As of today I will no longer be using Kontera on this blog. It took me some time to think about it and at the end I decided that usability outweighed the revenue Kontera currently generates for me.
When I started using Kontera on the blog, I had asked readers if it was okay with them. And I stressed that if it was not, I would not use it. However, the ones who replied said “It was OK with them”. So I continued…
But all these while I was not feeling right. I am not sure why, maybe because it was not making much money. Or maybe I was feeling guilty for going against usability. Because I do write about Usability on this blog, so using Kontera on the blog kind of offset what I was writing.
Kontera Revenue
During this period, Kontera generated $103.94. I used it for about 4+ months. Obviously it was not making much, and this was the turning point for me to decide against it.
I believe the decision will pay off in some other way. Now the blog will be less cluttered:
- No more popup ads on the links
- No more double lined links in the posts, which confuses new people
- The posts are cleaner now, with only original links in them
- And finally better usability (Usability 1 : Kontera 0)
What do you think? Was it a better decision? Do you think the blog now is more user-friendly? Your opinion counts. As Darren says, blogger should give and at the same time, get back something from the readers. So guys, gimme some feedback ;)
Hey Ades,
I’m an avid reader of your blog for past 6 months. Thanks for nice articles and my reading time well spent on your site!
I believe people who visit your site have seen kontera/intellitext ads from other tech blogs so they are familiar with how they work. I personally don’t care if you have them or remove them.
I think most of your audiences would agree that it doesn’t bother.
i think it’s a wise choice…
If you think if you are not earning much then discard it, ads are usually in the blind spot and people won’t actually mind it if the are not crammed and seen as “too much” and this is where ad placement matters.
Not to say teaching an expert like you, just my opinion. :-)
obviously people knows about those double-line so to make good money from kontera is rather difficult, not to mention the frustration to readers who have to bear with the small popup window …
for the same reason, i’ve threw it away long time ago … unless they can pay better than adsense, kontera might just die naturally …
cheers …
I’ll echo Mulamaker and say again that it didn’t bother me either way. Having said that, $100 in four months for a blog this size isn’t enough to keep using it so I think you made the right decision. Interestingly, this frees you up to explore other similar programs. Amazon, Chitika, Linkworth and others offer similar systems, some PPC, some PPA, but knowing you Ades, you’ve probably got them all lined up and ready to review as I write this! :)
Guys, thanks for taking time to give me some feedback on this. I really appreciate it.
I am a new visitor to your site.Your site is nice and the design is great.
I think you have taken right decision in removing kontera.
Added Kontera to 11 of my ‘adsense’ blogs, each getting an average of £3.66 per week over the last twelve weeks. One week later, Kontera $1.34 in clicks commission for 961 impressions. Google Adsense Revenue dropped to £2.61 per site. Not happy; Kontera Clicks could have been Adsense clicks earning a damn site more. To those, like me, looking for ways to increase earnings from their sites, all I can say is that Kontera may cost you money rather than make it! beepy1968.
Hey Ades,
This is Jonathan from Kontera. I just wanted to address some of your concerns about the network, and hopefully make you a little more comfortable about our In-Texts ads.
First of all, regarding usability, Kontera was designed to integrate seamlessly into the user experience. Our ads only appear after someone scrolls over the highlighted keyword, meaning only site visitors who are actively curious will see the ads. This actually cuts down on the ad clutter on your site, and because Kontera is so effective, also adds value.
The reason Kontera is so effective is because of our contextual technology, an algorithm that is able to read webpages for meaning, not just keywords like competing networks, finds the most relevant ads for your site, leading to higher CTR and better CPC.
Additionally, because Kontera has an exclusive ad inventory from some of the biggest brand names in the world, including Microsoft, Volvo, L’Oreal, Sprint, Kmart, and more; we’re able to provide our publishers with the best possible ads. These premium, often Rich-Media ad units are creative and engaging, offer the best possible CPC, and are only available through the Kontera network.
Also, and this speaks to what uk exhibition brought up, Kontera is completely compatible with Adsense. Because Kontera and Adsense are displayed in completely different areas of a web page, they don’t cannibalize each other’s clicks, and you don’t have to chose either one or the other. Additionally, because of “banner blindness” where people become desensitized to banner ads and stop noticing them, there’s an entire segment of site visits who’s clicks you be completely missing out on if you didn’t also have In-Text.
Lastly, touching upon the issue of Publisher compensation, we’re currently offering a 70% revenue share, which is the highest rate in the industry. We’re also offering a $50 bonus for any new publisher who gets at least 25,000 U.S. page views during their first 30 days on the network; and have recently lowered our minimum payout threshold from $100 to $50, across all payment methods.
A lot has changed since 2007 and I think you would be pleasantly surprised with Kontera. If you’re interested feel free to e-mail me to discuss this further. We’d love to have you back aboard :)
Thanks,
- Jonathan Cohen
Kontera Community Manager
Jonathanc@kontera.com