When you’re trying to make money online with a blog, contextual or text links might be something you’re considering. In the early days of trying to find your way to making money with a blog, any advertising opportunity can seem like a good one. Text link ads are popular but not everyone uses them because they can be considered overkill.
Text link ads are very much like Google Adsense in that they are contextual and look at your content to come up with relevant ads. Only, instead of being displayed in a side bar or blending in with your design in unobtrusive ad blocks, text link advertisements exist within your text.
When specific words and phrases are used in your text, the text will become a link and be underlined. As the reader hovers over that link, a pop-up window will generally come up with an ad that will take the reader away from your page.
Some people find these types of ads too cluttered and if a lot of your web page looks like links, your readers may not click any links you already intend to put in your text. The advertising can become overwhelming.
If you really want to give these links a try, there are a few things you might consider including:
Use contextual ads in archives instead of on your home page.
This way, your post of the day looks like usual and posts past a particular age can show text links and you can have the landing page of your blog that makes the first impression do something other than scream “blatant advertising”.
Using these ads but having this be your sole advertising program.
This could be a great approach. Instead of having ads and banners all over the place, one program in place could be the best approach when using text link advertising. You may decide to experiment and do trial periods with several types of ad programs or with ad placement until you find what fits your blog and helps with blog monetization.
