Modern Street

If you’re not into Web gadgets (or widgets) that much, you’d better be. Looking at the developments this year, gadgets are becoming all the rage, everywhere. Just recently, we had BlogRush and Google announcing its Gadget Ads roll out. Everywhere you look, it’s gadgets and more gadgets.

The latest addition to the gadget bandwagon is WidgetBucks, an ad network that pays via a CPC (cost per click) model. I had a look at it, and it looks somewhat promising, as it’s not based on a CPA (cost per action) model, unlike AuctionAds.

What this means is WidgetBucks could (in theory) be easier for the publisher to make some money with, since people do not have to buy anything for the publisher to get paid.

But I have a couple of questions…

How does WidgetBucks differentiate between genuine and invalid clicks? I searched, but couldn’t find further info on this. There is currently no detailed ad tracking mechanism for the publisher apart from the basic stats in their account. Also, how do they determine fake sign ups since the only requirement is an email, and every sign up gets a $25 credit to boot?

Aside from that…

WidgetBucks may still worth a try, because…

• It’s very easy to place/embed on any site.
• It’s very targeted for product specific sites.
• It has a theoretically easier monetization model (CPC).
• It pays via PayPal (convenient) or check.
• It has a geo-targeting feature called MerchSense.
• It has nice graphical layouts and a rotating product display which attract attention.
• It bears a similarity to Chitika, a tested and proven model.
• It appears to be a viable Adsense alternative.
• It appears to be compatible with Adsense; Chitika was.

As WidgetBucks appears to be very new on the scene, I think it does deserve a shot before embracing/dismissing it. What better way to test, than a high traffic product based site?