Written on December 17th, 2008 at 12:12 am by Darren Rowse
4 Widget Ad Options to Make Money on Your Blog This Christmas
Lets continue the Christmas theme from the last post on increasing Christmas earnings with Amazon with a quick look at four widget style ad networks and affiliate tools that are great to experiment with in the lead up to Christmas.
Remember – this is a time of year where those using the web are in a buying frame of mind and are more likely to click on product ads that they might see. Here are four options that present products visually:
1. Shopzilla Publisher Program
This program has been something I’ve experimented with more and more of late and it’s producing quite good results. It presents publishers with a variety of widget type ads with a large variety of options in terms of design, sizes and types of ads.
2. Chitika
Regular readers know that I’m a big fan of Chitika. It’s my second largest earner from blogs (2nd only to AdSense) and performs brilliantly on product related sites – particularly at this time of year.
As with all of these types of ad units it does best when you can make the ads show products that relate to what you’re writing about (using the ‘keywords’ feature that they’ve built in). Payment for these ads is on a CPC (cost per click) basis (although premium publishers also get an impression based bonus).
Chitika offer a variety of ad units including their eMiniMalls, Linxx (in text ads), Multiple Product Units (pictured below) and more.
Also check out their ‘premium ad unit’ that shows special ads only to those arriving on your blog from search engines. The ads that these premium ad units show are contextually relevant to the keywords that people are searching for in the search engine – they are doing very very well for me.
3. WidgetBucks
This is another CPC based widget ad unit that many publishers have found to convert well. You again get a good range of options when it comes to design and sizes. Here’s how they look (I chose a Christmas theme).
The only downside of WidgetBucks is that not everyone will be able to see the ads – if your readers are not within geographic areas that they serve ads to they’ll get impression based ads instead.
4. Amazon Associates Widgets
The Amazon associates program has quite a few widget type ad units that will help drive people into their store and increase the chances of earning you an affiliate commission. Of course these differ from other ads featured in this list in that you only earn something if people make a purchase.
Some of the ad units include:
Deals Widget
Search Widget
My Favorites Widget
Carousel Widget
There are plenty of other types of widgets to choose from also.
When These Widget Ads Work Best
The above options won’t work equally for everyone. While this time of year increases your chances of earnings with all of them – they all work best when there is relevancy between what you’re blogging about and what is displaying in the ads.
Blogs with a product related focus (or posts with a specific product being featured) will always out perform putting these ads on a general focused blog.
How to Optimize Widget Ad Units on Your Blog
Stay tuned to our RSS feed because later today I’ll post 5 tips to keep in mind as you test and experiment with the ad units mentioned above in this post.
Tags: Advertising
60 Responses to “4 Widget Ad Options to Make Money on Your Blog This Christmas” - Add Yours
Dave
December 17th, 2008 12:29 am
Its nice to see an alternative to just ad sense ads. As long as the product matches your content. Thx for the post.
Debasis
December 17th, 2008 12:59 am
This is a good list of Affiliate Ad options for the Christmas. I had tried my luck with Amazon Associates twice, but unfortunately without a single referral earning. So I am still reluctant to try any other Shopping Widgets on my blog. May be, these kind of Ads work better with visitors from countries like US!
J.D. Meier
December 17th, 2008 1:03 am
Shopzilla sounds too cool!
It reminds me of Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla.
Amazon never ceases to amaze me with their relevancy and continuous improvement. The Web’s not static, and neither is Amazon.
Ross
December 17th, 2008 1:15 am
great update on some other options for advertising… I definitely agree that most of these work better on ‘product’ style pages as you mention, rather than general blogs…
Bash Bosh
December 17th, 2008 1:15 am
Thanks for sharing this with us!
I think it’s just nice way to improve click-through rating (and earnings) during holidays! Really cool!
Steven-Sanders
December 17th, 2008 1:19 am
Those are all great for blogs that review merchandise of some sort.
Not too much help for those that don’t.
Blog Expert
December 17th, 2008 1:25 am
I am not a fan of any of these as they will not work with my niche. However they will work well with other peoples niches.
Monty's Mega Marketing
December 17th, 2008 2:40 am
I really like the Amazon carousel widget. I’m already using it on my blog, as you can see.
