It is the dawn of 2009, and just before we make the final step and shift into a brand new year, we thought it important to recount the many great things that happened in 2008. The final conclusion: 2008 has been an incredibly productive year at Kontera and we believe for our publishers, advertisers and users as well. We’re confident that 2009 will be even better stronger for all parties involved.

In order to keep this post concise, we had to narrow it down to 8 top products and services launched by Kontera that were focused on existing and prospective publisher base, so without further ado , here are the chronologically ordered top Kontera launches of 2008:

1. KnowledgeBase- Launched January 21- The KnowledgeBase surrounds a wide range of information about Kontera optimization, publisher payments, and technical issues. The KnowledgeBase was another move in our push to give Kontera publishers greater independence through accessibility to information. The knowledgebase proves very helpful and accommodates an impressive amount of publishers daily.
2. Publisher Center- Launched January 31- the Publisher Center offers Kontera partners a range of high end capabilities and control over ContentLink ads on their sites and their accounts. What’s even more exciting is the fact that the Publisher Center is continuously undergoing upgrades and updates since its initial launch. It will continue to improve in order to give Kontera publishers a greater control and more possibilities over their In-Text ads.
3. The Kontera Hybrid- Launched March 25- Kontera’s newest advertising solution, a completely customizable, In-Text media layer that simultaneously displays relevant content alongside advertisements. The Hybrid layer enhances a webpage by presenting links to related content, videos, and images alongside advertisements in one cohesive unit. The Kontera Hybrid is currently only available to select publishers.
4. Invite a Friend Program – Launched March 31- Through this program, publishers can send their friends an invite to join Kontera. For each friend who becomes an active member, you receive a $25 bonus award. The Invite a Friend program has been very successful in expanding the Kontera family and it will continue with us well into 2009.
5. New Plugins for WordPress, Joomla and Drupal – Launched throughout May – These plugins are an important milestone in our efforts to simplify ContentLink implementation for use on various platforms. The plugins allow the setup of ContentLink ads, without the complications of modifying your site’s code. Have a look at our WordPress plugin video tutorial.
6. Blogger Widget- Launched June 10- Much like the plugins mentioned above but even simpler, the Blogger widget allows you to implement ContentLink on Blogger blogs with just one click. Login to your Kontera account, click on the “Kontera It” button and the Kontera tag will be automatically added to your pages. Monetizing your blog has never been easier.
7. Kontera on Pluck-On-Demand partnership- Launched November 20- Through the partnership with Pluck, Kontera ContentLink ads are automatically generated within the Pluck-on- Demand content widget creating an additional revenue stream for publishers. Publishers get the whole package: free and relevant content populated with targeted ads.
8. Holiday ’09 Cash Bonus – Launched December 18- Our latest promotion, recently advertised and still going strong. If you are not yet a publisher, there’s no better time to join. Sign up with Kontera by Jan 15, 2009 and as soon as you reach $75 in earnings, we’ll round your balance up to $100. That’s an extra $25 on us!

Happy 2009!

In a previous post we’ve defined Link Density as “the concentration of ContentLink ads within a publisher’s content; the higher a site’s link density, the more ContentLinks are presented per page.”

Now we’d like to answer the question: What determines a site’s link density?

Generally, it has to do with the amount of text a site has.  ContentLinks, being in-text ads, are a perfect fit for text rich sites.  So the more textual content you have on your site, the more ContentLinks will appear.  Another factor has to do with the topic of a site.  Let’s face it, not all site topics were created equal.  Popularity of topics is interchangeable and may also vary throughout the year, as does the advertisers’ demand of a particular keyword.

To define link density through a more mathematical approach we’ll say the following:  a link density of 10 would mean a maximum of 10 keywords out of 100 words will be highlighted on a page.

Link density can be changed by Kontera’s optimization team.  To change the link density on your site, login to kontera’s Publisher Center and click on the help tab to contact support with your request.

Building a site or a blog is no simple task but maintaining it is no child’s play either… Like in any other professional undertaking, this occupation requires you to learn a whole new language, a set of new definitions.  Unlike any other professional undertaking, the online world is the fastest growing fastest changing industry existing today.  And so to be in touch with it, one has to keep up with the lexicon.  If you’re a website owner/online marketer, you definitely know what I mean.

Taking this into account, we thought it would benefit our partners if we presented a short glossary of basic terms revolving around Kontera and online advertising in general.  We hope to make some aspects of Kontera more accessible through these definitions.

Kontera Online Advertising:

• Pay Per Click Advertising- an advertising model in which Kontera pays publishers according to a pre-determined amount each time a user clicks on an ad; the amount is determined by the advertiser and is known as CPC.

• Contextual Advertising- an advertising model in which advertisements on a site are targeted to users based on the site’s content.  Kontera’s contextual advertising is highly specific as it recognizes the meaning of a particular sentence and matches it to the highest paying ad of the same topic.

• In-Text Advertising- a form of contextual advertising in which ads are served within the content of a site through highlighted keywords.  Kontera’s algorithms analyze content and extract keywords in order to match them to ads.  The ads appear as the user hovers over a highlighted keyword with his mouse.

