Revealing all about Text-Link-Ads
I’ve got a special treat for my readers today, an interview with Patrick Gavin, the President of Text Link Ads Inc. I’ve written previously about my (and others) success with Text-Link-Ads as a way of earning money from your blog, however there were still questions yet to be answered. Others had also contacted me asking questions such as “why was I rejected?” or “what determines the price of a text-link-ad?”
Your questions have been answered.
WorkBoxers: Good evening Patrick, thanks for taking the time to do this interview.
Patrick: James, thanks for this opportunity and great work with your blog.
WorkBoxers: Getting straight down to business, I’ve had a few people come to me with tales of rejection from the TLA publisher program and I’m guessing this comes down to a number of factors such as traffic, back links and Page Rank. Can you confirm this theory? Is there a minimum PR that sites need before being accepted into the TLA publisher program?
Patrick: Yes it is a combination of: traffic (derived from Alexa data), back links (from Yahoo’s site explorer), and the theme of your website. PR is not a factor in our algorithm but link popularity is a factor and can cause new sites that don’t have much to not be accepted right away. We do re check sites that were denied in the past every couple of months and invite sites that meet our requirements back in.
WorkBoxers: Honestly, I think TLA are brilliant and a great way to monetize if a site is doing poorly with contextual advertising, however I fear that growth could kill it. There’s obviously more publishers than advertisers, is it possible that in the future, there will be so much choice when buying links that publishers could suffer?
Patrick: TLA’s biggest growth obstacle in 2005 was the lack of publishers. 
We launched our independent publisher program in February of this year and it has been very successfully in signing up new publishers. The blogosphere has helped tremendously in helping the publisher program to grow virally. Now we are focused on bringing in new advertisers. We are doing this by shifting much of our ad spend away from attracting new publishers and instead advertising to potential advertisers. We think we can continue to balance the equation for the foreseeable future.
WorkBoxers: In a discussion with Yaro from Entrepreneurs Journey, I once mentioned that the 50% cut was a hell of a lot. Yaro replied with, “Yeah but TLA sell ads better than I do”. How exactly does TLA market their services? I see a strong adwords campaign, anything else?
Patrick: We have over 10,000 affiliates and run an aggressive banner campaign on many top websites. We drive a lot of eye balls to our sites and work hard with our site to educate the visitors on our product to give our publishers the best chance of selling ad spots through our marketplace. We do believe most sites can sell more spots by using TLA than flying solo. We do automate the ad delivery and payment process which takes a lot of work away from the publisher which is the key to our service.
WorkBoxers: In terms of pricing text-links, my hunches are that page rank has a HUGE impact. Am I close?
Patrick: No. The days of pricing by PR are long gone in my opinion. Buyers pay premiums for quality placement on niche sites. Theme plays the biggest factor with many of the finance, travel, real estate, and law sites drawing the highest prices. Link popularity is a factor but it is not taken from PR.
WorkBoxers: In my opinion, text-link-ads aren’t the type of advertisements that people click. Compare a single text link to Adsense or graphical banners, there’s no comparison. With that said, I see people buying links purely for search engine optimization purposes, is this the bulk of your buyers are doing?
Patrick: This is where we have seen the biggest shift. There is no doubt that even 6 months ago the average client was coming to TLA with a search marking mindset but since we launched our independent publisher program and brought in thousands of niche sites that is changing. You are right that many of the text links are not going to bring in the same volume of traffic as a large banner but the key is they are a fraction of the price of a large banner so you can afford to purchase text link ads across a number of relevant sites and the cumulative affect is some nice targeted traffic.
WorkBoxers: 10 links vs 6 links. Does the price change? If so, can you delve how much? :)
Patrick: This is not exact but it would change about 15% up if you dropped to 6 so in many cases it is best for the publisher to use the maximum 10 link spots for sale.
WorkBoxers: You do realize that Google could change their ranking system any second, and all of a sudden backlinks may not be as important. Is there a possibility of this happening or do you think backlinks will ALWAYS be in demand?
