The work you do before looking for advertisers often decides the first conversation more than anything said in it. The person on the other side asks who reads the site, where an ad would appear, which ads are refused and how paid content is marked. If those answers exist only in your head, every conversation starts from zero. This article turns preparing a website before looking for advertisers into a checklist: an audience summary, an ad inventory, acceptance rules, labeling rules, a user experience limit and a contact channel. Akua Adforce does not find advertisers for publishers and promises no revenue or demand; the work below is the site's own preparation. All values in the examples and the table are hypothetical.
Why Preparing a Website Before Looking for Advertisers Comes First
Searching unprepared means giving each prospect a different answer. One day you say the home page has a banner, the next day you say the sidebar could work. A written preparation removes that drift. The presentation document itself, the media kit, is covered separately in building a media kit for a site, and it comes after this work: a media kit is the tidy, visual form of the facts you gather here.
Five questions the preparation answers
Who reads the site, where and at what size does an ad appear, which ads are accepted, how is paid content marked, and how can someone reach you? Each question matches one heading below. With all five written down, a first call can be short and clear.
The calm that comes from reversing the order
Many site owners approach advertisers first and discover the gaps afterwards. If you reverse the order, you do not meet the gaps in the middle of a conversation. Writing a policy page before a call is less risky than improvising a rule during one.
Writing Down the Audience Summary
An audience summary is a short document that lets an advertiser understand the site quickly. It must rest on measurement, not guesswork. How to read organic traffic and user behaviour is explained in reading organic traffic in Google Analytics 4; this section looks at how that data enters the summary.
Four kinds of information to include
Topic interest of the readers, broad labels such as age bands and occupation, device and language split, and how often the site publishes. Next to each item, write the source and the date of measurement. Information with no known source stays out.
Ranges and dates instead of single figures
Imagine a hobby site claiming "most readers come on mobile". That sentence becomes information once a date and a source are attached. If you do give a number, give a date range with it, because a single day cannot paint a general picture.
Admitting what you do not know
Do not fill an unmeasured field, such as reader occupation, with a guess. "Not measured" is honesty, not a gap. If an advertiser asks, you can say how it would be measured or what would support it.
The Ad Space Inventory: Position, Size and Page Type
The inventory is a table of the places where an ad could show on your site. For formats and placements in detail, use the notes on banner formats and where they sit as a reference; this section turns that knowledge into a table for your own site.
Three columns for every space
Write the space's name (for example "top of article body"), the page type it applies to and its dimensions. Page type matters because one space can behave differently on the home page and on an article page, and it reaches a different reader.
Listing what does not exist yet
You can add a space not yet built with a "planned" label, but never present it as available. Offer an advertiser only the places that can be shown today.
Space IDs and a version note
Give each space a short ID such as "A1" or "A2" and add a version note whenever you change the table. Otherwise, when an advertiser says "space A2", it is unclear which one you mean.
A hypothetical inventory row could read: "A1, top of article body, article pages only, wide horizontal size, fixed height". Add whether the space behaves differently on mobile. A sidebar space on desktop may drop into the flow of the content on a phone, and the advertiser should know this beforehand. Each row should answer one question: where exactly is this space, what does it look like and whose eyes does it reach?
Ad Types You Will and Will Not Accept
Not every ad suits your readers. Writing down which types you will take makes it easier to say "no" later. The rules for formats that blend into content are set out in how ads that blend into content are governed.
The accept list: format and topic
For format, list types such as image banner, text ad and labelled sponsored content. For topic, name the categories that speak to your readers. Add a short reason to each accepted line.
The reject list and its reasons
Keep a reject list for ads that could mislead readers, make claims that cannot be checked or clash with the site's subject. When reasons are written, a refusal rests on a rule rather than on a person, which shortens the argument.
A third column for borderline cases
Beside accept and reject, open a third column labelled "review". In a hypothetical case, a request may come from a category that is only loosely tied to the site. The column turns each such request into a place in a review queue instead of a fresh debate.
For a request in the review column, ask three questions in order: what does it promise the reader, can the promise be checked, and how does it relate to the site's subject? If all three answers are favourable, move the request to the accept list as a new line. If not, add it to the reject list with its reason. Over time the lists sharpen and the same question is not argued twice.