Revenue Model:

• Revenue Share- the percentage of a click’s revenue which is received by the publisher.

Kontera Metrics:

• Impressions- the number of times a website is loaded by internet users; this is calculated by totaling all loads of all pages within the specified site.

• Net Impressions- the number of times a website is loaded by internet users, calculating only those pages on which at least one ContentLink was present.

• CTR- (Click-Through Rate) the average rate at which a site’s users click on an ad; this is calculated by dividing the number of clicks by net impressions to yield a percentage.

• CPC- (Cost Per Click) the dollar amount that an advertiser offers for a click on a particular ad. CPC isn’t a fixed rate and varies from one advertising campaign to the next according to advertiser’s specifications.

• eCPM- (Effective Cost Per Thousand)- the revenue for each 1,000 net impressions that a publisher’s site generates; a key tool in estimating revenue projections based on impressions.

Kontera Optimization Terms:

• Optimization- the process in which a Kontera team analyzes a site to identify its ideal ContentLink settings for reaching optimal performance and revenue potential. Click to learn some optimization tips.

• Link Density- the concentration of ContentLink ads within a publisher’s content; the higher a site’s link density, the more ContentLinks are presented per page. (e.g., a link density of 10 would mean a maximum of 10 keywords out of 100 words will be highlighted on a page).  Link density is a scale that Kontera’s optimization team can easily control.  Contact support@kontera.com for more details.

• Zone Tags- publisher-initiated Javascript code that specifies which areas of a site Kontera’s algorithm should analyze to generate ContentLinks; not to be used with Filter Tags.

• Filter Tags- publisher-initiated Javascript code that specifies in which areas of a site Kontera’s algorithm should not generate ContentLinks; not to be used with Zone Tags.

• Metrics Fluctuations – Many factors may influence one or more of your metrics and be reflected in your site’s overall performance. Fluctuations may result from changes in your site’s settings, ContentLink attributes, your site’s traffic sources and visitor trends, available relevant campaigns and advertisers’ specifications and more. It’s therefore very important to remember that when you analyze performance you should keep track of all the values above as well as take a look at your site’s stats as reflected in Google Analytics or any other tracking application you may be using.

We hope this helped in gaining a better understanding of Kontera’s advertising and how to analyze your site’s metrics. Stay tuned for an upcoming post on better understanding Kontera through the use of Google analytics.

Over the past few months we’ve been busy developing and updating different tools to enhance and simplify the use of ContentLink™ ads.

With our new Publisher Center, KnowledgeBase, ContentLink plug-ins and additional customization options, we figured it was high time to tie all these tools together and to remind you of all the great options available to you.

So here are a few useful tips to help you make the most out of your Kontera PPC ads:

• Plugins for quick ContentLink implementation- we’ve simplified the Kontera integration and customization even more. If you’re using Blogger, we have a widget that will distribute our ad code to all your pages in one-click! For WordPress, Joomla or Drupal users, our easy to install plug-ins simplify ContentLink’s integration and customization and provide you with maximum control over the ads’ placement on your site or blog.
• Optimization Tips- many factors influence ContentLinks’ performance on your site or blog – their color, number, density, location on a page and more. Check out the ‘Optimization’ category in the Kontera KnowledgeBase and find out how to customize ContentLinks to best suit your site’s design and content.
• Advanced Reporting- Use the Keyword Report , available through the Publisher Center.  Identify your top performing Keywords, add them to more pages on your site and increase your revenues. Use the URL report in a similar manner, identify your top performing pages and then try to implement their attributes on more of your site’s pages.

And one last useful tip; did you know your SEO efforts can go hand in hand with ContentLink optimization? Find out how

We’d love to hear your feedback on any one of these tools so feel free to leave your comment.

A few weeks back, we told you about the new Kontera-WordPress plugin. We were thrilled to get so many great responses and feedback from you. We promise to keep providing you with more great tools to simplify and enhance the use of ContentLink ads on your blogs.

If you haven’t already tried our new WordPress plugin, there’s no time like the present. We’ve put together a short tutorial to make integration a snap:

[kml_flashembed movie="http://blog.kontera.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/wordpress_plugin400low1.swf" height="318" width="400" /]

Download Plugin for WordPress 2.5
Download Plugin for WordPress 2.0

It’s all right to change your mind. The fact that you’ve been receiving your Kontera cash through one payment method up to now, doesn’t mean it can’t change.
Kontera offers publishers several payment methods. Since we receive many questions regarding PayPal, or more specifically, how to switch to PayPal, I thought it would be a good idea to specify it here on our blog.

Switching to PayPal is a simple task to undertake:

Login to Kontera’s Publisher Center and select the “My Account” tab.
Follow the “Payment Method” link. Now click on the dropdown menu and select “PayPal”. Then type in your Paypal account name.

Here is a point to remember: Your PayPal Address and your Kontera account user name have to correspond. In the event that they are not the same, you’ll need to change your account email address. Go to the “Account Info” link and change your email address.
The next time you log in to the Publisher Center, recall that your login name has changed.

Any change you make to your account information, tax information and or selected payment method will be immediately updated in our system.