العاب
December 17th, 2008 2:43 am
I am a big fan of Amazon widget . i’ve been using it for quite a long time . It is doing me well . I have also joined the other Networks . Just giving them a go .
ATLANTA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
December 17th, 2008 3:06 am
Thanks darren for the post. I am using the Carousel Widget. However, it is used on a page labled “bookshelf.” I have it there for a reference for others. I try not to be really up front about it. I do use text links in the post.
SATISH -- Technotip.org
December 17th, 2008 3:08 am
Chitika has been doing well on our blog..
Hair On The Brain
December 17th, 2008 4:14 am
Been trying to get some bites for Amazon Associates but so far, none! Recently took their widget off my site and am doing in-text links instead. We’ll see how that goes….will definitely try the others you mentioned.
eric
December 17th, 2008 4:28 am
Is it possible to insert amazon affiliate links into a text stripe ad?
Stephen D
December 17th, 2008 4:49 am
The Amazon program works quite well for me, but it is nowhere near as good as AdSense. I have tried Chitika, but it didn’t look right on the site I tried it on so I removed the code. Shopzilla declined my application because I live in the UK and I haven’t tried WidgetBucks; maybe I should as I have heard quite a few good things about the program.
adsense alternative
December 17th, 2008 5:40 am
i agree with that. i try widgetbucks. and it works!
Flipsem
December 17th, 2008 5:53 am
Great thoughts and ideas will have a look at all these.
As usual great information.
Thanks
Tim Wintle
December 17th, 2008 6:37 am
I’m a fairly regular reader but first time poster,
I thought I’d mention the ad network that I work for since it seems appropriate – the viral ad network (www.viraladnetwork.net/publishers).
It is also “An alternative to adsense ads” to quote Dave, but they’re not tied to direct product sales, just views of content and show either rich media gadgets (e.g. YouTube videos or flash games) in-place on your blog, or text/image links to videos or games.
(e.g. http://www.viraladnetwork.net/publishers/content-units/test)
in a note unrelated to work, I have actually tried the Amazon units on my personal sites, and agree with your comment that their effectiveness can vary highly depending on whether your posts are related directly to products
Jade Craven
December 17th, 2008 8:44 am
Thank you so much – I am really loving these Christmas themed posts :)
I’ll definitely be experimenting heavily with the Amazon and Chitika widgets over the coming year, in preparation for the next Christmas season.
Lindsay
December 17th, 2008 9:01 am
Okay, it’s officially sad that I’ve been an Amazon affiliate for more than four years and never experimented with anything except text links to specific products. ;)
I’m getting to the point where, despite my indifference to affiliate programs in general (I hate “preselling” things), I’m making some decent money from Amazon. So I really need to give their widgets a try… or at least check out some of the other stuff they’re always unrolling.
Thanks for the post!
Cristhian Bedon
December 17th, 2008 11:14 am
Have used the amazon widget before, not bad, decent amount of revenue. Going to try the rest sooner or later on my new blog. Nice post Darren.
Laura-Whateverebay
December 17th, 2008 1:42 pm
Great tips… I am guilty of not practicing them on my blogs. I do however, get them done on my shopping sites. I have so much to learn. To place ads etc …. I do not find to be the same when it comes to my blogs… Thanks again for another great post :)
Scott Mahler
December 17th, 2008 3:16 pm
Very helpful information, thanks for sharing them. I don’t place advertisments on my blog, but it something to think about for my website. I agree with Laura, I too have so much to learn.
http://www.datexmedia.wordpress.com
Aileen Journey
December 18th, 2008 3:36 am
I just want to express my thanks for this information. I have been working for weeks on setting up my new blog. The last step has been setting up the affiliates. I am not without technical skills, but am a writer at heart and prefer not to spend all my time programming widgets and editing themes so that the links work correctly. I have been putting off the work on the affiliates until I saw this post by you.
I went immediately to Amazon, signed up for the program and have set up a beautiful looking, completely personalized set of affiliate products, modified for each of my categories. I’m very impressed by how easy it was and how nice it looks.
Thanks for all your help. This is my third blog in six months and you’ve really helped me understand what to do.
Brad Hart @ A DoFollow Blog
December 18th, 2008 10:09 am
There is another one I just set up on a couple of my blogs through pepperjam. I wrote this post about them and have my demo store up here http://bradstinyworld.com/blogging/building-a-new-economy-store/
Busby SEO Test Gary Viray
December 18th, 2008 11:48 am
I prefer Amazon better because of its wide product range and integration flexibility.
