How to Monetize Your Website with Microsoft
Microsoft is piloting a new website monetization product, offering a simple way for website and blog owners of any size to earn from their websites.
This presents an excellent opportunity for publishers looking to monetize their content.
Content
- What is Microsoft’s Website Monetization?
- How Much will Microsoft Pay?
- What is the Minimum Traffic Requirement?
- Steps to Join the Waitlist and Monetize
- Conclusion
Update for US Based Publishers – September, 2023
There is now an easier sign up process for US-based publishers looking to monetize their website through Microsoft. Previously, US publishers also had to join a waitlist to get approved for Microsoft ad monetization. However, Microsoft has announced that the waitlist has been removed.
Now, publishers located in the United States can sign up directly using their Microsoft account. This streamlined process makes it simpler for US website owners to start displaying Microsoft ads and earning revenue.
You Can Signup Here: https://next.pubcenter.microsoft.com/landing-page
Be sure to create a Microsoft account if you don’t already have one so that you can swiftly get approved for their ad network. This is great news for US-based publishers who want access to Microsoft’s large pool of advertisers!
Publishers located outside of the United States still need to join the waitlist to be approved for Microsoft ad monetization at this time. You can scroll down on this page to learn more about joining the Microsoft ad monetization waitlist.
While the waitlist process unfortunately remains necessary for non-US sites, we hope to see this streamlined signup process expand globally soon. Please check back for any updates on Microsoft approval for international publishers.
What is Microsoft’s Website Monetization?
Microsoft now allows publishers to display native ads on their website. Microsoft has started to notify the website owners through the Bing Webmaster tool.
If you’re already a user of Bing Webmaster, you can login and see the notification under the ‘Recommended for you’ section.
The platform is designed for easy implementation even if you lack technical knowledge. No development work is required. You simply add a few lines of code to your site pages.
Who Can Monetize with Microsoft?
Microsoft’s self-serve native advertising platform is ideal for a range of publishers including:
- Small website or blog owners looking to grow their audience and generate revenues from their content.
- Publishers in verticals like travel, entertainment, sports, food, finance, autos, news, and more. The native ad formats work well across different content types and categories.
- Website owners currently using other advertising platforms. Microsoft’s platform provides an additional monetization avenue with competitive payouts.
What types of ads will Microsoft show?
Publishers will get the flexibility to select the ad formats that resonate best with their audience and website. They will also have complete control over where these ads are placed on their website pages.
Additionally, publishers can utilize the ad blocking feature to remove any inappropriate or irrelevant ads based on content category or advertiser.
This ensures that only contextually fitting ads are served to their readers.
How Much will Microsoft Pay?
Unlike direct advertising deals where you negotiate a fixed CPM/CPC, Microsoft uses a competitive real-time auction platform.
When an ad is to be shown on your site, an auction runs and advertisers bid on the impression and clicks. The highest bidder wins and pays you that amount each time the ad is shown or clicked by the visitor.
The advantage of this model is advertisers end up paying what your traffic is worth to them. If you have a valuable audience segment, you earn more as advertisers compete in the auctions.
What is the Minimum Traffic Requirement?
A major advantage of Microsoft Advertising is the No Minimum Traffic Requirements. Most ad platforms demand high volumes of visitors to justify the effort of integrating and managing a new partner.
Microsoft Advertising is more accessible for smaller publishers. You can start monetizing even if you only have a few thousand visitors per month. There are no volume restrictions or monthly minimums.
This opens up significant opportunities for up-and-coming sites to begin earning. Rather than having to build a massive audience before you can generate income, you can get a revenue stream going much earlier.
Steps to Join the Waitlist and Monetize
Getting started with Microsoft’s new publisher platform is easy. Simply sign up for the waitlist by filling out the short application survey.
You can visit the official website and fill the survey form: https://about.ads.microsoft.com/en-us/h/a/publishers
You’ll need to provide details like your site URL, contact details, content focus, and traffic levels.
Once selected for this monetization program, you’ll get an email from Microsoft with an access link.
Once you have received your access code, you can connect your website by placing the code given by Microsoft.
Can I run ads from other platform and Microsoft simultaneously?
Running ads from multiple platforms website is generally allowed, including Microsoft Advertising and other networks.
However, Microsoft may optimize which ads are shown based on factors like predicted clickthrough rates and revenue. This means that Microsoft ads may sometimes take priority over other networks’ ads if they determine their payout would be higher.
Microsoft wants to maximize their advertiser’s ROI and revenue for your site. Their algorithms will determine when to show their ads vs others accordingly.
Conclusion
Microsoft’s new advertising platform presents an exciting opportunity for website and blog owners to monetize their content through native ads.
With its user-friendly interface, transparent auction-based pricing, customizable configurations, and lack of traffic requirements, publishers of all sizes can benefit.
