HTML and CSS Reference
In-Depth Information
Let viral marketing go to work for you as current and potential visitors find and share
your content, which should increase awareness and bring new and returning visitors to
your site.
There are a number of other ways you can promote your Web site, including affiliate
programs, banner ads, banner exchanges, reciprocal link agreements, newsletters, per-
sonal recommendations, traditional media advertising, and URL placement on all pro-
motional materials.
The essence of
affiliate programs
is that one Web site (the affiliate) promotes another
Web site's products or services (the merchant) in exchange for a commission. Both Web
sites benefit from this association. Amazon.com reportedly began the first affiliate mar-
keting program—and its Amazon Associate program is still going strong. By joining this
program your Web site can feature books with a link to the Amazon Web site. If one of
your visitors purchases a book, you get a commission. Amazon benefits because you
have delivered an interested visitor who may purchase items now or in the future. Your
site benefits from the prestige of being affiliated with a known site such as Amazon and
the potential for income from the program.
View the Commission Junction Web site (
http://www.cj.com)
for a program that
matches Web sites with potential affiliate programs. Their service allows publishers
(Web site owners and developers) to choose from a wide range of advertisers and affili-
ate programs. Benefits to Web developers include the opportunity to partner with lead-
ing advertisers, earn additional revenue from Web site visitors or ad space, and view
real-time tracking and reporting. Visit
http://www.refer-it.com
for a directory of affili-
ate, associate, and referral programs.
A
banner ad
is typically a graphic image that is used to announce and advertise the
name or identity of a site. Banner ads are image hyperlinks that display the advertised
site when clicked. You probably see them many times as you surf the Web. They've
been around quite some time—hotwired.com introduced the first banner ad in 1994 to
promote AT&T.
There is no official size for a banner ad. However, research performed by the Interactive
Advertising Bureau (
http://www.iab.net
) reports that the standard size for a full banner
ad is 468
60 pixels. Visit its Web site for a full listing of types of ads and common sizes
(http://www.iab.net/standards/adunits.asp
). Costs to display your banner ad can vary.
Some Web sites charge by the impression (usually in terms of cost per thousand, or
CPM). Others charge for click-throughs only—when the banner ad is clicked. Some
search engines sell banner ads and will display your ad on a results page for a keyword
that relates to your site (for a fee, of course!). See Figure 13.6 for some timely market-
ing by a Web site that specializes in flowers.
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