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Reader Question: I have newsletter articles and a forum on my Web site. Since I often have focused content on these pages, I thought that contextual ads might be a good way to supplement income from my site. Is this a good idea? What types of contextual advertising programs are available?

Answer: In Part 1 of this article series, I went over the various types of contextual advertising: inline, in-text ads, and pop-up/pop-under contextual ads. In Part 2 of this article series, I will go over some of the most common misconceptions about contextual advertising.

Myth #1: If a site displays contextual ads, it will get higher search engine positions in the main search results.

This particular myth is an extension of another search engine marketing myth. Many people notice that after they purchase ads on Overture or Google, their Web sites suddenly appear at the top of the main search results in Yahoo and Google, respectively. The logical conclusion people make is that purchasing search engine advertising will boost "natural" search engine positioning. Likewise, people believe that if their site displays contextual advertising, that will give their sites a boost as well.

Unfortunately, this conclusion is incorrect. "Yahoo does not offer any products or services that guarantee good placement in its algorithmic results," said Gaude Lydia Paez, Senior Manager of Communications at Overture. "Our 'natural' results are ranked only by the algorithm." Even Google states in the webmaster info section, "Advertising with Google neither helps (nor hurts!) a site's rankings on Google."

I have found two main reasons that people believe this myth:

1. Search engine ad reps: Some people find it very difficult to accept that this myth is actually a myth, and to accept that their cause-and-effect conclusion is erroneous. One of the reasons this myth perpetuates among Web site owners are statements made by poorly trained search engine ad reps.

Unfortunately, many search engine ad reps are trained to be salespeople, not on how search engines actually work. Sales management is responsible for salespeople propagating misinformation about their own company. I believe the search engine management should prepare their sales and marketing representatives more carefully. The "white-hat" search engine marketers will greatly appreciate it.

2. Unethical search engine marketers: At first glance, it might appear that contextual ads on a Web page are Google AdSense, Overture, FindWhat or other ads. Upon closer inspection, you might realize that the ads are designed to look like search engine contextual ads, but are really close imitations.

Many unethical search engine marketers who participate in free-for-all (FFA) link farms create these fake ads to give the impression that a search engine has "endorsed" a site. Make sure you inspect the code and link structure before assuming that a site participates in a contextual advertising program from a search engine. You might be surprised that the site is actually practicing a form of search engine spam.

Myth #2: Journalists and writers who have inline or in-text contextual ads placed in their articles endorse the products and services being advertised.

(I am actually amazed that this myth originates from a journalist. Go figure.) People make a lot of assumptions regarding in-text contextual ads. Some journalists and writers feel that in-text ads cross the line of journalistic objectivity. In other words, if an ad appears within the actual text of their article, writers must be endorsing the product or service being advertised.

I am a writer and reporter for multiple publications. My competitors frequently sponsor or purchase ad space in my articles for two reasons:

1. Most of my articles are about search engine marketing, usability, and Web site design, and

2. People who read my articles are people in their target audience.

Let's follow this myth in a logical manner. My competitors sponsor my columns. That must mean that I endorse the products or services they offer, right? Absolutely not!

First, some of my competitors spam the search engines, and I have never endorsed search engine spam. In addition, in the field of search engine marketing (SEM), I find my competitors' design, development, and usability skills to be substandard. In fact, sometimes I like to poke fun at them, writing articles about obtuse sales pitches. Does this sound like I endorse the products and services my advertisers offer?

Both online and offline publishers must meet financial (business) goals in order to stay in business. Subscriptions and advertising are two ways publishers are able to meet their business goals. All journalists and writers understand this fundamental premise. As long as no advertiser dictates to the journalist what or how to write, journalist integrity is preserved.

Contextual advertisers do not dictate to journalists how or what to write. Therefore, this myth IS a myth.

The only places I feel that in-text contextual advertising is inappropriate are places where the writers are unaware that ads are being displayed. Some examples include message boards, forums, and blogs.

Conclusion

Contextual ads are a great way to add advertising revenue to a Web site. However, do not fall for false assumptions about the various programs available. Participating in a search engine's contextual advertising program will not get a site higher search engine positions in the main search results. Nor does an ad display communicate a journalist's endorsement.

In Part 3 of this article series, I will talk about perhaps the biggest myth about contextual advertising - is it a form of search engine advertising or not?

Shari Thurow is Marketing Director at Grantastic Designs, Inc., a full-service search engine marketing, web and graphic design firm. This article is excerpted from her book, Search Engine Visibility (http://www.searchenginesbook.com) published in January 2003 by New Riders Publishing Co. Shari can be reached at shari@grantasticdesigns.com.

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