I just quit my job @ Microsoft to help you make money from your website's empty space

Hello everyone! My name is David Parkinson, and I just quit my full-time job at Microsoft to be an
entrepreneur and work full-time on emptyspaceads a new ad format that lets you turn your website's empty space into cash.



The idea with emptyspaceads is that your site's empty space isn't providing you any value beyond simple aesthetics. Firstly, the ads only appear when when your user's mouse is in the empty space of your site, and they only appear within your site's empty space. So for some users, they'll never see the ads.

I just launched officially a couple week ago, so I'm really looking for honestly brutal feedback that helps me improve this product to make you folks happy. company blog posts) tend to get ignored by users because they learn to ignore standard ad formats and placements. Finally, you can have your cake and eat it too by letting you keep all of your existing ad units, as well as website design. Oh and our first users are reporting nearly 10X the CTR of AdSense.

You can create your own TextAds, ImageAds, or even HTMLAds. These allow you to drive users to content that you monetize well (a CafePress store for example), or behavior you'd like to encourage (like more RSS subscribers). (See our blog for an example how we use emptyspaceads to get more RSS subscribers to our blog by embedding the feedburner chicklet). Or our Sample TextAd, ImageAd, or NetworkAd... or check out our demo.

I know this product isn't perfect, but I want to improve it, and I'd love your help in letting me know what it is you'd like to see from us. I want to make it as useful as possible to publishers like you. Now... please let me know your honestly brutal feedback!

 

By your own admission "So for some users, they'll never see the ads" It begs the question - what's the point in using these ads then?

These remind me of those annoying watermark dhtml effects u saw floating around a few years back..

And, u are using shoppingads, which PPC for USA traffic only. I also find myself wondering whether these would breach Google's TOS if your using adsense on your site aswell..

At the end of the day, good luck for taking the plunge. Hope it works out! But for now, I'll be Switzerland...

 

And if the visitors are not able to see the ads then then advertisers will never pay for it

 

Great question! From our numbers roughly 1 in 3 visitors sees the ad unit. However we get a CTR of 3-5 % even considering this. And we get a CTR of 8-12% once the user actually sees the ad. In addition, what do you have to lose? When's the last time your empty space made you any money ?

Great point as well. But that's why I want to hear from you about which ad networks I should work with. I hope to have support for *every ad network* eventually. The idea is ... some ad network, let's call it X you already use, trust, and make money from. Basically I'm coming to you saying... let me help you make more money from ad network X using real estate you didn't know you had.

Finally, RIGHT NOW, you can create your own ads with links to URLs that you monetize well. For instance, if you're an affiliate for a network, you can create a TextAd, ImageAd, or HTMLAd and run it on your site to promote it using your site's empty space. For you specifically, I noticed on your site "AffiliateProgramRUs" you have a unit promoting Planet Domain resellers. You could start using our solution today to promote this affiliate product and not have to give up any of your existing ad units.

Great points! I appreciate your honesty!

To all: please keep the feedback coming! I want to make this product as awesome as possible!

 

Interesting concept. I'm fairly new at this so don't have the technical questions to ask or comment on.
I'm just looking for a clarification.
Do we write our own ads or does a company you'd be working with write them?
What is the basis for payment? Is it like adsense or more like affiliate?
I guess I'll understand more when more of sharper people ask more questions.
donrock

 

Looks interesting, best of luck to you and your start-up!

 

Sounds like a great idea in theory.
But I would only use this if there was a solid ad base for it so I wouldn't have to rely on my own text link ad's but rather I'd be delivered relevant ads directly upon inputting the code.

I'll probably use this feature once you find a solution to that problem.

 

Its an interesting idea, but I'm not sure I would have left a job to work full time on it when its barely off the ground at this point.

 

Right now you can either create your own ads or use ads from ShoppingAds. Eventually I want to have support for every ad network that you folks already use. So if you don't like ShoppingAds... let me know which networks you'd like to use... and I'll start working with them to enable it.

As far as payment, if you create your own ads... the products you're promoting will be providing revenue. If you're using ShoppingAds... payment comes from them directly. For more, see: how do I get paid?

 

Good point Gentile2. So if you like ShoppingAds you can start running their ads today... for more on this... see our blog.

But if you don't like ShoppingAds... can you tell me which ad networks you're already using? That way I know which companies I need to start pursuing partnerships with.

 

This is a seriously awesome concept. Your technology isn't perfect (when I tried Yahoo, ads appeared over the content). This definitely could be a big thing. Make sure you get a patent on it—I see you’ve already applied. Your monetization methods could definitely be improved. You could work with some CPM ad networks as a first layer, then move to CPC, then CPA.

Instead of switching aroung the ad code, I'd recommend you do a 50/50 split. Just make sure you know what you're doing, because dealing with massive numbers of payments will be a hassle.

Some ad networks don't just use a publisher ID. They may identify different sites, ad placements etc.

For ad dismissal, make sure that if a user clicks elsewhere on the page, the ad disappears. This didn't happen with your text ad, and I didn't test it for the other options.

Exploding into bursting flames? It might not be a popular option.

As far as aesthetics, space out the letters of your logo to make it more readable and brandable.

If you're looking to test out adding CPM ads or adding ads from different networks, do drop me a PM through DigitalPoint anytime. Good luck.

 

Your idea looks good, but I dont think your idea of leaving Microsoft full time job is good.

 

. Perhaps not... but I'm 24 and I don't have a family, a wife, kids, or a car. I'm at the point in my life where I want high risk, high reward equations. Plus I think you can only do one thing really well. Finally, I was really tired of working nights and weekends in addition to a full time job... plus a 1.5 hour commute each day. I'd rather just work 16 hours a day on one thing .

 

very interesting concept, I wish you good luck

 

Sounds like an interesting and unique concept makes sense, I can imagine the CTR probably is much higher than other ads for one thing imagine you are a site visitor and you are reading something, then your mouse land over the empty white space and thats when the ads appear, very attention grabbing dont you guys agree?

Well done on the new idea, wish you all the best with this business, it should be a success and I hope it turns out to be one.

 

Well, its the same thing for inline text ads. The average user doesn't hover over it to see the ad. They do it by accident, or think its a link.

 

We are in fact seeing a ridiculously high CTR rate. About 3% in fact across all publishers running it and all ad formats. Also while we're talking numbers... The user sees the ads 1/3 in the time... but when they actually see the ad, the CTR is 8-12%!

Thanks for the good wishes!

 

We try to be clear that it's an advertisement and to prevent users from accidentally clicking on it. If you notice, you can click but you don't go anywhere while the ad is fading in.

 

Could i use adsense with this?

 

Sadly not yet... We don't have a deal with AdSense to serve their inventory. Are there any other networks that you'd consider using it with? This will help me target those networks specifically.