OIO Publisher: Sell Links, Reviews, and More on Your Blog or Site

When I first heard of OIO Publisher, I became quite excited. It seems like a great solution for D-I-Y advertising. And, although it took me a while to give it a go, I finally did just a few days ago. And, I’m quite happy that I did. It’s actually one of the best D-I-Y ad solutions that I’ve come across so far. Here’s a quick review for those of you who may be looking for a similar solution -

Pros

• Works as a Wordpress plugin. Yes, if you run WP, then this is a fantastic way to run direct advertising on your blog.
• Works as a standalone application. If you don’t have WP, then you can still install it on your own server and run it on a Blogger/Blogspot blog, or any other system.
• It’s relatively inexpensive. Just $47 for a license.
• For a single license, you can use it on as many sites or blogs as you wish. No need to pay several license fees.
• Offers several ad solutions – banners, text links, and in-text ads. You can even sell reviews and run your own affiliate programmes.
• Has a central ad marketplace that’s easy to set-up.
• Offers several automated features – including auto payments via Paypal or Entrecard.
• Available email templates to send.
• Tracking options. You can even serve ads to a particular demographic only.
• Statistics – you can check # of impressions + clickthrough rates, etc.

Cons

• Doesn’t have a ‘homepage only’ option for running ads just on the homepage. At least, not that I’m aware of.
• Can only run one type of ad per zone – no big deal, really. But, I thought it would’ve been great if I can alternate let’s say a 250×250 zone with several 125×125 instead, if that spot goes unsold.
• Has a single number of days option per zone. So, if you set a particular zone for 30 days, an advertiser cannot choose to buy 60 or 90 days in one go.
• Does not have other payment options other than Paypal or Entrecard. It’s okay with me, but some people might find that limiting.

Bottomline

It’s definitely an app worth investing in, if you’re seriously considering selling direct advertising on your blog or site. It’s easy to set up and run. And, it will make your life as an online publisher a lot easier. You’ll probably get a quick return of your investment if you already have enough people showing interest in advertising on your site/blog. Plus, they run an affiliate programme, so you can even make some money promoting the application. Absolutely two thumbs-up.