Patrick: I think link popularity will be at the core of the major search engines for the foreseeable future but that being said our focus is building a niche publishing network that can send our advertisers targeted traffic at a price that works for everyone. Our goal is for our ads to send enough targeted traffic to justify the ad cost and any search rankings benefit is just gravy.
WorkBoxers: Anything ultra secret that you can reveal for the future of TLA?
Patrick: We have a big new product launch that should happen in the next two weeks. You will be able to use it to additionally monetize Workboxers.com, more details real soon ;)
WorkBoxers: Thanks for your time Patrick and best wishes for the future.
Patrick: Thanks James, it was my pleasure.
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POSTED IN: Interviews
37 opinions for Revealing all about Text-Link-Ads
Interview with Text Link Ads President - Patrick Gavin
Sep 8, 2006 at 3:15 am
[…] Jamsi has a nice interview with the chief of Text Link Ads (aff), Patrick Gavin. In it Patrick answers some FAQs about TLA and hints at a new product launch in the coming weeks (keep an eye on ProBlogger for more details on that one). […]
WorkBoxers interviews Patrick Gavin of Text Link Ads at The Blog Herald
Sep 8, 2006 at 3:47 am
[…] Professional Blogging Sep 7 at 10:50 pm by Matt Craven -Jamsi, over at WorkBoxers has an interview posted with Text Link Ads CEO Patrick Gavin: WorkBoxers: Getting straight down to business, I’ve had a few people come to me with tales of rejection from the TLA publisher program and I’m guessing this comes down to a number of factors such as traffic, back links and Page Rank. Can you confirm this theory? Is there a minimum PR that sites need before being accepted into the TLA publisher program? […]
Adsense Planet » Revealing all about Text-Link-Ads
Sep 8, 2006 at 4:27 am
[…] Original post by Earning money from blogging. To read the full article visit: Earning money from blogging […]
Miha
Sep 8, 2006 at 4:30 am
Nice interview Jamsi.
I always thought they set their prices according to PR.
Vlad
Sep 8, 2006 at 6:17 am
Great interview Jasmi,
I also thought that prices at TLA are determined by PR. It was great to learn that backlinks play an important factor. I was not accpted to TLA as publisher I believe becuause my site has little backlinks but I am happy with affiliate program for now. Thanks for this great inreview.
Allan
Sep 8, 2006 at 6:46 am
I had always thought PR played a large role in deciding price. Now I look at my sites I can see how this makes sense.
Several of my sites have the same PR but the price varies dramatically. I have a sneaking suspiscion that age/authority also plays a rols here too.
i Revenue. Tech Blog. and Tips.
Sep 8, 2006 at 7:07 am
[…] Read more, here. Yep, just couldn’t agree more - Simple and easy to understand info. I am no pro (will never be, but I got eyes to observes ) in text links purchasing, or knowing where does the future directions, or which contextual ads solutions will works best but in my opinion (after months of observations done and asking around couple of publishers buddies) - TLA, could be it. Hence, the subject written - Text Links Ads : The Shift. Share The Info and Enjoy!These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. […]
Easy Webbers » Blog Archive » Interview with Patrick Gavin - Text Link Ads President
Sep 8, 2006 at 7:48 am
[…] Jamsi over at Work Boxers has published a nice little interview with the President of Text Link Ads, Patrick Gavin. In the interview Patrick Gavin hints at a new product launch in the coming weeks and answers some frequently asked questions. […]
Bloggers Buzz » Blog Archive » Revealing all about Text-Link-Ads
Sep 8, 2006 at 8:51 am
[…] Workboxers presented an interview with Patrick Gavin of Text Link ads discussing aspects of earning money from your blog including reasons for rejection from TLA and what determines the price […]
Interview with the president of Text Link Ads
Sep 8, 2006 at 9:07 am
[…]Text Link Ads has quickly become one of the most popular advertising networks among bloggers. Jamsi from Workboxers has a hot interview with one of the founders of the Text Link Ads – Patrick Gavin[…]
Stephen W.
