June 30, 2017

Should You Host Ads on a WordPress Site?

For many bloggers and website owners, WordPress ads are a vital component of their business models. While it’s possible to generate income hosting ads on WordPress, there are pros and cons to consider prior to installing any plugins. Before making any changes to your existing site, learn how WordPress ads can help or hinder business goals.

The Challenges of WordPress Ads

Yes, many people have successfully generated income with ads on WordPress. However, the average clickthrough rate for these display ads is only 0.1 percent. For a website owner, this means you could be sacrificing precious page space for ads that no one might click on. Furthermore, many users consider ads clutter on a page, which can detract from their overall experience on your website.

WordPress ads may also work against the business goals of your website. For example, if you are trying to encourage email signups, ads can grab attention away from your target users. Instead of selecting your signup form, they might click on the ads instead. Sure you’ll generate some profit from the ad clicks. However, how much are you losing when potential leads visiting your site don’t subscribe to your emails?

WordPress ads can also drastically increase your bounce rate in a variety of ways. For instance, popups notoriously cause high bounce rates. Also, incorrectly targeted audience segments cause numerous bounces away from your site.

Success with WordPress Ads

Yes, there are challenges to hostings ads on WordPress. Data shows that those who successfully generate income with WordPress ads are usually:

  • Well-known online personas with a large, engaged audience,
  • Websites already receiving significant amounts of traffic on a regular basis, and
  • Those with a specific target audience that are also email subscribers.  

If you do opt to host ads on WordPress, you may either sell them yourself or use a third-party service to handle the process. Selling the ad space yourself requires more work on your end but costs you less whereas a third-party vendor costs more but reduces how much time you spend on the endeavor.

Also, keep in mind that WordPress ads used thoughtfully may positively impact your website marketing efforts. When placed strategically throughout a site, ads on WordPress have the potential to increase your ROI.

Top WordPress Ads Plugins

There are millions of WordPress plugins. If you’re not careful, installing a plugin may bring down your site for an extended period. For those who decide to host WordPress ads, try one of these plugins:

  • OIOpublisher – This ad manager gives you complete control over the ads on WordPress. Sales are fully automated and only a single license is needed. Also, there’s no middleman so you get to the all of the ad revenue generated.
  • BuySellAds Publisher Pro – An easy-to-use graphic interface allows website owners to directly connect with advertisers to increase earning potential. It offers advanced audience targeting and flexible ad serving.
  • Google DoubleClick for Publishers – Cost effective and reliable, this Google product lets use reach audiences across devices. Additionally, it maximizes programmatic revenue to deliver compelling ad experiences to a target audience.

Maintaining a WordPress site and all of its plugins is a time-consuming effort. For business owners already swamped, reliable, knowledgeable WordPress professionals make it easier than ever to handle these tasks. Contact us now to discover how Proactive WP’s services can lighten your workload.