4 ms·

This is how my site works and it works well. In theory I might be able to make a bit more via an ad network, but I like treating my site like a magazine and hav

This is how my site works and it works well. In theory I might be able to make a bit more via an ad network, but I like treating my site like a magazine and have highly relevant and high-quality ads.

oaktowner 11y ago
I just looked at http://officesnapshots.com/ http://officesnapshots.com/ and I agree -- that's what advertising should be. Congrats. Two questions: how much time do you spend selling/negotiating with advertisers? And you say you could earn more from a network: have you researched at all exactly how much more? Naively, it seems that maybe advertisers would pay you more because 100% of the visitors to your site are relevant to their products (but admittedly I'm out of my realm of expertise).
- imtringued 11y ago
  >Naively, it seems that maybe advertisers would pay you more because 100% of the visitors to your site are relevant to their products The fact that a website is about interior design is already enough information for advertisers to show you relevant ads. I think all this tracking is pointless. They still show me ads about fridges weeks after I've bought one.
- stevesearer 11y ago
  Thanks for the kind words! It is difficult to say how much time I spend on that side of things since it has been built up over time and have pretty high advertiser loyalty - total guess, but maybe 5-20% depending on the time of year. Most of my time is spent acquiring, editing, and categorizing content as well as adding new features to the site. I haven't really done much research into the various networks, but I do get sales pitches from time to time. My first question is always wondering which advertisers using the network are relevant to my readers (almost always the answer is none). Plus at this point I have a direct relationship with marketing departments, so there isn't really a need for a middleman. Edit: for people here interested in tech offices, here's the best link: http://officesnapshots.com/offices/?fwp_industry=technology http://officesnapshots.com/offices/?fwp_industry=technology
  - TheOtherHobbes 11y ago
    This is more or less the old print model - take a topic, create quality content, take money from very specific relevant advertisers. It's such an obvious model that it's amazing the ad industry hasn't understood how well it works. Instead they persist in using crappy non-functional trackers and ad blocker blockers and all kinds of other bullshit techniques - because apparently they'd rather game readers than provide something good and useful. Postscript: a minor bug. I'm using OS X Chrome, and the ad bar keeps twitching when I reach the end and try to scroll down further.
    - stevesearer 11y ago
      Yeah, I basically think about the site as being a magazine with enhanced features. Unfortunately news sites like CNN don't have a narrow audience and therefore use technology to slice and dice the visitors into narrow groups. Is that scroll bug on all pages with the ad sidebar? Do you run any script blockers?
  - mahyarm 11y ago
    You guys should add a search text box, so you can search for specific companies.
    - stevesearer 11y ago
      Here's the megalist of them all: http://officesnapshots.com/companies/ http://officesnapshots.com/companies/ There is also http://officesnapshots.com/search/ http://officesnapshots.com/search/
Ntrails 11y ago
I seem to recall seeing an article indicating that is what StackOverflow do - and it works out p well for them
- stevesearer 11y ago
  Yeah, someone else in the comments mentioned the link: https://blog.stackoverflow.com/2016/02/why-stack-overflow-doesnt-care-about-ad-blockers/ https://blog.stackoverflow.com/2016/02/why-stack-overflow-do...
JBReefer 11y ago
Hey, I want you to know that I read a few of your articles and clicked on the ads, because they were relevant to the content and theme of your site. They weren't ads for Amazon products I looked at last week, or ads for jobs. Good job, it's a really well done site.
proactivesvcs 11y ago
I genuinely wondered if those were even advertisements. They look professional, pretty and placed well. Your site is a lesson for the entire advertising industry. It is not often that I see an advert and do not immediately go to edit my Privoxy blocking lists.
HCIdivision17 11y ago
I'll second `oaktowner's comment: the adds fit right in. They fit in naturally and it feels curated. If this is what we were immersed in, web ads would be a much more relevant. the ads don't smack you and stand out as ADS! And instead blend in nicely.

This is how my site works and it works well. In theory I might be able to make a bit more via an ad network, but I like treating my site like a magazine and have highly relevant and high-quality ads.

oaktowner 11y ago

I just looked at http://officesnapshots.com/ http://officesnapshots.com/ and I agree -- that's what advertising should be. Congrats. Two questions: how much time do you spend selling/negotiating with advertisers? And you say you could earn more from a network: have you researched at all exactly how much more? Naively, it seems that maybe advertisers would pay you more because 100% of the visitors to your site are relevant to their products (but admittedly I'm out of my realm of expertise).

imtringued 11y ago
>Naively, it seems that maybe advertisers would pay you more because 100% of the visitors to your site are relevant to their products The fact that a website is about interior design is already enough information for advertisers to show you relevant ads. I think all this tracking is pointless. They still show me ads about fridges weeks after I've bought one.
stevesearer 11y ago
Thanks for the kind words! It is difficult to say how much time I spend on that side of things since it has been built up over time and have pretty high advertiser loyalty - total guess, but maybe 5-20% depending on the time of year. Most of my time is spent acquiring, editing, and categorizing content as well as adding new features to the site. I haven't really done much research into the various networks, but I do get sales pitches from time to time. My first question is always wondering which advertisers using the network are relevant to my readers (almost always the answer is none). Plus at this point I have a direct relationship with marketing departments, so there isn't really a need for a middleman. Edit: for people here interested in tech offices, here's the best link: http://officesnapshots.com/offices/?fwp_industry=technology http://officesnapshots.com/offices/?fwp_industry=technology
- TheOtherHobbes 11y ago
  This is more or less the old print model - take a topic, create quality content, take money from very specific relevant advertisers. It's such an obvious model that it's amazing the ad industry hasn't understood how well it works. Instead they persist in using crappy non-functional trackers and ad blocker blockers and all kinds of other bullshit techniques - because apparently they'd rather game readers than provide something good and useful. Postscript: a minor bug. I'm using OS X Chrome, and the ad bar keeps twitching when I reach the end and try to scroll down further.
  - stevesearer 11y ago
    Yeah, I basically think about the site as being a magazine with enhanced features. Unfortunately news sites like CNN don't have a narrow audience and therefore use technology to slice and dice the visitors into narrow groups. Is that scroll bug on all pages with the ad sidebar? Do you run any script blockers?
- mahyarm 11y ago
  You guys should add a search text box, so you can search for specific companies.
  - stevesearer 11y ago
    Here's the megalist of them all: http://officesnapshots.com/companies/ http://officesnapshots.com/companies/ There is also http://officesnapshots.com/search/ http://officesnapshots.com/search/

Ntrails 11y ago

I seem to recall seeing an article indicating that is what StackOverflow do - and it works out p well for them

stevesearer 11y ago
Yeah, someone else in the comments mentioned the link: https://blog.stackoverflow.com/2016/02/why-stack-overflow-doesnt-care-about-ad-blockers/ https://blog.stackoverflow.com/2016/02/why-stack-overflow-do...

JBReefer 11y ago

Hey, I want you to know that I read a few of your articles and clicked on the ads, because they were relevant to the content and theme of your site. They weren't ads for Amazon products I looked at last week, or ads for jobs. Good job, it's a really well done site.

proactivesvcs 11y ago

I genuinely wondered if those were even advertisements. They look professional, pretty and placed well. Your site is a lesson for the entire advertising industry. It is not often that I see an advert and do not immediately go to edit my Privoxy blocking lists.

HCIdivision17 11y ago

I'll second `oaktowner's comment: the adds fit right in. They fit in naturally and it feels curated. If this is what we were immersed in, web ads would be a much more relevant. the ads don't smack you and stand out as ADS! And instead blend in nicely.