The Weekly Bulletin | October 1, 2024

Hi SODP community,

Let’s recap on what’s been happening, the new content, industry updates, tips, and more.

TIP OF THE WEEK

Publishers can quickly get ads up and running on their site by signing up with a solutions partner with the appropriate technology and expertise. Onboarding can be completed in as little as a week, with the publisher’s biggest technical contribution being inserting a tag into their site’s header.

That’s not to say there aren’t strategic considerations that need to be weighed up, however. Maximizing ad revenue comes down to getting the foundation right before optimizing performance further down the track.

Here are some of the factors publishers should consider:

1. Ad types: Publishers can team up with any number of solution providers to show ads on their sites or apps, but it’s important to understand the different sizes and types available. Picking the most suitable ads will go a long way to improving audience engagement.

2. Target audience: Identifying the target audience is crucial for effective ad placement. Publishers need to align their ad content with the interests and demographics of their audience to maximize engagement and revenue.
   

3. Pricing strategy: There are several different pricing models that publishers can select when signing up with an adtech partner (CPM, CPC, CPA, CPI), with each having its pros and cons.
   

4. Tracking and optimization: Publishers with a robust plan for tracking and optimizing ad performance are far more likely to see their revenue grow than those without.
   

5. Legal considerations: Digital content providers must be aware of and comply with laws and regulations related to online advertising. This includes adhering to privacy regulations, avoiding deceptive practices and respecting IP rights.
   

6. UX: While most publishers will be tracking some website performance metrics to understand how engaged their audience is, it’s important to understand that ads can also impair a site’s user experience (UX) and reduce its SEO.
   

7. Load speed optimization: Publishers need to optimize ads to minimize their impact on website loading times. Slow-loading ads don’t just frustrate users, but they can also affect a page’s SEO.

SODP POSTS

Building the Optimal Monetization Team

Publishers have faced some hard questions in 2024 with the changes in the industry and dwindling traffic (and revenues). What are the different ways in which monetization can be optimized in this new market?

Our panel discussion with with Susanne Sperling, Founder of Stratech Media, and Radu Tyrsina, CEO of ReflectorMedia, explored divergent experiences about building and upgrading monetization teams, with a special focus on in-house teams vs outsourcing.

READ MORE

JOB BOARD

➡️ The New York Times Magazine is hiring an Audience Editor to support and execute audience development efforts at the Magazine (NYC, NY, US). SEE MORE

➡️ Newsweek is looking for a strategic director of newsletters to lead its operation to all new heights (Remote, US). SEE MORE

➡️ HuffPost is seeking a dedicated, knowledgeable, and creative Audience Editor to help cultivate the largest, most engaged, and diverse audience on the internet. (Los Angeles, CA, US). SEE MORE

COMMUNITY BUZZ

Industry News

➡️ Google's AI Overviews are showing more niche-specific content and giving less priority to general big brand sites across multiple topics. READ MORE

➡️ Politico is launching a strategic partnership with a Y Combinator-backed AI startup to develop a bespoke AI tool that will quickly summarize its journalism. READ MORE

Social Media Discussions

➡️ Sander van Surksum on LinkedIn:

🚀 Quick Performance Tip

How I set up my Chrome DevTools for Performance Audits

When performing audits, the network tab in Chrome DevTools is one of my go-to tools. Here's how I set mine up:

1️⃣ Disable caching to mimic a first-time user’s experience.

2️⃣ Set Fast 4G for realistic mobile network conditions.

3️⃣ Enable "Big request rows" for clearer visibility of large and critical assets.

4️⃣ Add columns like Cache-Control, Content-Encoding, and Priority to quickly identify caching, encoding issues, and resource priorities.

5️⃣ Use custom headers like 'Cf-Cache-Status' and 'x-vercel-cache' when working with Vercel or Cloudflare to monitor caching behaviour on those platforms.

To add custom columns, right-click on the table headers (e.g., Name, Status), then select the columns you need, such as Cache-Control or Priority. For even more options, click "Manage Header Columns".

This approach gives me a quick view of what’s slowing down the page and where optimisations can be made.

CONTINUE READING HERE

These are the highlights for the last week.

Until next!

Vahe Arabian and the editorial team at SODP