Publishers are in a tough spot these days. Especially small ones.
On the one hand, there is no marketplace for unobtrusive ads without JavaScript. So if publishers use what is available (AdSense etc), half of their users will block the ads and the other half will hate them.
On the other hand, paywalls are also hated and when publishers use those, half of their users will stop being users and the other half will circumvent the paywall.
What would be cool is a marketplace for simple static text (and static image) ads. Similar to affiliate links, but with an automatism to find out which ads perform best on a given page.
I recently tried to promote paid services by other indie entrepreneurs with simple text links. No JS, not tracking, just a simple text link "If you like, check out this product by a fellow indie entrepreneur" and the results were pretty promising. It's just a lot of friction to do it manually. With an automated marketplace, this might make the web a better place.
On the one hand, there is no marketplace for unobtrusive ads without JavaScript. So if publishers use what is available (AdSense etc), half of their users will block the ads and the other half will hate them.
On the other hand, paywalls are also hated and when publishers use those, half of their users will stop being users and the other half will circumvent the paywall.
What would be cool is a marketplace for simple static text (and static image) ads. Similar to affiliate links, but with an automatism to find out which ads perform best on a given page.
I recently tried to promote paid services by other indie entrepreneurs with simple text links. No JS, not tracking, just a simple text link "If you like, check out this product by a fellow indie entrepreneur" and the results were pretty promising. It's just a lot of friction to do it manually. With an automated marketplace, this might make the web a better place.