Adsense For Feeds, etc.

May 23, 2005 | 19 Comments

With the news that soon publishers will be able to server ads in RSS feeds, I’ve seen quite a bit of discussion regarding ads in the last few weeks. Much like when Adsense broke. Anyway, it’s something that quite a few people have an interest in. I’m actually going to try out Adsense in my feeds and I’m curious to see how it works. My hope is that by moving to full feeds with ads, it might be a win-win, but you never know when it comes to advertising.

The decision to try this out has one I’ve been expecting to make for awhile, and don’t do with out a bit of trepidation. Ads are a touchy subject for some reason, so I thought it best to open it up to see what people think.

So, let’s have a frank discussion about advertising on the Web. I’ll share my thoughts and then open it up to you.

My Thoughts on Web Advertising

I don’t have really strong, steady thoughts on the topic of advertising. I’ve always thought it a bit funny how heated people get over this topic and I’d really like to understand, from either side, what the big fuss is about.

It’s pretty obvious that most people don’t really like advertising. I guess, at it’s most basic level, I don’t either but it’s not something I really think about much as a reader of content anymore, that is as long as it’s not opening a new window, too distracting or baring me completely from content. Text advertising, or even static image stuff doesn’t phase me in the slightest. It’s there, I deal.

Acknowledge (or not) and move on—that’s my motto.

As a publisher I’ve got to say I’ve come to like them quite a bit, and it’s helped me understand why they’re there in the first place. Why, you wonder? Because they bring a small, but worthwhile, amount of income my way every month. As much as I love to write, it is much nicer to know that my efforts are paying off in other, more tangible ways. And regardless of how much I enjoy it, it is work.

As a designer I don’t like how they make my site’s look, but the return is worth that sacrifice to me, as long as it doesn’t obscure the message of the content to much. No pop-ups, Flash-based stuff, things like that and I’m ok with ‘em.

I’ve also found that the impact on the reader is much less than what you might think, again baring the cases I mention above. I’ve tested a few sites that have pretty heavy text and image advertising on them and for the most part it’s been a non-issue. As well, I’ve called for feedback on ads here a few times, and again, aside from a small minority, it’s not been an issue. I’ve also never received any unsolicited feedback in regards to my own advertising efforts.

Now, that doesn’t mean that every site should just go slap ads up everywhere, only that the impact of ads on your site may be less than you might think.

Finding that balance, between content and ads is key, though, and I think a publisher really needs to listen to their audience when it comes to this stuff. They’ll squeak if you’re going to far, and when the money starts to trickle in, you might be tempted to do just that. You’ve got to know when to back off.

Aside from that, it’s my opinion that good content should be worth something. I know damn well that there is no way most publishers are going to get anyone to actually pay to read their content, so that leaves you with advertising and affiliate programs as two of your most viable options.

Sure there are more creative options, but it’s relatively painless to get ads going if you’ve got the content to back it up. It all starts with the content. To me, if someone who writes good content, or provides any good service or product, wants to monetize that in some way, they should go for it.

Advertising is just the most accessible way and frankly, the most viable for many.

I mean, I’d love to work on my blog(s) full time. I love doing it, have a passion for it and hopefully provide content that people value. Seeing as how I’m no Jason Kottke and the chances of me getting people to pony up as micro-contributors is pretty slim, my only real option to make some money to keep the content free and flowing is advertising.

I think that many independent publishers are in the same boat and are having to think about this stuff as advertising is actually somewhat viable now. Maybe advertisers are slowly realizing that content is actual worth something. IMHO, it’s been a long time coming. There is so much good content out there and most of it is free for all intents and purposes.

And still, I highly doubt for most the amount of money made off of advertising equals up to the amount of work, thought and knowledge most folks put into it. Yet there are those out there who still rail against the idea of someone making money from their content. Few, but they’re out there.

My guess is you’ll see more ads on blogs and other similar content driven sites that don’t have them now, and I think that’s good, ‘cause it’ll keep the content going.

And that’s what it’s all about. I know I can get past some ads no problem if I know the content is good.

Ads in RSS

Now, when it comes to RSS and advertising I’m a bit unsure. The reason? Well, I’m not sure how viable it is. I mean, I can’t see any reason to put ads into your feeds if they didn’t show a return. I mean, if my ads didn’t make any money on my site, I’d pull ‘em.

I just don’t see RSS ads really working as well to be honest. But I’m not sure. I am sure, I’m willing to give it a try. And yeah, I’m going back to full feeds if I put ads in ‘em. No reason to have people see them twice. As well, I’m trying to determine if having people click through to my site helped at all. It could be that it didn’t, so in the end this might just get cleaner feeds.

Discuss

But this isn’t about all what I think. Not really, despite my meandering, I want some discussion here. I’ve told you where I stand, for the most part, but I’m open to, and interested in, hearing other points of view.

