I have removed my BlogKits links from my blog. I am now back to just running AdSense, Amazon, Noble Knight and Funagain Games affiliate links. Why did I dump BlogKits? Well, it wasn't because of the new AdSense TOS rules.
Nope, I dumped BlogKits because it was not performing well enough for me. Not only was it not performing but it was decreasing my AdSense income! How is that possible you ask? It's very simple.
When people leave my blog they have several options:
1) Use a bookmark on their web browser
2) Type in a URL
3) Leave via a link
There is nothing I can do about numbers one and two but I can have some influence over number three.
When I post a game review I always provide an affiliate link to Funagain.com so that the reader can go there and buy the game. The same goes for products available through Noble Knight Games and Amazon. People do not always buy when they follow the link but I know that the link matches the content they were reading.
The other method of leaving my site is via my "Link Blanket" in the sidebar. This is a listing of websites that I enjoy visiting. If you leave by those links than the people who run those websites will look in their server logs and say, "hey, look at all the traffic Steve is sending my way, perhaps I should reciprocate?" This helps build up my network of bloggers and it spreads goodwill. It also helps my readers discover new websites that they may not know of.
When they leave via an advertising link such as AdSense I have a chance to make a few pennies. These pennies help me defray the costs of hosting this website. Those same pennies (when I earn enough) can also help me buy things to review, which helps me build more interesting content.
Now, BlogKits is an affiliate network type of service but it is not targeted. I may have a blog post about cars and the BlogKits advertisement may be about cooking supplies. I don't want that! I want advertising that matches my content so the reader will see advertising links that correspond to what they are reading about. If you are reading a story about the new Quad Core CPUs on the market and the advertising links all deal with toe nail clippers you are not going to click on them. Let me make this clear as well, I'm not asking you to click on my advertising links! Any short term gain that I might experience from such behavior would be quickly wiped out when Google bans me from using the service.
Here is my problem with BlogKits:
Since I started using BlogKits I have served 42,193 advertising impressions. Out of this number 132 clicks were generated. This is worse than my AdSense numbers and none of those clicks resulted in any benefit to me. I don't even know what articles generated those clicks! with all of my other affiliate networking links I know what articles are generating the clicks because I can directly tag and track those out clicks!
Also, all of the advertisers who use BlogKits offer affiliate networks to bloggers. If I wanted to sign up for a direct (no middle man) affiliate relationship with one of the advertisers I could.
The point I'm trying to make is that BlogKits did not work for me. The random nature of serving advertising did not help me at all so I have dumped the service.
The other problem I have is that their back end does not adequately explain the terms they use. One example is "EPC" What does it mean? I can't find an explanation for it but the column has numbers that look like CPC figures. Some advertising campaigns are written to imply you can be paid based on leads or sales yet they never define what a lead is. I know what I *think* a lead means and after one of my readers told me he signed up for something that was listed as a lead in the BlogKits back-end after following a link from my blog I never saw any credit for a lead come my way.
BlogKits may work for someone who is just throwing up ads to see if they will stick but they will not work for a blogger who has a core readership and a core focus for their blog. You are much better off seeking out affiliate partnerships on your own, based on your niche, than trying this service.
“BlogKits may work for someone who is just throwing up ads to see if they will stick but they will not work for a blogger who has a core readership and a core focus for their blog. You are much better off seeking out affiliate partnerships on your own, based on your niche, than trying this service.”
I think you’re absolutely right, and that’s our business model. 99.5% of 63 million bloggers are not marketers, or care to be. You are a great exception, because you understand online marketing, and you even care about it. BlogKits wasn’t really “built” for you specifically. You’re the exception, not the rule, and that’s a good thing for you :)
However, I do believe it will work for you if you keep it up! Check out this case study from successful BlogKits publisher Mathew Ingram.
http://www.blogkits.com/blog/?p=84
“BlogKits was extremely easy to set up and to install on my blog, and even though I’ve only been using it for a few weeks, it has already started to pay off.â€
Again, even if you don’t put our ads back up, we thank you for trying. It’s all about trying and seeing what works! Contact me anytime.
Jim, let me say right away that you have never tried to sell me a bill of goods, you have always been upfront about things in regards to BlogKits. I respect the idea behind BlogKits but it just did not work for me.
I wish it had worked for me because it is a lot less work slapping some code onto a website than hunting down appropriate afilliate partnerships.
If there is one thing your service did teach me it is that afilliate networking works. It just needs to be focused and geared towards your content.
This post was not meant to be an attack on your service though your back-end could be more informative and “leads” should either be explained or removed from the reporting areas.
*I* will not be adding it back in but if I encounter bloggers who can not acquire the requisitte knowledge to monetize their blog on their own I will send them your way.
Thanks for taking the time to comment.