Zulit
December 18th, 2008 5:22 pm
The problem I have with all of these Ad programs is the CTR has been horrid due to the lack diversity (and I don’t mean an “Old Wooden Ship”) in Ads.
I think I would have to reverse engineer a blog to be niche specific to their advertisers, and I’m not really interested in digital cameras and iPods.
Hopefully in time these networks will grow and have more Old Wooden Ships some day.
Nicholas Francis
December 19th, 2008 2:56 am
Shopzila is cool… I Have been using it for a while with adsense its really an amazing way to earn quite easily
RhondaL
December 19th, 2008 3:17 am
I have to say that, from a content-producing standpoint, I get a kick out of using the Amazon carousel widget.
I can put in all sorts of items depending upon the topic — anything from DVD box sets and consumer electronics to children’s toys, all related to the topic.
sweet ria
December 19th, 2008 5:53 am
i never tried amazon stuff for online earning….as i already suffered from many fake sites…but now a days m earning a good amount throuth this site…
http://www.earn-money-online.co.in/g.php?id=998&ln=Ria
but i am also trying new stuff as well so m going to try now this amazon widget as well
bbrian017
December 19th, 2008 12:56 pm
Very nice list problogger now this is something your readers need. I’ve been posting over at digital point for suggestions and got nothing! Sweet list I’m looking into a few and will hook it up from here!
Thanks!
Steven Clarke
December 19th, 2008 10:41 pm
There seems to be possibilities popping up endlessly for people making money blogging. It is good to see and hope this industry holds up well into the future. Certainly, funding your life thru these methods would be quite enjoyable.
Takumi86
December 20th, 2008 12:18 am
This is so cool, i wonder if we can use this widget all the time, not just for christmas. Btw i just signep up under yours at ShoppZilla, i have registered already at Chitika but till now never get the conformation email…
Mario
December 20th, 2008 12:47 am
Amazon is doing good.
I see it as a extra service to put it on my blog. When you talk about a book or a movie or even over the newest digital camera, why not give the reader a link where they can see more information, read reviews and buy the product if they want.
Maybe your post is that good that the reader will purchase the product. Wouldn’t it be weird to let them search the product after reading your post on a search engine and buy it ‘elsewhere’?
Robby G
December 20th, 2008 5:28 pm
Amazon is great.
Ray
December 21st, 2008 2:23 am
I have tried about every affiliate you can mention and Amazon is the only one that has turned into real money. A great technique is to include individual product widgets within a post that is relevant to the post. If someone in your “wheelhouse” is big in the news, right a post about them and include a widget of their books. Works great!
Thanks again Darren, great post, great discussion!
Free from Anxiety
December 21st, 2008 3:17 am
Excellent content here and a nice writing style too – keep up the great work!
OfficeSupplyGeek
December 21st, 2008 1:23 pm
I just started using the Amazon Associates widgets, an dmy first attempt did not result in much activity. Just today I switched over to a much more targeted product category “Office and School Supplies” that I think should make a big difference on my blog, http://www.officesupplygeek.com. Thanks for the info you have posted here though, it is nice to see that I have other options if the Amazon one does not work out.
Big brain
December 21st, 2008 11:11 pm
As mentioned before, targeting is the key to all advertising,
ألعاب
December 22nd, 2008 2:58 am
This is very good idea from Amazon , Thanks.
Webdesi3
December 22nd, 2008 7:05 pm
I’ve found that widgets, especially those from Amazon, don’t work that well in Ireland, the prices can’t be changed to euro and irish people has this total dislike of shopping online. Were about 10 years behing the rest of the world when it comes to internet shopping
tivitune
December 22nd, 2008 11:50 pm
ehm. i guess. i will try amazon and widgetbucks.
Mike Farris
December 23rd, 2008 4:02 am
Excellent content on you blog and really liked your post for Christmas income ideas. This is the first time I have seen your blog and will be back often, tanks for the great work and look forward to seeing you again.
Be well and prosper,
Mike
Eric
December 23rd, 2008 10:06 am
I agreed with you that the above option will not work equally, I had tried the Amazon but not much luck, the Shopzilla look fantastic, I will try it, thank for provide such a good information.