Filed under: Web General
Keyword Tags: rss atom adsense google feeds advertising

Comments

1. Joost van der Borg said:

I’m not to sure about RSS-feed based ads. Obviously I’d rather keep ads out of my feed-reader, but I can deal with them. I’m just not sure how much of an effect they will have. I only click on ads in my browser about once a month, and I rarely ever click on anything in my feedreader. I just open the actual webpage and read/follow links there, my browser is just equipped for browsing much better. (Probably the reason it’s called a web browser). So, based on my own experience, I’m quite sure the clickthrough rate of ads in feeds will be much lower than that on ordinary webpages. But then again, who am I.

Posted on May 23, 2005 01:45 PM | #

2. Keith Duke said:

You want the truth, I would really not like it, please man, do not put ads in your feed! Everyone else, just say no to ads in feeds!

Why you say?

I love feeds, especially since Safari RSS, I can happily (with one program now, and yes I know firefox had it, but I am a mac slut) see if the many sites whos content I actually look forward to reading have added a new article. Now imagine I check feeds, and there I see Asterisk has a new feed up, excitement builds, anticipation, palms getting moist, I click, AND ITS A AD!?!?!?!?!?! What a let down!

But seriously, the last statements were partly true, (I do look forward to see new content from people like you) but I subscribe to quite a few feeds and the thought of going through them all burgeoning with ads, oh my head, I must go lie down.

Posted on May 23, 2005 02:33 PM | #

3. Keith said:

Keith – I can safely say that is not at all how it works. You’d never get an ad without new content. Pretty much, the way I see it, is you’d simply get an ad at the bottom (or maybe middle?) of the content in the feed.

Joost – I wonder the same thing. I also wonder how many click-throughs I get from people hoping from my feeds to my site. That’s why, in the end, all this might do is push me towards full feeds with no ad. But then again, with Web content moving away from the browser there is going to have to be some way for people who create content to monetize it. My guess is you’ll see ads in your content no matter how it’s delivered. Either that or you’ll see the end of good, free content.

Posted on May 23, 2005 02:42 PM | #

4. Louis said:

I would say, as long as it’s clearly stated as an add (read: not spam), and that it does not pop up in front of me, I do not have a problem with it.

Posted on May 23, 2005 04:03 PM | #

5. Keith Duke said:

Well then, an ad at the bottom I could live with, the middle, I would tolerate. I feel relieved but must go lay down again.

Posted on May 23, 2005 04:05 PM | #

6. Brian said:

I’m inclined to think that ads in feeds would be much less profitable than text ads in your browser. I think most ad clicks (for focused content sites like this one) come from two different scenarios:

1) People like me who seek out ads and click them to support the site but never click because I think the ad might actually be useful. I imagine most regular readers are the same way.

2) People who stumble onto the site via search engine or some other external link who might click an ad to get more information or because they didn’t realized it was an ad. (Second situation more prevelant in “Lindsay Lohan” searches by 12 year olds than for designers looking for CSS tips.)

With ads in RSS feeds you completely lose the type 2 people. I (and pretty much anyone who is subscribed to your feed) have seen the Dreamweaver RSS extension and Pluck ads about 2 million times now, we don’t click ads because they’re useful to us. So you’re down to the goodwill of your regular readers.

Does it negatively affect your ad clicks on the site? I doubt it, but I’m have serious doubts you’ll see any increase either.

Posted on May 23, 2005 07:57 PM | #

7. Brody said:

I personally don’t pay any attention to ads on sites, whether they be on the bottom or the middle. I scroll down to read what I need to read and I’m guessing that’s what the majority of other readers do as well. Having ads in feeds won’t affect me one way or the other, but if it were up to me I wouldn’t have ads in any feeds…from the reader’s point of view. It’s a whole new ballgame when you’re a publisher, so it’s all up to the individual.

Posted on May 23, 2005 08:22 PM | #

8. Brad Wright said:

I don’t really read RSS feeds, as I only frequent 4-5 blogs on a regular basis. So my opinion on this one is coming from a fairly uneducated viewpoint.

With that disclaimer out of the way, I think having ads in RSS is vastly different to having ads on a web site. On a site, the ads can be made as part of the design, and since you’re viewing them through a web browser it FEELS different. Having ads in an RSS feed would feel, to me, as though I had ads on my computer. I imagine it’s probably the same kind of feeling people get using the free version of Opera and having to see those Lavalife banners in the corner all the time. It would, to me, feel a little intrusive.

Also, what’s the likelihood of “impulse” clicking on an RSS feed ad? It’s not like Firefox (or Safari) where I can just open heaps of new tabs to view things I MIGHT be interested in.. know what I mean?

To offer a more positive point of view, maybe having two feeds is the answer? A shortened feed with just the extracts that’s ad-free, and the full version with the ads? That way your users can decide what they feel is most appropriate for them… but this might not work for you - financially speaking.