Sep 8, 2006 at 12:42 pm
Oooo, “new product launch that should happen in the next two weeks.” Does anyone else feel giddy?
Martin
Sep 8, 2006 at 9:36 pm
I wonder why my topsite with an Alexa ranking of ~30000, 8000 visitors daily and a hugh amount of backlinks does not get more than 15$ a month per link..
Weblog Tools Collection » Patrick Gavin Interview
Sep 8, 2006 at 10:27 pm
[…] Patrick Gavin Interview: I am a big proponent of Text-Link-Ads and have been using them for a while. Patrick is definitely very easy to work with and a great entrepreneur to boot. The interview sheds some light on what these ads are all about. Try them out yourself. Thanks Blog Herald Bookmark:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. […]
Sep 8, 2006 at 11:14 pm
[…] Patrick Gavin Interview: I am a big proponent of Text-Link-Ads and have been using them for a while. Patrick is definitely very easy to work with and a great entrepreneur to boot. The interview sheds some light on what these ads are all about. Try them out yourself. Thanks Blog Herald […]
Montoya
Sep 9, 2006 at 3:59 am
This was a very informative interview, thanks for posting.
Martin: The only criteria left is topic. Your site must be on a topic that is not desirable for advertisers. What is your site about?
Greg Hartnett’s Linkblog
Sep 9, 2006 at 2:47 pm
[…] PG on TLA - “Our goal is for our ads to send enough targeted traffic to justify the ad cost and any search rankings benefit is just gravy.” […]
Ray Dotson
Sep 9, 2006 at 11:47 pm
I came here from Problogger’s link. Interesting interview. I’m just getting started with Text Link Ads right now, but I’m hoping to do a lot more with them in the future. Good job scoring the interview.
Interview mit Text Link Ads | nanoblogs[.de]
Sep 10, 2006 at 11:09 am
[…] Das ganze Interview könnt ihr hier lesen. […]
alexking.org: Blog > Around the web
Sep 10, 2006 at 4:47 pm
[…] WorkBoxers - Revealing all about Text-Link-Ads […]
Patrick Gavin Text Link Ad’s Interview
Sep 10, 2006 at 11:26 pm
[…] Patrick Gavin from Text Link Ad’s was interviewed and states his Text Link Ad’s are great as an alternative to banner ad’s. (Which are over priced in terms of direct results but are still popular) […]
links for 2006-09-09 at [MacStansbury]
Sep 11, 2006 at 3:44 am
[…] Revealing all about Text-Link-Ads Has anybody gotten approved for Text Link Ads? Anybody? (tags: blogs money web advertising) […]
freshblogger.com » Blog Archive » How Text Link Ads Really Work
Sep 11, 2006 at 10:53 am
[…] If you’re curious about how people are making money with advertising on their web pages, then you should read this article from Work Boxers. I’ve been interested in this topic for a while, but always figured you had to be selling something in order to make money on the web. That was until I found out about people like Darren Rowse and Steve Pavlina and many others who are making a living from their blogs. […]
Hendry Lee
Sep 11, 2006 at 2:39 pm
Interesting interview.
Keep up the good work, Jamsi.
Jamsi
Sep 12, 2006 at 8:32 am
Thanks everyone, I felt privledged to interview Patrick as he’s just such a down to earth guy. Besides, TLA is paying a good portion of my living expenses - how could I ignore them? :)
Hock
Sep 12, 2006 at 11:35 am
Great interview, James. I always find that sites with PR4 or greater automatically get accepted even though Patrick says PR is not a decision factor.
Intervju med Patrick Gavin på Text-Link-Ads
Sep 13, 2006 at 11:53 am
[…] WorkBoxers: Revealing all about Text-Link-Ads […]
links for 2006-09-13 « Sri’s Blog
Sep 13, 2006 at 11:32 pm
[…] WorkBoxers - Making money online since 1891 .. an interview with Patrick Gavin, the President of Text Link Ads Inc. (tags: advertising money textlinkads ads) […]
ronnie ladart
Sep 14, 2006 at 3:20 pm
How do new websites like mine that has a lot to offer to consumers , great products at affordable prices, get put on any lists to be found?
