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Something has gone terribly wrong with the world of online
advertising when a site with a loyal following that serves up to a
million pages per month can't earn $1,000 in income from all the
ads displayed on our site. Yet that's precisely the state of things
at Low End Mac.
Fortunately, online ads aren't our only source of income. We
also take in several hundred dollars per month in affiliate fees
between
CoolVCD, eBay,
MacMall,
Amazon.com, and several other programs. We bill
several hundred additional dollars for text ads on our email lists,
although we've recently lost a couple sponsors. And we continue to
receive donations and
subscription fees.
But that doesn't come anywhere close to generating the nearly
$3,000 we need each month for salaries, taxes, hosting,
connectivity, and other expenses. The longer we go, the deeper we
dig the hole.
I had believed that the subscription system would be our
salvation. $2.50 per month or $24 per year - we've had a few people
write and tell us that we're worth far more than that. But out of
hundreds of thousands of visitors, only a few dozen subscribed, far
less than the three per day we'd anticipated.
Maximizing Income
We've had several opportunities to make more money with ads for
online casinos and pop-up ads. I believe online gambling is a scam
and refuse to run ads for it. Sure, it'd be a quick shot in the
arm, but our
Annoying Web Stuff survey (running through May 27)
tells us that 90% of you dislike seeing these ads, including 68%
who strongly dislike it and 37% who avoid returning to sites with
such ads.
Pop-ups, pop-unders, and the more recent pop-after ads are even
more vehemently despised. I don't like them, and the same holds for
over 99% of you. Over one-third of those taking the Annoying Web
Stuff survey report that they avoid returning to sites with
pop-ups, and nearly half avoid going back to sites that pop up ads
when they leave.
Nice as the money might be in the short term, I don't want to
drive away one-third to one-half of our visitors. In the end, that
would mean we'd be serving less people and making no more
money.
We are pushing the affiliates a bit more - our Book of the Day
link goes to Amazon.com, and our Deal of the Day connects to
various affiliates. But that's only going to help the budget a
bit.
It's the Ads
We will be experimenting with "skyscraper" ads, those tall
narrow ads you've probably seen on other sites already. That will
help, but the core problem isn't the number of ads, but ad rates.
From $30 per thousand impressions (CPM) a few years ago to $10 to
some ads selling for as little as $1 CPM, buyers just don't seem to
think that ads are worth what they used to be.
We offer a highly targeted audience: Mac users and potential Mac
users who are looking for the most value. You'd think online
discounters would be beating down our doors....
Here's what you can do to help:
Buy from advertisers and through affiliate links. Tell 'em you
came via Low End Mac. Let 'em know you appreciate their support of
LEM.
When you buy from businesses that don't advertise, ask why they
don't support Low End Mac. Let them know why you think they should
support your favorite site.
If you run a business, especially a Mac-related one, consider
buying ad space on Low End Mac. Prices have never been lower.
Contact Greg
Snyder at BackBeat Media (646-546-5194) about display ads.
Contact email Dan Knight at
LEM about list sponsorship. (Most of
our email lists have rates below 50¢ CPM for a
two-line text ad.)
Of course, we're always happy to receive donations and subscriptions. We'd
still like to see 1,000 of you sign up at $2.50/month or $24/year
by the end of the year. It'd really help turn around our finances.
In the long run, that's the kind of support that's going to keep
Low End Mac alive and well.
Dan Knight has been using Macs since 1986,
sold Macs for several years, supported them for many more years, and
has been publishing Low End Mac since April 1997. If you find Dan's articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.
Low End Mac Needs Help Moving to Joomla, 10.08.
We've settled on Joomla as the content management system that should work very well for Low End Mac, but we're running stuck with templates.
Mac of the Day: iMac G5 (iSight), Oct. 2005 -Apple built an iSight webcam into the last version of the G5 iMac.
List of the Day: Leopard List Low End Mac's email list covering Mac OS X 10.5.
October 12 in LEM history: 98: Beyond HFS+ nightmares - 99: iMacs for all - 00: The future of low-end gaming - 01: Tips on buying a new computer - 05: iMac G5 (iSight) - Simple backup strategies - 06: Bring back flexible, easy to upgrade 'Books - 07: Road Apple nominations - PB 150 boots from Compact Flash - Leopard to slow down PowerPC Macs?
Best Mac Pro Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.10.
Used 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,799; new, $1,949 after rebate; 2.8 4-core, $2,099 shipped; 8-core, $2,599 shipped; 3.0 $3,399 shipped; 3.2, $4,099 shipped.
Best PowerBook G3 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.10.
Used 14" WallStreet G3/266 MHz, $90; Lombard G3/400 MHz, $150; Pismo G3/400 MHz, $300; 500 MHz, $350.
Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.10.
Refurb 500 GB Time Capsule, $249; new, $294; refurb 1 TB, $419; new, $462; AirPort Extreme Card, $39; Base Station, $159; Express, $60.
Modding Your Old Mac to Make It More Useful, Phil Herlihy, The Usefulness Equation, 10.09.
If your old Mac is too slow, too noisy, too plain looking, or has too little room for expansion, you might want to mod it.
Best iMac G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.09.
Used 15" 700 MHz CD-RW, $269; 800 Combo, $300; 1 GHz, $390; 17" 1.25 GHz SuperDrive, $400; 20", $529.
Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.09.
Used 1.83 GHz Core Duo, $995; 2.16, $1,125; new, 2.2, $1,400 after rebate; refurb 2.4, $1,699; 2.5, $1,999; 2.6, $2,299; rebates on new.
Best Mac OS X 10.4 'Tiger' Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.09.
DVD upgrade from 10.3, $75; upgrade bundle with 10.3, $118; full version, $129; family pack, $200; 10-user Server, $350; unlimited, $400.
Migrating My Law Office from Windows to Macintosh, Andrew J Fishkin, Best Tools for the Job, 10.08.
By switching to Leopard Server, everyone in the office will be able to move to a Mac - but which ones will best meet their needs?
Our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For detailed
price quotes and advertising information, please
contactat BackBeat Media (646-546-5194). This number
is for advertising only.