Some of the publishers reading this post have had the chance to interact with Kontera’s support team. For once, we wanted to make a more formal introduction.

We make every effort to upgrade and advance Kontera’s support services, with the full knowledge that our relationships with partners require much care and maintenance. In the past few months Kontera’s support services have made a serious leap in that direction when we’ve added a Live Chat option. The chat, which is available through the “Help” tab in our Publisher Center, enables you to reach a Kontera representative live, and call for our immediate attention to any question or issue you encounter.

Kontera serves a network of thousands of publishers- that’s hundreds of email requests per day and we do our best to reply all your emails in due time. We thank you for your patience as we work hard to thoroughly review each case send out all responses.
In many other cases, you don’t have to wait! Kontera has a KnowledgeBase where you can find immediate answers to many inquiries. These are some of most commonly asked questions we receive:

How can I add site(s) to my account?

How do I invite a Friend to Kontera?

How do I change my payment details?

When do my tags go live?

How can I limit the number of links on my site?

We constantly update our knowledgeBase and any feedback or recommendation from you is most welcome.

Here’s a pic of a few members of Kontera’s support team . No, they don’t show up to work like that; this pic was taken during Kontera’s costume party- guess who took first prize

The best way to contact Kontera Support is through the Help tab in our Publisher Center. For the quickest service don’t forget to select topic from the drop down menu to help our Support Team to direct your request to the most appropriate channel.

A few weeks back we gave you a sneak peek at our new Publisher Center.

Well, peeking is no longer necessary.

The Publisher Center is live and you can now login using your existing user and password.

Check out the graphic revenue displays, experiment with the Keyword Report, test the URL report, customize ContentLink Color, and look into our Knowledgebase for detailed information about using ContentLinks™.

What is really exciting is that all this is just the first stage in the improved Publisher Center. We are already working on additional features, all designed to give you better service, greater control and means to increase your contextual ad revenues.
So let us know what you think so far and which other features will help you.

We can’t wait to hear your feedback.

Welcome to another interview in our series Kontera’s Backstage Pass. In this series, we hope to achieve an inside look at Kontera’s services, products, and developments, from those who know it best, the people working day by day to push Kontera’s backstage happening.

Today we interview Neta Shaked, a Kontera Account Manager. Neta has a busy schedule but I managed to catch up with her long enough to get some interesting information on her daily interactions with Kontera’s publishers.

Please describe your work as a Kontera Account Manager.

As an account manager I monitor a publisher’s results as well as our ContentLinks™ integration on their websites. I am doing whatever possible to maximize a site’s revenue and to customize our product to the publisher’s needs.
We live in fast times, the online world is constantly advancing and websites keep developing and changing. Add to this, the fact that Kontera’s ContentLink is being upgraded at close intervals, with features added and relevancy increased.
So, as an account manager, I follow on all these changes and make sure our ContentLinks will match perfectly to a site’s needs.

What are two most frequently asked publisher questions?

One of the questions I get asked most is: “what can be done to optimize“?
I think this is one of ContentLinks greatest strengths. Unlike other In-Text ad services, Kontera’s ads are customizable. Optimization can be performed on several levels. We do much backstage work to maximize ad relevancy and configure the best ad density per page. There are also many changes publishers can perform on their own, such as changing the links color, defining the exact analysis area, and much more.

Other most common questions have to do with Kontera’s payment procedures. The answer is simple, publishers can get paid by checks, wire or Paypal. With the new Publisher Center which is coming out soon, publishers will be able to update the settings themselves and change their own payment methods with a few simple clicks.

Is there a message you would like to send out to site owners who are thinking of joining Kontera?

Yes. Don’t be afraid of In-Text. The increasing popularity of In-Text Advertising is indicating that there is a growing taste and need for it. A few years back, In-Text was very new and so, many sites felt unsure about trying it. These days we are seeing a great change as many users have grown accustomed to In-Text and view it as a helpful tool. As a result, I receive many responses from satisfied publishers who are seeing the power of In-Text as a way of making information more accessible, while serving as a valuable revenue source.

Kontera’s new Publisher Center is now in beta!

We are excited to tell you about the Publisher Center, with a brand new interface, turning ContentLink™ integration and tracking into a richer experience than before.

As we see it, it’s all a matter of flexibility and control. We aim to make ContentLinks flexible to your needs while granting you greater control over your preferences. The Publisher Center is a first step as we have many more new plans and developments in store.

The new Publisher Center, designed to make your ContentLink experience more accommodating than ever, includes enhanced reporting capabilities, graphic revenue displays, KnowledgeBase (FAQs), and much more.

From now on, you will be able to:

- View Performance Reports- run customized click and revenue reports, including graphs.

- Easily update your basic contact and your Account Information.

- Perform ContentLink Color Customization – You’ll be able to select the color of your Kontera link and test to see which color yields the highest revenues.

- Access Kontera’s knowledge Base- read expert advice on a variety of issues, such as optimizing Kontera’s code for different blogging/site management platforms, and more.

The Kontera Publisher Center is still in beta. As soon as testing is completed you will be able to access the new Publisher Center using your existing User Name and Password.

Your comments and suggestions are most welcome!