First Spouse Gold Coins
December 24th, 2008 12:55 am
I have tried out Amazon and Ebay with quite good results also, I will look into the other widgets you mentioned.
Ed Kohler
December 25th, 2008 10:34 am
If you’re up for selling ads direct, consider creating your own widget to syndicate local business’ blog headlines or tweets for a fee. You can see an example of this on http://www.thedeets.com
I use the KB Advanced RSS Widget to do that. Once set up, it’s just a matter of negotiating deals. Depending on the type of audience your blog attracts, this may or may not be a good choice for you.
Paull Hamilton
December 26th, 2008 3:28 am
Hi,
A really interesting post. The only problem I have with a lot of these plugins is that whilst I realise they are there to make us a few extra dollars, I think they can detract from the content if you don´t place them properly.
I have been on so many sites and the constant flashing banners can be quite distracting.
All the very best for 2009
Paull Hamilton
http://www.paullhamilton.com
Santosh Puthran
December 26th, 2008 6:09 am
I prefer Amazon widgets as they quite easy to configure. Moreover people in the UK prefer to buy from Amazon over other site. So with Amazon I have made some money.
Chitika premium is a also good money maker. I found when I placed the ads just above the first post, visitors are likely to click the ads.
Regards,
Santosh Puthran
http://www.twitdiscount.com
Fastpayouts
December 26th, 2008 1:56 pm
Thanks to problogger.net, great useful content & wonderful posts. Keep it up!!!
German Romance
December 26th, 2008 2:59 pm
Great post. People are going to spend money in Christmas on all kinds of silly presents. To be out there in the market place with different ads will capture some of the Christmas dollars into your pocket :).
Laksh
December 26th, 2008 5:23 pm
Thx a lot Darren for this beautiful post. I never thought of them. I am a novice blogger and really needed your help. Your blog is a complete guide.
Regards
Laksh
http://tinyurl.com/5n9eby
uwak
December 26th, 2008 5:31 pm
thanks ….I am very familiar with amazon, I will try the other
Marek
December 27th, 2008 8:43 am
I used to be fun of Chitika eMiniMalls, but, unfortunately, they are gone. They stopped working a long time ago, and now, I see that they were “upgraded” to Chitika premium ads. The premium ads perform very poorly on my blogs, they are not product oriented as eMiniMalls, look unattractive, and I have little or no control what is displayed.
So, I gave up with Chitika, although, I still have Chitika ads (now converted automatically to premium) in my old blog posts. I am making with Chitika 10 time less right now than I used to during holiday season a year or 2 years ago.
Dan Briffa
December 27th, 2008 10:38 am
I agree with paul,
i think they can be a bit distracting, but i geuss it kind of depends on the nature of the blog or site.
Anyhow thanks for this information.
Dan
http://www.DanBriffa.com
Mrs. Accountability
December 27th, 2008 12:05 pm
I actually had a click through over the holidays with a link from my blog over to Amazon and someone bought something! Looks like the Amazon widget is a good one, I’ll put that on my TO DO list. Posting this page to delicious for future reference. Thanks!
Prasanna
December 27th, 2008 5:28 pm
All four works well but, not in all the countries. They will be of great use for bloggers who have a good share of visitors from countries like US & UK.
Siegfried Garcia
December 27th, 2008 6:28 pm
Unfortunately, chitika can’t be viewed at my end (I’m from the Philippines). These widgets are great no doubt, but I believe that your Blog must be really good in convicing your readers to really click on these widgets for you to make a good sale. Amazon seems to be the most appealing.
Virtual Web Symphony
December 29th, 2008 3:17 am
These widgets work very well in US. But I have my doubts about other countries. Anyway, during holidays people are busy spending their time with family and most of the times they are offline. These widgets could serve their purpose if launched at least one month prior to the onset of holidays season.
Enduring Wanderlust
December 29th, 2008 10:26 am
Thanks for the suggestions. I like Chitika too. Similar too Google Adsense, but a different presentation. Perhaps, this provides readers with a fresher view of ads and will increase clicks and attention.
Charles
December 29th, 2008 3:14 pm
Thank you for this recommendations. I have used chitika and i like it.
MonTut
December 29th, 2008 9:07 pm
nice list, but most of them are useless for international traffic, and from what i’ve seen, many readers are not US here.
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