Your website may have a decent level of traffic coming in, but it could still get rejected by CPM ad networks such as ValueClick. This can be frustrating, especially when you know that you’re doing everything right and your traffic has the potential to convert.

The fact is that these networks tend to take a number of factors into consideration when approving sites. If they find your website lacking in a certain area, it may not get accepted. So the key is to create a truly professional looking website to bring down the chances of rejection.

Here are some tips to help you get things going with your chosen ad network:

1) Have Compelling Content: When ad networks analyze your website, they will look at the content to know how relevant it is. They might also look into the originality aspect and cross check on the content. Even though most ad networks aren’t that big on quality, it does make sense to ensure that you’ve got top notch content on your site. Ultimately, the kind of content you have on your site has to be good enough to pass their tests.

2) Know that Design Matters: No matter what anybody tells you about how design doesn’t really matter, don’t listen to them. These days people judge a site by the way it looks before they actually read the content on it. Since the first impression counts, you should have a professionally designed site to bring down the likelihood of getting rejected by a network.

3) Use the Right Type of Site: While any good website can get accepted, there are certain sites that simply don’t get the “thumbs up” from these ad networks. So before applying to any of the networks, see to it that you’re not using an overcrowded forum or a “general” website that has no specific direction. The more focused your site is, the better.

4) Get Rid of Excessive Ads: Let’s face it – if your website is bogged down with ads with the content buried deep down, it doesn’t give out a good impression. Prior to applying to any network see to it that you have a site with a clean look. Having excessive ads can make it look quite junky and that’s not good. In short, it all boils down to how professionally you present yourself.

5) Have Your Own Domain Name: This one’s a no-brainer. One of the reasons why some sites get rejected is because they’re hosted on some free domain. Your website has to have its own domain name or else it straight away gives a negative sign. You will be wasting your time if you try to get accepted on a network with an amateur looking site.

5) Grow Your Traffic: If your website doesn’t have much traffic coming in, then first work on growing it. Don’t go out there and start applying to networks without any numbers to speak of. And avoid giving false traffic stats because they will do a background check to see if they are accurate or not.

Are you a member on any ad networks? If yes, please do share your tips below!

Written by Mustafa Khundmiri

Mustafa Khundmiri is a staff writer for Performance Marketing Insider. He is also the co-founder of Foundora.com – a knowledge hub for entrepreneurs.

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