PublisherSpot

Updated - 10/03/2008

Go to www.kontera.com

Created with an effort to increase the return on investment for advertisers and increase the profits for website publishers, Kontera appeared when there was a much higher demand for advertising than there was a supply. With the hopes of taking a large chunk of this market, Sequoia Capital and Lehman Brothers sent their company into full swing, sending their flagship product, ContentLink™ into full force. With state of the art technology and the ability to turn a keyword into a link, Kontera has established itself as another place for publishers to earn money on their sites.

Unlike most ad companies which offer ‘blocks’ of ads to be placed on a site, Kontera took advertising and twisted it. Instead of relevant ads appearing in a block, Kontera decided that it would be more beneficial to the publisher for the ads to appear in the text. Because of this, ContentLink™ appeared. Instead of there being a block that says ‘Ads provided by Konera’, all that appears are two double lines for a keyword and the ability for a whole new line of publishing ads.

The way it works is basic. Once implementation of the code has been finalized on the site, certain keywords, which correlate with ads in the advertising database of Kontera, will be turned into links that lead to different advertiser’s websites. When the mouse rolls over the link, a small image appears that describes what the site is about. The maximum size of this ‘pop-up’ is only 300x250, which is the size of their ContentLink Flex. Simply put, this technology allows for the potential clicker to get a better understanding of what the site is about before clicking.

They have a rudimentary control panel that allows the publisher to look at their earnings far simpler than other ad networks that requires constant searching. Everything is simple, including the number of clicks, the percentage of clicks, and the eCPM. The control panel only answers one major question for the publisher: is money being made? Other than that, the control panel is an extreme disappointment.

Unlike most companies that allow many different features, Kontera is a very basic company. It provides the publisher the ability to show a new form of ad to their reader with the potential for a high CTR. However, there are a few downfalls to the company that can be noted when observing it. First and foremost, there is not a plethora of information about the company. Secondly, there are some things that are a bit too basic for this day and age on the internet. More information nowadays is required by publishers, something Kontera does not provide. However, for a money maker, Kontera does have the necessary features to make publishers money.

The disappointment of Kontera is their control panel. They offer another way for members to make money, but when it comes to the control panel used by publishers, Kontera is really lacking. The only information provided to the publisher is information about the amount of money they earned on that day, the eCPM, the CTR, and a list of the websites that the publisher has running. This information is well constructed, but after that, there is nothing else for the publisher to do but sit there. That is a downfall for Kontera’s control panel.

To fix this, it would benefit Kontera to allow publishers the right to decide which links appear on their site without having to send an e-mail to the administrators of the site. The need to contact the site for everything is one of the biggest problems for Kontera. To get certain ads to stop appearing on the site, a member must send an e-mail to the administrators. Although communication is important for companies like this, the publisher should be allowed to log onto his or her account and edit items without verification from the administrators. The ads are being run on their site; they should be given the ability to decide what exactly appears on their site.

Signing up for Kontera is relatively easy; however, it demands that the publisher put their social security number or their tax-ID to be accepted into the program. It will ask for the type of site that is run and has some broad topics, but there are not enough topics. One thing that Kontera could use is a secondary drop down menu for topics. Assume that the person applying runs a site all about cooking. The secondary drop down could include topics that could say: different types of cooking supplies, recipes, or numerous other topics. It would potentially allow the publisher to get more targeted ads.

One odd thing about Kontera’s application form is that they ask what language the site is in, but as explained below in the requirements, it demands that the primary language for the site be English. This is something Kontera may want to look in to. An important thing to know when applying for Kontera is the number of monthly page views received on the site. It is important to know this because Kontera does not allow a publisher into their program without a minimum number of page impressions per month (will be explained lower).

As previously stated, there is a need to implement a tax-ID or social security number before being accepted, but this is a plus because once that has been done, payments can be easily received. Signing up for the ad network is relatively easy. The hardest part about it is waiting for the approval. Rather than other ad networks where approval is instantaneous, to be approved into this program, each site has to be verified by the administrators of the site. This has good and bad effects. The bad is that not everyone can enjoy the benefits of making money off of this site; however, the good is that if accepted, there are not millions and millions of publishers all going for the same advertising money. Overall, the sign up process for Kontera is easy, but it does take a little while.

To be accepted into the program, a publisher must have a minimum of 250,000 page impressions per month. So long as the site receives 250,000 page impressions, it can be accepted into the program. As stated above, English must be the primary language on the site. One thing Kontera does demand is a minimum of fifty words on the majority of the pages of the site. This is important because the links do appear in the text, unlike most other ad companies.

The same restrictions that most of the big ad companies have for pornography, hate, harassment, etc. are the same for Kontera. Kontera is allowed to use its own discretion in accepting sites. If a site has something of a questionable nature, an e-mail to Kontera support could quickly answer the question of whether the site is considered acceptable by Kontera’s standards. The final rule that Kontera is firm about is that there can be no incentive for clicks. Offer members something for clicking on ads and the account will be indefinitely banned. Kontera does not go into detail about their reinstatement policy, so it can be assumed that if an account is banned, it will not be un-banned.

Ads are allowed on any site that has fifty words or more on the majority of the pages. Therefore, it can be assumed that ads are allowed on all different sites. Forums, blogs, and content sites alike are all entitled to run Kontera on it. However, before adding it, it is imperative for the publisher to go through the other requirements to ensure that the site meets the necessary specifications.

Once accepted to Kontera, an e-mail will be sent containing the ad code to be added to the accepted site. Included in this e-mail besides the ad code will be a PDF that gives a step by step tutorial on how to add the ad code to the site. The only downfall with the implementation of the ads is that it takes a long period of time for the ads to become targeted to the text. Adding the ads is simple, but they ask that the ads be kept up for fourteen days to allow them to get targeted.

Payment, like other big ad companies, is based on a month to month basis. Once one hundred dollars has been accumulated, payment will be sent to the address provided to them in the application form. Payments accumulate for as long as the code is on the site. According to numerous testimonials, payments are prompt and on time when the end of the month has come and gone for the ads to be accumulated.

The only downfall about payments by Kontera is that they are strictly check based. There is no mentioning of a direct wire transfer like other ad companies have, as well as no mention of PayPal payments; therefore, it can be assumed that Kontera’s sole method of payment is via check once one hundred dollars has been earned. It would prove useful for Kontera to expand on this and allow for direct transfer of funds right into bank accounts. This is one of the great features other ad companies have that, once again, Kontera is lacking.

One major downfall about Kontera is the fact that there is no referral program. A publisher cannot earn more money for referring people to the network. This is a wasted opportunity for both Kontera and the publisher because it is made money that both parties could benefit from. If Kontera were to add a referral program, there would definitely be a higher number of members signing up from referrals. A good chunk of income that publishers make comes from referrals, and Kontera denies its members the chance to profit from telling their friends. This might be one of Kontera’s largest problems, as it limits their growth.

Overall, Kontera is a relatively good company for webmasters that have developed a site which has a considerable amount of traffic. Although the site needs a lot of traffic, the ads are far more relevant and appear within the text, which allows for a higher CTR and better paying clicks, according to Kontera. Although Kontera is a basic ad network that gives little control to the publisher, it is still another form of income for publishers.

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