X business days for your ad to appear.
NOTE: Only advertisers related to ___ are allowed. All advertisers are subject to approval.

Under this, you would put your Paypal subscription form with a field for the ad information, which might include the link, the keyword phrase, the banner graphic location, ect.

To create a subscription form, go to Paypal > Merchant Services > Subscribe (Under Merchant Buttons)

Under the Subscriptions & Recurring Payments page, you will create your subscription form. We recommend creating a three day trial period. That way, if it takes a few days for you get the ad on the site, the advertiser is not charged. It also provides you a time window to reject any inappropriate advertisers before they are charged. You will then want to add options to create additional information fields related to the ad (link, link phrase, etc.)

You should also include information that lets advertisers easily stop their campaign when they choose to do so.

How do I cancel my sponsorship?

1. Login to your PayPal account
2. Click on the My Account tab
3. Click on the History sub tab
4. Click on the Status of the subscription in question (you may use the History search features to locate your transaction)
5. Click Cancel Subscription
6. You have successfully canceled your subscription

When an advertiser does cancel their advertising, it’s a good idea to follow up with why and let them know that you will be pulling their ad at the end of the subscription period.

With a little setup work to start, you can easily manage many advertisers.

When creating an advertising mix for your website, consider your potential advertisers and your audience. Too many ads can turn off your audience and your advertisers. (After all, who wants to pay $X/month to compete with fifty other button ads?) There are many types of direct advertising that you can offer, and it often takes some trial and error to find the right mix of advertising.

Below are the most common website sponsorship methods:

Banner/Button Positions: What’s old is new again. They offer color and sometimes animation. For best results, choose standard ad sizes.

Text Links: These can be static links. Sometimes they may have a sentence or two about the advertiser under them. Paid text links have come under scrutiny lately, but they still remain popular, and SEOs are still buying them. They key is to be smart with them. Contextual linking falls under this category.

Pop-ups/Pop-Unders: Intrusive and annoying, but they do tend to have a higher click-through rate than banners. (Or is that just people accidentally clicking on the ad when they are actually trying to close them.) Many users have blockers that keep standard popups from appearing.

Content Sponsorship: Advertisers have limited control and submit their own content to the publisher, as well as having their ad on the page. These sponsorships tend to be for fixed periods, and the content should be targeted to the publisher’s audience.

Interstitials: Sometimes referred to as Bridge Ads, interstitials appear as you move between pages on a site. Click-throughs are generally greater than from banner adverts or traditional pop-up ads.

Email Newsletters: An advertiser is prominently displayed at the header and/or footer of a regular email newsletter. The ad can be text-based or graphical in nature.

Text Content Links: A keyword phrase embedded within the content of a web page is linked to the advertiser’s web site. Bloggers are sometimes paid to specifically link content. Like text links, this type of advertising has also come under scrutiny.

Are we missing any direct ad types here?