You’re interested in monetizing your blog with an blogger ad network. What kind of things should you consider when reading over their contract?
Payout: What do they pay out per thousand page views (CPM)? Is there an ad revenue share? Do they pay CPM only or CPC (cost per click) or CPA (cost per action), too?
(CPM counts the number of times the ad was viewed. CPC measures ad clicks. CPA measures activity, like signing up to purchase a product or membership.)
Remember, some networks don’t tell you what they pay initially, so you’ll have to give them a trial run to see if their numbers work for you. If that’s the case, make sure you can get out of your contract and stop using them at any time.
Ad Placement: Does their ad have to be at the top portion (“above the fold”) of your blog? Do their ad sizes fit on your blog? If not, will they create one for you? How many of their ads will you have to run – just one or two or more?
Exclusivity: Do they allow you to post other ads on your blog? Most networks allow Google Adsense, but they may not allow you to use affiliate program links, direct ads, or other networks’ ads. If they do allow other ads, do they insist on having the top position on your blog? If so, will that be a problem for your direct ad buyers?
Sponsored posts: If you do paid reviews, do they allow them on your blog? If not, how flexible are they in letting you link from your main site to your review site when you post a review?
Promotion: Do they promote your content underneath their ad banners, on their website, or in their enewsletter? Will that bring traffic to your blog? Or are they filling up your sidebar with other sites’ content?
Contract: Are you locked into staying with the network for a certain amount of time? If you want to leave, do you have to give notice? Can you leave at any time for any reason?
Content: Are you allowed to post about controversial subjects or use adult language? How many times per week do you have to post?
Support: Are you able to view ad stats? Is there a contact person to help with ad code or other issues? How often are you paid? Do they pay via check or through PayPal? Is there a minimum payout threshold?
Sales force: Are they signing up big clients or are they running filler like PSAs and network ads? Will they share the name of their clients or are you kept in the dark until you see the ads running on your blog?
Control: Can you block certain advertisers? Or are you stuck running all the ads even if you don’t like some of them?
See if you can contact a blogger on their network to find out how she likes them. She may be prevented from giving details since many ad networks require confidentiality.
Finally, when dealing with any legal document it may be a good idea to have a lawyer look over the contract before you sign.
