If you are reading this blog, then most likely you are trying to make money online. Personally, I’ve been blogging for about 4 and a half months. Throughout this time, I’ve explored many methods of making money online. I’m going to try to share as much information about these networks as I can, as well as tips for optimizing them. The method that I am going to discuss today is Chitika, and more specifically, their flagship product, the eminimall. It’s not their only method for making money online, and more will be discussed in the near future. What you should know about Chitika is that Darren Rowse swears by them, and it is one of his biggest earners.

So first off, what is an e-mini mall? Well, its an ad unit (obviously) that comes in various sizes. There is one displayed below. Various products are displayed on the unit, depending on which category you choose to promote, as well as several tabs. I have selected mp3 players. On each tab, it will give more information on the currently highlighted product, and where to find the best price for it. You also have an option to include a tab for searching for additional products directly on the ad unit.

The ad is also highly customizable, allowing you to pick what colors are used for the text, border, and background. You can use this to better blend the ad onto your site. As you may or may not know, proper blending of your ads can lead to a higher click through rate, and thus a better payout for you as a publisher.

So how do you optimize the amount of money you can make from the e-mini malls? Well, here are several suggestions:

• Choose the right category - Make sure that the products are somewhat relevant to your blog. For example, if you have a blog about digital cameras, it would be in your best interest to have the ad unit display digital cameras or digital camera accessories.
• Blend the colors - This is important with any ad unit. While having contrasting colors will make it stand out more, it will make it seem as if you are all about advertising, and actually drive down your click through rate. You want the ad to fit in with your blog.
• Placement - There are several good locations for the e-mini mall. First, you want it to be in a prominent location, where there is high visibility. Another good place for it is after a relevant blog post. If someone just gets through reading a great article about computer monitors, include an e-mini mall for computer monitors. This should increase your click thru rate.

Another thing to consider is how to integrate it into your blog. There is a wordpress plugin that allows for integration of the e-mini mall into your wordpress editor, so you can easily add in the code. Adsense Manager will also allow you to integrate e-mini malls into your blog posts or sidebars, using the direct code option.

Hopefully I’ve provided a bit of insight into the Chitika program. Please let me know if you have any questions, and also feel free to share your experiences. How much have you earned from this program?

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