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Hardlinks ad zones

Applies to: Publishers

What this is#

A hardlink is a fixed link on your own site: a text link in your menu, a button, an image in your footer. Instead of pointing it at a fixed address, you point it at a hardlink ad zone. When a visitor clicks, the ad server picks the advertiser that wins that click and sends the visitor to their landing page. A plain link on your site earns like an ad.

There are five hardlink types, Hardlinks 1 to Hardlinks 5. Each is sold separately, so an advertiser can buy, for example, your menu link (Hardlinks 1) without buying your footer link (Hardlinks 2). Use a different number for every place where you put a link.

Which formats you can create depends on your network: it decides which ad zone types are switched on, and each hardlink type also needs a permission on your account.

When to use it#

  • Your navigation or footer has room for a "Partners", "Hot offers" or "Sponsored" link.
  • An advertiser wants a fixed, always-visible link on your site for a flat fee.
  • You want to sell a link without using screen space for a banner.

Settings#

Hardlinks share the Redirect Settings card:

Setting What it does Default
Country filter None, As Whitelist (only these countries are sent to the advertiser) or As Blacklist (all but these), with Quick select for tiers. None

There are no other hardlink-specific settings. The general settings (name, website, category, rating, status) are the same as for every zone; see Ad Zones.

Getting the code#

The Ad Zone Code tab gives you a URL:

https://<your ad domain>/link.go?pid=<your id>&spaceid=<zone id>

Use it as the href of your link:

<a href="https://<your ad domain>/link.go?pid=123&spaceid=456" rel="nofollow sponsored">Hot offers</a>

Additional Parameters adds subid or sid1–sid5 if you want to tell several copies of the same link apart in your statistics. Add rel="nofollow sponsored" so search engines treat the link as paid.

Selling it#

Hardlinks are sold to RON campaigns and as flat-rate deals, not to CPM campaigns: an advertiser either competes for the clicks in the auction (RON), or rents the link for a fixed price as a direct deal. Each click is logged as a click for the advertiser who won it.

Tips#

  • Give each link its own hardlink number so you can price and report the menu link and the footer link separately.
  • Keep the link text honest ("Sponsored", "Partner offers"): misleading links get clicks that don't convert, and advertisers stop buying.
  • A link in the main menu is worth more than one in the footer; that's what the separate numbers let you sell.

Troubleshooting#

Symptom Likely cause Fix
The link lands on a default page No campaign or deal targets the visitor. Check the Country filter; ask your network about demand or offer the link as a flat-rate deal.
Two links show up as one line in statistics They use the same hardlink zone. Give each placement its own hardlink number, or add a subid.
A CPM campaign doesn't appear on the link Hardlinks aren't sold per impression. Expected: they take RON campaigns and flat-rate deals.