Cory Lee is the founder of the travel blog Curb Free with Cory Lee and lives in Lafayette, Georgia.
I’ve been in a wheelchair since I was four years old, but that hasn’t stopped me from exploring the world. In fact, travel is my passion, mission and business. I have visited 48 countries and all 7 continents. I love meeting new cultures, trying exotic cuisine, and seeing amazing places. And I’m determined to help other people with disabilities learn where and how they can travel and why they should try it.
For the past 11 years, I’ve published a blog that provides travel tips and inspiration for wheelchair users. I have over 100,000 followers and am one of the world’s leading travel bloggers focused on wheelchair accessibility.
When I started my blog, I used product sponsorships to generate income. Companies paid me to incorporate their products into my posts. But finding sponsors and negotiating deals took time, and weaving the product into an accessibility-oriented story was difficult. I knew other bloggers were making money selling digital display ads on their sites, so in 2019 I decided to give it a try. With just a few clicks, you can get set up and start selling advertising space on your blog, bringing in the revenue you need to support your travels and, importantly, keep your content free for your readers. It’s done.
• Related: Making travel accessible to all customers
Unfortunately, that easy-to-use ad sales system may be in jeopardy. The Justice Department is suing Google over its display advertising business and says the company should be broken up. This makes it difficult to sell advertising space and make the money needed to maintain the blog and keep it free.
The Department of Justice says Google uses its position in the digital display advertising market to drive up prices to the detriment of advertisers and content creators like me. I see things differently. Yes, Google keeps about 20% of the revenue from every ad I sell. But considering the valuable services you get in return (instantaneous ad sales, price negotiation, data analysis), this seems like a bargain.
The Department of Justice also argued that Google’s role in serving both ad buyers (companies that want to advertise) and ad sellers (content providers who sell advertising space) does not serve either side fairly. It says that it means. The way I see it, Google’s ability to tie the two together makes its advertising system very efficient and really valuable to everyone. We seamlessly connect ad sellers and buyers to ensure the right ads appear on your website or blog. Additionally, it ensures that different audiences see different ads of interest. This means your company’s ads reach potential buyers, people receive ads that are relevant to them, and bloggers like me can earn a steady income so I can focus on providing great service. can. content.
• Forum: How hotels can best serve travelers with disabilities.
If the government breaks up Google and reduces the amount of display ads advertisers buy, I don’t know how I’m going to fund my blog. I don’t want my content behind a paywall. People with disabilities already have significant additional transportation costs. The last thing you want to do is charge them a new fee.
We already know that getting product sponsorships can be difficult and can reduce the quality of your content. Working with multiple advertising partners is complex and time-consuming. You may need to hire employees to manage your advertising inventory and persuade businesses to place ads on your site. Additionally, businesses are now willing to spend money on digital advertising, knowing that Google will place ads on the right sites and to the right audiences. If businesses can’t rely on that, they may be less willing to buy advertising. That’s a serious problem for bloggers like me.
I hope that as this case progresses, stories like mine will be considered. Google may have its flaws, but its streamlined advertising system keeps millions of businesses, websites, and blogs thriving and makes so much valuable content available for free. Masu.
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