The Advertising Policy Page and Its Content
Written rules differ from rules that live only in your head, because a page can be read by readers and advertisers alike. How a comparable policy page is built for guest contributions is shown in building a policy page for guest contributions, and an advertising page follows the same principle of plainness.
Sections the page should contain
Accepted ad types, rejection criteria, the labeling rule, the right to change the policy, the contact route and the date of the last update. These six sections are the skeleton, and each can be a few sentences long.
Speaking to readers as well
The policy page is not written for advertisers alone. Readers can learn from it how to tell paid content on the site from the rest. Google's helpful content guidance encourages making clear who publishes content and why it exists, and a policy page is a natural place to say so.
Making the page easy to find
Link the page from the footer with a descriptive anchor. A policy shared only on request does not serve the purpose of preparing.
Choose plain wording that a reader can finish in two minutes instead of heavy legal sentences, and put the date and a short change note at the top whenever the page changes.
Labeling Rules for Paid Content and Ads
Labeling has two layers: the label readers see and the rel attribute on the link. They complement one another and neither replaces the other.
The label a reader sees
An ad or sponsored piece should be marked in words a reader notices at first glance. Describe the wording, position and typeface of the label on the policy page. Google's publisher guidance for news surfaces expects paid material not to overshadow content and sponsorship to be stated clearly; even if your site is not a news surface, the principle is a useful model for reader trust.
Choosing a rel value for paid links
Google's outbound links documentation recommends sponsored for advertising or paid placements, with nofollow suitable where other values do not fit. Using one of the two on a paid link is the qualification the spam policies ask for. "Dofollow" never appears among the documented values, so leave it out of your rules.
Settling the labeling before the order
Tell an advertiser about the labeling rule at the start of the conversation. An advertiser who learns it late may ask for the link to go unlabelled. If that conflicts with your policy, your answer is ready from the first message.
In a hypothetical case, an advertiser asks for an in-article placement to look like a news item. If your policy requires paid content to be disclosed to readers, the answer is one sentence: the placement runs labelled and its link carries sponsored. Showing that the rule belongs to your written policy rather than your mood does not harden the conversation; it shortens it.
The User Experience and Page Speed Limit
Adding ad spaces is easy; adding them without losing readers is hard. the trade-off between ad load and page experience treats the topic at length, while this section covers the limits that go on the checklist.
A cap on spaces per page
A hypothetical rule: at most two visible ad spaces on an article page. The number itself will vary by site; what counts is that a limit is written down and does not contradict the inventory table. When the limit is exceeded, the reader is hurt before the advertiser is.
Layout shift while loading
Late-loading ads can push content down. Reserving the space size in advance and leaving a placeholder keeps the page steady for the reader. In the inventory, mark a "fixed size" column for every space.
Not promising speed to advertisers
Do not promise an advertiser an outcome about site speed; write only your own limits. When you lean on a user experience measurement, state the date and method.
The Contact Channel and Inquiry Form
The visible part of preparation is how an advertiser reaches you. A bare email address can be enough, but a structured form keeps conversations orderly.
The minimum the form should ask
The contact person's name, the product or service to be advertised, the intended page type and a date range. Do not collect personal data you do not need; know the reason for every field. Put a short privacy note next to the form.
The limits of a promised response time
If you state a response time, keep it. A promise you cannot honour costs trust. A phrase such as "requests are reviewed in order" carries no commitment and is often enough.
Keeping a record of what arrives
Log every inquiry with a date, a sender and a one-line summary. When you later ask when an advertiser first wrote, the log has the answer, and it also prepares the ground for evaluation work down the line.
Preparing for the Price Conversation: A Frame Without Numbers
This article gives no prices, yet the facts a price conversation will rest on can be prepared. The basics of selling space are explained in the basics of putting ad space up for sale.
Listing the items a price depends on
The space's position, the page types it covers, the duration of display and the labeling arrangement are the items a price conversation will ask about. Keep each as a column in the inventory table. Where a figure does not exist yet, leave the cell empty.
Why a figure belongs to the decision, not the preparation
To write a price range you need to see the advertiser's conditions and the ad type. A number written during preparation becomes a ceiling you set for yourself and leaves no room in the discussion.
The only reference for Akua publisher terms
If you are considering taking part on Akua as a publisher, consult the pricing policy page on the site and nothing else for terms. This article says nothing about commission, payment timing or earnings.
