Following the closure of the original Google Contributor program, Google has started to accept sign-ups to the new platform – you can sign up via this page.
The Google Contributor program was first launched in America in 2015 and run until December 2016. The service provided a way for readers to contribute directly to a publisher, and in return, all AdSense adverts would be replaced with a thank you message. The idea is that publishers receive higher rates direct from loyal readers than they would otherwise receive from adverts. It was used by some major brands, such as Mashable and The Onion.
After the closure of the original program in 2016, the official Google page was also killed off. But now there is a brief announcement that links to this form.
We do not have any information that we are currently able to share on the new format of the program yet, but we’ll be talking about it more here on our blog in the near future.
We recommend that our publishers sign up to get early testing access. New options like this are always good to test as impact on revenues can vary greatly from site to site and are not always predictable. If you currently work with OKO we’ll be happy to advise on how best to structure those tests when the product is launched.
Contributor was historically best suited for websites that have regular returning visitors along with a strong community, so if you do join the program, be sure to announce it via your social media pages to get more of your readers on board.
Mat has been supporting content creators on the web since 1996. As Co-founder of OKO Digital, Mat became the first person in the UK qualified to AdSense partner status and repeated this first with Google Certified Publishing Partner programme.
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