Posted on May 23, 2005 10:52 PM | #

9. ghola said:

I hate ads. They spoil things that I like.

That’s why I disabled iframes and maintain a list of blocked ad servers.

I just verified in IE that the white gap between your post and the comments is actually Google ads. Ads I don’t see in Opera, which is great.

I hope an easy solution will soon come to avoid ads in RSS feeds.

But would you encourage your readers to dodge the ads if they bother them?

Also I think that ads usually try to fool people into clicking on links that are a waste of time.
But on a web site such as yours does it really work? If something is cool and worth seeing, isn’t it gonna be featured on one of the 100+ feeds I have on Bloglines?

Well, I’m just trying to talk you into not putting ads on your RSS feed.

But, if you really need it for aditional revenue and it works for you, then do it. Leave it to us to dodge the bullet, in time. It’s not that big a deal.

Posted on May 23, 2005 10:59 PM | #

10. Anamaria said:

The vast majority of my routine daily web reading is now done through a newsreader. The main reason I switched to a newsreader was to facilitate my access to new content and to allow me to quickly separate the wheat from the chaff. Ads always end up in the chaff pile. If I am reading in a newsreader it’s because I do not have a lot of time to sit back and meander in a leisurely manner. This means no clicking on ads. That said, I don’t mind them either, mainly because I barely see them.

Posted on May 24, 2005 01:24 AM | #

11. geeky said:

RSS ads don’t really bother me. A few of the feeds I read have started implementing them. They’re only a slight annoyance in that sometimes they make reading the feed harder, but other than that I don’t really notice them. I also don’t click on them, but I don’t know how telling that is becuase I don’t click on other ads on websites either :)

Posted on May 24, 2005 05:52 AM | #

12. Fred Faulkner said:

I have a somewhat different take on RSS Ad front. I think ads are ok, but within reason. For instance, first I give my readers a choice. I have a full text feed with an Amazon ad in it and an excerpt feed with no ads.

About six months ago I implemented an Amazon ad on every other post on the full text feed, but notified subscribers and gave them an option. No one really bit the bullet to take the other one. I don’t get a lot of traffic, and thus not a lot of clicks, but I do give my readers a choice. And not to “sneak” it by anyone, I denote the feed has an Amazon ad in it before you subscribe to it. I think if you place ads in your feed and there is an option as to how often, don’t make them every post. Make them on intervals. I think that is a happy compromise. Just a thought.

On a side note, keep the conversations going…I enjoy your work.

Posted on May 24, 2005 06:17 AM | #

13. Nathan said:

I just had a problem with Adds. When searching (or setting up a smart list in netnewswire) some articles show up under words that were not actually in the article, but instead they were in the ad. This makes them irrelevant to my search results and annoying.

Posted on May 24, 2005 09:02 AM | #

14. Zephyr said:

Funny you should ask ;-) Those Google ads in the middle of your articles have always bothered me. Especially their interation in the content (no borders or anything). At first I even found it confusing (it really did seem part f the content to me, now it’s just mostly anoying…

And oh, don’t go by the lack of “unsolicited e-mail comments” about it, it’s not an accurate measure.

Posted on May 24, 2005 09:50 AM | #

15. Keith said:

Zephyr – I’m not surprised some people are bothered by those, but when I put them there, displayed the way they are, I saw a worthwhile increase in my revenue, so…

Also, as far as the unsolicited comments go. It’s not those I weigh any decisions on, it’s the solicited comments, which, in general don’t seem to put me off ads.

Posted on May 24, 2005 10:27 AM | #

16. Adrian said:

As being someone who provides content on a few different sites, I can say good content is not free. On my sites that provide a lot of content, I currently provide full text rss feeds with no ads, and ads on my site, so I’m really only getting paid for the visitors who visit my site. Over half of my total traffic is people actually grabbing my feeds and rarely visiting my sites, so I’m basically getting paid half price for my content at best (depending on how much reach my content gets via aggregators). From where I sit, with no ads in my rss, I’m leaving money on the table. Granted, I would never make my rss ads intrusive, and it would always be with new content, most likely on the bottom or middle, but as soon as I can do ads in rss, I’m going to. Doing otherwise will only encourage people to do the rss exclusively because that content is basically “free” and I’m not getting compensated for it.

Posted on May 24, 2005 11:01 AM | #

17. Brian said:

By the way, it appears the AdSense for RSS ads don’t work in Bloglines. Whenever I click on an ad it takes me to an error page and claims that I can’t accept cookies. I doubt anyone is getting any credit for those.

Posted on May 24, 2005 02:08 PM | #

18. Christian Watson said:

Keith, I say go for it. The ads in your feed don’t intrude on the content at all, in my opinion. I’d be interested to know if they do much business, however, given that they are served to your regular readership who are not (I would say) the main source of your Adsense revenue.

Perhaps you can provide us with an update at sometime down the road.

Posted on May 25, 2005 05:06 PM | #