A common trap in price talks is answering a number you do not know yourself. Use the first round to collect information instead: which space, which page type and what duration the advertiser wants. The offer should state scope as clearly as price.
Connecting the Preparation to Advertiser Research
When the preparation is complete, research can begin. The research follows the criteria you wrote; if a criterion changes, the preparation changes with it.
From preparation to a prospect profile
The types on your accept list are the first filter of a prospect profile. A candidate that does not speak to your audience stays off the list. In a hypothetical case, a site that serves only regional readers may not suit an advertiser selling nationwide.
Using the preparation in a first message
In the first message, point to your audience summary and your policy page. It does not need to be long. Four sentences are enough: who you are, which space you offer, what your rule is and how to get in touch.
Where the preparation stops
Preparation cannot bring an advertiser. It only makes sure you are ready if one arrives. A lack of inquiries does not prove the preparation is incomplete; the checklist measures readiness itself.
Example Template: An Ad Readiness Checklist (Hypothetical)
The list below is hypothetical. Adapt the items to your own site and enter your own values in the status and note columns.
| Item | What is checked | Status (hypothetical) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audience summary | Topic interest, device, language, measurement date | Ready | Measurement source written down |
| Space inventory | Space ID, position, size, page type | Partial | One space marked as planned |
| Accept list | Format and topic categories | Ready | Every line has a reason |
| Reject list | Rejection criteria and a review column | Ready | Update date added |
| Policy page | Six sections, footer link | Waiting | Draft written, not published |
| Labeling rule | Label wording, rel value | Ready | Sponsored for paid links |
| Experience limit | Spaces per page, fixed size | Ready | Limit matches the inventory |
| Inquiry form | Minimum fields, privacy note | Partial | Privacy note missing |
Two rows reading "partial" and one reading "waiting" show that the preparation is not finished. Starting research before they are resolved means closing the gaps by improvisation in the first call. Review the list with these questions:
- Does every item have a source, a date or a responsible person beside it?
- Is the policy page public and linked?
- Is every space in the inventory tied to a rule on the policy page?
- Were the cells that need figures left empty on purpose?
To finish the preparation, follow this order:
- Close the "waiting" rows first.
- Complete the missing cells in the "partial" rows.
- Publish the policy page and link it from the footer.
- Write the date of the last check on the table.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you find advertisers for a website?
Before searching, put the audience summary, the ad space inventory, the acceptance policy and the labeling rules in writing. Then define prospect profiles that match those criteria and show your preparation in the first message. The process promises no demand or income; it keeps your conversations orderly and consistent.
Which pages should be ready before looking for advertisers?
At least an advertising policy page, a contact page or form, and an about page showing who publishes the site. The pages that hold the ad spaces should also load properly. A missing page leaves a question mark that has to be explained mid-conversation.
What should an advertising policy page include?
Accepted ad types, rejection criteria, how paid content is shown to readers, the rel value used on paid links, the contact route and the date of the last update. Each section can stay short. Keeping the page public and reachable from the footer matters as much as what it says.
What goes into the audience summary?
Topic interest, a reader profile in broad labels, device and language split and publishing frequency. Next to each item write its source and measurement date. Do not fill unmeasured areas with guesses; write "not measured". The summary is a short document supported by evidence, not room for exaggeration.
How is the rel label used on paid placements?
Google's documents recommend sponsored for links in advertising or paid placements, and accept nofollow where other values do not fit. If more than one value is needed they can be separated by spaces. Using the value together with a label readers can see completes the labeling on both layers.
When is the preparation complete?
When every checklist item reads "ready" and each has a source, date or owner written beside it. Cells that need figures may stay empty on purpose without counting as a gap. Finishing the list does not mean demand will arrive; it only shows that you are ready.
Conclusion and Next Step
Three outputs should be in hand at the end: a written audience summary with a space inventory, a public policy page and a checklist whose status columns are filled in. These decide what the first conversation can lean on. None of them can bring an advertiser; what they do is make sure that if one comes, you meet them in order rather than in disarray.
This article spoke from the publisher's side. If you are on the other side and want to look at ad placements as a buyer, the ad spaces page on Akua shows what is listed. Akua does not direct advertisers to publishers or promise demand. On the buying side a listing is chosen, put in the basket and paid for; the seller's acceptance starts the work, a delivery notice marks its end, and a dispute route exists if what arrives differs from the listing.
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