Clicking on Advertisements (Ads)

GrandpaPatch · **on:** November 11, 2018, 01:43:44 AM

I believe that there is some form of coding, built in or added by our resident experts, that tailors the ads to the user. Like I said I believe that is the case. But anyways, my questions are: 1) Does MTO (MTOStore/MTOWiki/MTOForums) make (entirely an individual perspective) money off of ads by members, guests or both? 2) Is it worth it for each member to click on 2 ads per day? 3) Does the ad have to be just clicked on/viewed or is a follow up purchase via the link also required? I used 2 as an example number, but I probably see many more than per day, as I visit the forum multiple times per day. If it is simply a matter of viewing the ads, then I could easily view 6-10 ads per day.

dks · **Reply #1 on:** November 11, 2018, 12:15:39 PM

From what I know:

The ads are based mainly on your Browsing history.

MTO makes a tiny amount of money from each click, but the more you click the less the extra money made, by your clicks

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #2 on:** November 12, 2018, 01:22:57 PM

All of the above is correct.

If we state anything to encourage ad clicks, we are in violation of Google's Adsense policy, and so you will never hear me suggesting anyone clicks on ads.

We are paid for as views, regardless of whether you are logged in or not, however there are a couple of extra ads for people not logged in.

We are paid for any clicks, regardless of whether you make a purchase or not. There may or may not be a benefit to MTO if a purchase is made, I do not know.

Google's algorithm for determining clicks is a closely guarded secret at Google, so that people do not tailor sites specifically to take advantage of the program. And, I believe it is altered frequently as well, likely for similar reasons.

Here's where it gets complicated. I may not have all the details correct, as I said, they are secret, but this is my observation.

Every user is valued by Google. New users are worth more than returning users per ad view[/], as everyone wants to reach new potential customers. Returning members are worth more in volume than new members, because they tend to see more ads overall. The longer you stick around, the less each ad view is worth individually, but the more we make because you see more ads

Further, ads have different values depending on how much Google has sold them for. An ad for a charity may not pay as much as an ad for a casino or make enhancement pill. We have disallowed ads for those, as well as Mail Order Brides and other non-family-friendly topics to maintain the vibe here.

At their best, each ad view or click is worth very tiny fractions of a penny, and honestly not worth worrying too much about if you don't check the forum for a day or two.

That having been said, we have tried to maximize the ad revenue as much as possible without compromising the forum. For example, many other forums have a Quick Reply box at the bottom of the page, where you can reply without loading an additional page. We have that option but don't activate it because it adds additional page views, first from reading the page, then again when you comment, then again when you return to the page after submitting said comment.

And yes, Deeks is correct- other than disallowing certain types of ads, they are 100% based on your browsing history, and I have no input in what you see.

If you see any ads that are inappropriate, please take a screenshot or write down what website/ad it is and I will do my best to have it removed as well.

Def

GrandpaPatch · **Reply #3 on:** November 12, 2018, 09:54:41 PM

Quote from: Grant Lamontagne on November 12, 2018, 01:22:57 PM

All of the above is correct.

If we state anything to encourage ad clicks, we are in violation of Google's Adsense policy, and so you will never hear me suggesting anyone clicks on ads.

Thanks for the answer. I just wanted to know if it helped the forum by clicking on ads. I will keep my interpretation of 'Goggles AdSense Policy' and your helpful explanation to myself and not disclosure any further information about the number clicks I make on ads! I will also not disclose how many ~~russian bride~~ 5.11 Tactical ads I see per day.

what not to talk about by Grandpa Patch, on Flickr

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #4 on:** November 12, 2018, 10:30:30 PM

Say what you will about AdSense, they are miles ahead of who or whatever is in second place.

We had another service years ago that used our keywords of "Leatherman" and "Bear" to give us homo-erotic ads (not that there's anything wrong with that), which went nicely with the Gerber baby products such as rubber nipples and other nursing supplies.

Needless to say, that was a reasonably unsuccessful experiment.

Def

SteveC · **Reply #5 on:** November 12, 2018, 10:48:14 PM

lol !

This reminded me of when I was looking for a specific Leatherman sheath on E-Bay. I was using different search terms like LM sheath, Case and pouch.

Needless to say Leatherman pouch brought up some items I was not expecting.