I am a 50 year old woman that is disabled for the rest of my life , I have had 15 operations and looking at 2 more thids year for my back.I am just looking for a supplement to what I get now , which is not much at all.
I cannot afford $200 here and there to publish my site.
I was told a different story all together now that my site is published.
I wass even turned down for anyone advertizing on my site. Whoa is me what do I do now.
If anyone has any answers out there please let me know. My webiste is http://www.ronniesgiftsanddecor.com
If anyone has any hindsite of what I need to do to make this work please e mail me
Text-Link-Ad Buying Tactic » Work Boxers
Sep 14, 2006 at 4:19 pm
[…] Over at college-startup, there’s a fantastic new post about a kink (loophole?) in the Text-Link-Ad system that allows high ranking sites for a low cost. The idea behind it is that Text-Link-Ads don’t update their pricing after Google has their PR update. I think what David (the author) doesn’t realize is that PR is NOT A FACTOR when it comes to price, as proven by my interview. However, he is right about one thing – a blogs worth is improved over time, how do TLA keep up to date? (Should have been one of my interview questions eh?) Many new publishers submit their site to TLA as PR4 and PR5 sites. The value of their links is usually assessed at less than $25. But, if the blog or website is continually updated with good content, its overall value tends to increase with time BUT this is not reflected at TLA. […]
links for 2006-09-13 at SridhaReena
Sep 14, 2006 at 11:23 pm
[…] WorkBoxers - Making money online since 1891 .. an interview with Patrick Gavin, the President of Text Link Ads Inc. (tags: advertising money textlinkads ads) […]
Successful Blog - SOB Business Cafe 09-08-06
Sep 16, 2006 at 1:28 am
[…] Workboxers has THE interview with Patrick Gavin, explaining everything, including how signing up for a Text Links Ad will help put my son though college. […]
Lee Rickler
Sep 20, 2006 at 8:46 pm
Good interview, and down to earth.
I have a few sites with TLA, http://digilondon.com and a few others which were accepted straight away, (they’ve been active projects for a while), but when I launched a new project http://diginewyork.com it was rejected. I assumed it would as it was only a few weeks old and after asking TLA I was told so.
Straight forward company, straight forward answers.
TLA Reveals Feedvertising » Work Boxers
Sep 27, 2006 at 11:30 pm
[…] So I stumbled upon something the other day, a new link in my Text-Link-Ad control panel called Feedvertising. Curious and armed with the knowledge that TLA was about to release a new goodie as per my interview (click ), I proceeded with glee. […]
Time Goes By… » Dark Moon Blog
Sep 30, 2006 at 10:40 pm
[…] A while ago, I discovered the Earner’s Forum, an very popular forum with a massive amount of information for people who want ot make, or are currently making, money online. An interesting place to hang out… It pointed me to an interesting interview with Patrick Gavin, president of Text Link Ads, the system I use to monetize this blog. […]
Oct 31, 2006 at 3:16 am
[…] So I stumbled upon something the other day, a new link in my Text-Link-Ad control panel called Feedvertising. Curious and armed with the knowledge that TLA was about to release a new goodie as per my interview (click ), I proceeded with glee. […]
Anyone use Text Link Ads? - Personal Development for Smart People Forums
Nov 9, 2006 at 7:25 am
[…] I really like Text Link Ads, although one of my 2 sites was rejected too. They are very picky about which sites they accept. Read this interview with the founder of TLA, in which he explains the factors of their algorithm. The reason I like TLA is because my blog is doing very good with it! Currently displaying 4 links, making me at least $44 for november. That’s probably about 10 times more than what my blog could make from adsense! Btw, there are other ad brokers, like Performancing, which are not so picky… __________________ Dark Moon Software My Blog: Bubblomania Extreme Makeover & Screenshots Speeltijd - Dutch site for kids […]
RavenServers
Jul 25, 2007 at 8:40 am
Very nice article, I’m considering using them for advertising.
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