Google is banning ads critical of MoveOn.örg: http://www.examiner.com/a-983100~Google_bans_anti_MoveOn_org_ads.html This comes at a time when I am putting together two websites, one far-left and one far-right, both for AdSense use. I really could care less about the politics. What I do care about is that political context ads, that are from parties or candidates, pay well. Is there a more appropriate context ad network, maybe Yahoo!, for political websites?
I am sure thier will be enough ads even if they ban some. Not sure how much they pay but you should get traffic if site has strong views on either side.
Google's reason, lame as it is, was that Collins was using the trademarked word MoveOn in her ad. It will have no bearing at all for the rest of the political ad market. That said, political sites aren't the greatest for adsense for a couple reasons. 1) The readers of political blogs are pretty astute and are familiar with candidate websites and such, so the vast majority are very blind to ads. You'll get some click-thrus but not very many (think in the sub 1.0% range). 2) Most of the ads are low-paying. As in a lot of dime or less clicks. Let's face it, there isn't a lot of competition for Mitt Romney or Dennis Kucinich ads, so they don't have to bid much at all. So if you are looking to put up some sites strictly for the adsense, I would seriously suggest some other niche. As a rule, people who visit political blogs tend to be on the ends of the political spectrum, are highly partisan and like real red-meat content. So unless you are personally far-left or far-right (and you said you could care less about the politics) with a vested interest in the content they will sniff you out in a heartbeat and ignore the site. Virtually all political bloggers are really into the politics and almost to the man say their Adsense earnings stink, as in years to reach the golden $100 payout. But, then, they almost to the man don't do it for the money either.
No, the trick for a political website is not to post a blog (none of my high-paying AdSense websites are blogs). You've got to do something with a writing style similar to the (neutral) Cook Political Report: http://www.cookpolitical.com/ No, it's not a blog (Cook sells subscriptions), but based upon that you can do something like an opinion/editorial website. But at the end of the article/editorial/whatever, you slide in a biased opinion that leaves them either 1) optimistic or 2) outraged (if you've taken journalism classes, you know what I mean). This leaves them wanting more, and apt to click on an ad! The problem I see with a blog, in my opinion, is that after they read the comments left by others they'll stop at a comment that leaves them satisfied. NEVER LEAVE THE READER SATISFIED IF YOU WANT THEM TO CLICK ON A CONTEXT AD! I've found that the best context ads for a political website come from polarizing topics. A "pro Bush" or "pro Hillary" article can get you context ads for contrary positions. It's almost unfair...! MoveOn is obviously a polarizing subject. I don't want Google banning contrary ads on a "pro-MoveOn" page. My benchline is, WHO will be paying for the ad? I don't expect businesses that sell bikinis or power tools, for example, to pay a lot for context ads. But lawyers, large corporations, and political parties will bid high $$$ because they can afford it based on what they have to gain - ESPECIALLY in a competitive field!
Political parties don't have to pay high amounts for placement because it isn't a competitive field. What you will see is a lot of CafePress ads for bumper stickers, Hillary Nut Crackers, and NewsMax image ads. Political people are a different breed from your average reader. The vast majority have already formed an opinion and are looking for reinforcement of that said belief. Pissing them off, isn't going to make them click a liberty bumper sticker ad. And they do read every last comment. Most sites tend to fall on a partisan theme which is read and commented on by the same partisans. So it is pretty rare to have red state and blue state people dueling it out on one thread. It's almost always a string of "Bush is a douche" or "Billary sucks" comments. And like ramiz123 said, most companies would rather steer clear from a partisan site simple because they tend to alienate the other half of the country. And, the flipside is that nonpartisan sites don't do well, even if you put a zinger at the end. Sites like the Cook report are written by pros and targeted for pros and not the general adsense clicking public. But if you're going to still go for it I wouldn't worry in the least about this MoveOn controversy. There weren't that many MoveOn relate ads, if any, before Susan Collins tried it. It will be the usual subjects depending on what the page or post is about. Good luck.
There is a ton of money spent on political campaigns. I have a couple of friends that are on city councils in southern California in cities with less than 100,000 residents. They tell me that campaign consultants provide the following price quotes: $25,000 = a good showing $45,000 = very likely to win $75,000 = 99% guaranteed win It has traditionally been spent on traditional media like commercials, junk mail, and signs that litter our neighborhood. I would hope some of this money would be migrating to the web. I'd also think it would be a good long term plan to develop some web strategy to capture the money when it finally starts being spent on line.