Review of Spottt
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Updated - 11/03/2008
Go to www.spottt.com
Instead of using Spottt as a direct monetization method, web publishers earn ad credits for displaying the advertising of other web publishers. This is not based on click-thrus, but is rather based on page impressions.
For every two times that an advertising space is viewed on a publisher's website, he or she earns one credit for a page view of their own ad spot on another website in the Spottt network. The "extra" view is then used by Spottt to promote their program.
In essence, this traffic exchange program can provide publishers who have small budgets with free advertising on a variety of websites around the Internet. The trade-off is they have to do the same in kind. It could be said that Spottt has a similar business model as Entrecard.
79One critical feature of Spottt is that the ad placement must be above the fold. This means that the ad must be visible to a site visitor without having to scroll down the page. By contrast, most other traffic exchange programs -- like BlogRush -- do not have this requirement. Arguably, by placing the ad above the fold, advertisers can be granted much greater exposure.
Another point of mention is that Spottt does not grade the publishers in its network on any sort of scale, so a page view on a low-traffic website is worth the same as a high-traffic website. This may deter larger sites from participating in the program.
Spottt features only one advertising format: the 125 x 125 square button. This limitation is simultaneously a great strength and a great weakness. It is a great strength, because it offers serious simplicity. Every ad is the same size and all must be above the fold, so it is easier to track the number of impressions and so forth. By contrast, if they offered different sizes, they would likely have to separate the 125 box ad views from the 468 banner views, for example. This also means that advertisers and publishers only need to worry about designing a single ad creative.
Limiting publishers to just the 125 x 125 button is also a great weakness, because not all websites have been designed to integrate that ad size. Offering greater variety may entice a greater number of publishers, because they would be better able to integrate a Spottt ad placement on their respective websites.
The Spottt control panel consists of three clearly visible tabs near the top of the screen.
My Spottts is the first tab that publishers will see when they log into their accounts. From this page, they can view all the different Spottt ads that they have created to date, as well as the key statistics (from the last 30 days) related to each one. Each Spottt has a unique name and is used to direct traffic to a single website. These two important pieces of information are located directly beneath the image of the Spottt itself. Below these are the stats for the number of times that image was shown on other sites, the number of times it was clicked, and the number of credits it has earned. This is also where publishers are able to grab the embed code, as well as delete or edit a pre-existing Spottt.
Stats-O-Rama is the second tab in the navigation and it provides all the information a publisher would need about each of their Spottts. The date ranges available are for the last 30 days, last 14 days, and the last 7 days. The data is shown for each Spottt individually and is broken down on a daily basis. This includes the number of impressions and clicks given by the publisher on their website, and the number of impressions and clicks received by the publisher on other websites. On the same table, publishers can see the number of credits they earned on each day.
Create a new Spottt is the last tab in the control panel. The creation of a new Spottt requires the publisher to fill four fields. The first is the website address where they want a click on the Spottt to lead. This can be the main domain (e.g., http://www.example.com) or it can be a specific page (http://www.example.com/page.html). The second field is where the publisher can name the Spottt. This is for their own reference and is not shown to the public. The third field is the selection of a category that best fits the target site. Example categories include automotive, business, games, jobs, personal blog, religion, and travel. The final field is where a publisher uploads the Spottt image.
Publishers must design their own ad creative and while it is best to have an image already pre-sized to 125 x 125 pixels, the Spottt tool is able to automatically resize any image to these proportions. The result may or may not be satisfactory. The self-creation of an ad creative may prove to be a barrier to entry for some. Perhaps Spottt should provide a rudimentary online tool for ad creation or provide a list of recommended graphic designers.
Applying to join the Spottt traffic exchange program requires the submission of a simple form that includes basic contact information and information about the site where the Spottt ad will be implemented. Acceptance at this first level is near instantaneous, but full acceptance into the program is not granted until Spottt inspects the ad code deployment on the publisher's website. This is to ensure that the publisher is adhering to the rules and regulations of the program. Full acceptance is usually granted in 24-48 hours.
Because there is currently no way to make money directly from Spottt, there are no payment details at all. They do not ask for PayPal information or anything of that sort.
As the service matures, they may offer the opportunity to buy and sell ad impressions, particularly the excess impressions generated via the current 2:1 ad impression ratio. The ad views currently being used to promote Spottt may be converted into paid ads, but Spottt has neither confirmed nor denied that this is the direction they may take in the future.
There does not appear to be a referral program in place at Spottt, so there really is no incentive for publishers to refer their friends and business associates to the program. Spottt may want to consider some sort of referral program where publishers can earn additional credits based on the number of credits earned by their referrals, as this would help Spottt to grow its user base. As it stands, this does not exist.
In the footer of the site is a link for contacting Spottt. This is done through an online contact form and it leaves the subject field open. In fact, the text on the page says that this is “the place to send feedback, suggestions, report abuse, comments, technical issues, erudite observations, informed opines, tangential flights of fancy, tasteful rants, poetic musings, complimentary drink tickets, passionate declarations of eternal love, guest list passes, etc.” Most queries are addressed in 1-2 business days.
Spottt is a traffic exchange program created by the same people who developed and run AdBrite. The ease of use and the ability to earn "free" advertising on other websites may sound appealing to novice publishers, especially if they are more interested in growing traffic rather than increasing revenue.
The 125 x 125 ad box is increasingly popular in the blogosphere, so it makes good sense to try Spottt on a blog. It may or may not be as effective on a traditional website. Also, the 2:1 ad view ratio is a little disheartening, because some publishers may feel that they are being ripped off. The prospect of selling the space, even with a virtual currency, may be more attractive. This could help to differentiate between low- and high-traffic sites.
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