There’s a new option for blog and web site monetization that’s just become available. It’s called WidgetBucks, and it just might be worth a look. Like AdSense (and Chitika and a few other options), it pays on clicks (CPC) rather than actual sales (CPA). Which model performs best on your site? You won’t know unless you test both options. I’m just starting my test, so I can’t yet report how well they perform…but I still have several observations at this point.
On the plus side:
- pays per click
- multiple customization options (size and color)
- easy/immediate application/approval process
- quick ‘n’ easy referral program
On the less positive side:
- the ads are “busy” (constant motion, distracting)
- limited product categories displayed in “manual” mode
- prices display “feel” very high (these may be popular/premium products, but they don’t feel like “deals”…which I would guess would pull more clicks)
When I’ve seen how the ads perform on my test sites, I’ll report back. But in the meantime, you might want to get signed up and try it for yourself: WidgetBucks
UPDATE: I’ve been using this for a bit now, and I guess it’s pretty much like anything else. It performs better than Chitika…more similar to AuctionAds. But it’s going to be dependent on where you place it on the page…i.e., people have to see it to click. And, personally, I’ll usually go with AdSense as a first option…Yahoo as a second…and then AuctionAds or something like this after that. Just based on how they’ve performed for me personally. And, of course, it would be a VERY solid option for those who have been banned by AdSense.
I read about this at a few other blogs in the past few days. I still haven’t really looked into it, but new advertising programs are always exciting to dig into. I can’t imagine anything competing with adsense though when it comes to relevancy. Relevancy is really what it all comes down to. Even the highest paying programs don’t mean much when the adverts don’t convert. I’ll most likely look into this though. Who knows, maybe it’s a viable Adsense alternative.