days on the internet, driving traffic to your website isn’t as easy as it once was. With so many bloggers trying to become the next big thing, just having good content isn’t going to make you stand out from the rest. If you are seeking new ways to bring traffic to your website and you have a marketing budget, advertising through content recommendation engines may be what you are looking for.
In the past couple of years as the demand for content has risen, content marketing companies have partnered with large publishers to advertise your content on their sites. There are dozens of content recommendation companies, that can help make your content visible while also branding your blog. Some of the bigger names in the industry include: Outbrain, Taboola and Rev Content. These are good companies to initially look into, although, there are many others that offer their own value.
Many of these companies have pros and cons. So it is important to test out different sources of traffic, so as not to keep all your eggs in one basket, as they say. For example, Outbrain has a very steady, consistent stream of traffic. However, their cost of traffic is higher than others. Whereas Rev Content has cheaper traffic, but you have to spend more time creating ads. Some sources have higher quality publishers, while some perform better on desktop than mobile and vice-versa. It is important to look into several different sources, and get in touch with an account rep so you make sure advertising with them will be beneficial for you.
The main benefit of working with these companies is that they have a much larger reach than the average blogger. Companies like Outbrain and Taboola have partnered with CBS, NBC, CNN and ESPN, where your content will be advertised. These websites have millions of visitors per day. They have also developed specific verticals that match your content with related content on other websites, to get you in front of interested traffic.
Almost all of these companies have back-end portals that you can log into and give yourself full control over your ads and budget. There are also account reps who can help you with creatives and hitting goals. You can set daily spend caps, pick CPCs (Cost-per-Click) and pause campaigns whenever you like. This is very reassuring if you do not have a large marketing budget and don’t want to go over budget.
Certain algorithms are in place that dictate how many impressions your ads get based on your CPC. Obviously the more you spend, the more exposure you are going to get. There are ways around spending a ton to get your content seen, however. It is very important to create shareable content. By spending time working on headlines for your ads, you will increase your Click-Through-Rate (CTR), which keeps cost down because you do not need as many impressions to get more traffic. Also, by creating shareable or viral content, visitors will share your content through social media and drive FREE traffic to your site.
It is very important to stay on top of your advertising campaigns. Monitor your CTRs, as they will guide what CPC level you should be at. If you aren’t well versed in Google Analytics, look into one of their free online courses. Google Analytics is a great tool that will show you different trends of your traffic in which you can tailor your advertisements towards.
All-in-all, whether you are trying to expand your business/brand or monetize your website, advertising your content through content recommendation widgets is an intriguing new option. You dictate your budget and have as much creative control as you would like. Definitely worth looking into, if you are ready to take that next step with your product or blog.