MPire's new Widgetbucks promise to pay out more than Google
Here's a new advertising widget that pitches products from deep inside retail catalogs.
If you're trying to monetize your Web site or blog, you probably know there are alternatives to Google AdSense. I wrote recently about PubMatic, which can serve up ad units from networks competitive to Google if they'll pay out more. And as of today, there's yet another advertising widget you can use -- provided you run a particular type of site.
MPire's new WidgetBucks program is designed for sites and blogs about goods. Electronics, appliances, stationery -- it doesn't matter, as long as the category relates to items that are sold. The WidgetBucks program looks at what your site is about, and puts into its widget offers on related products. You get paid when the user clicks through to find out more about a product.
Data for the products pitched on WidgetBucks comes from eBay and from Shopping.com. The Shopping.com database has sales information from a number of retailers, including Amazon.
The MPire code evaluates the content on your page and attempts to pitch products related to it. I tried some tests on Switchboard, a directory that runs WidgetBucks ads, and found the ads relevant when they appeared.
MPrice CEO Matt Hulett says WidgetBucks pays out a lot more than standard Web ads. If you run a site about products, it's certainly worth a shot.
After the jump, you can see a live embedded widget and judge for yourself how relevant its product pitches are.