Can can i use a prize to get website views?

[Orange]

I get £10 a month from an advertiser they pay me £10 for putting a banner on a few of my pages anyway yeah.. I dont really need it so i thought maby it would be worth useing it to get lots of people coming to my site somhow each month. maby a youtube video? saying like go on my site and sign a guestbook or somthing on a prize page and one will get the prize... or somthing.. i dunno.. thats why im asking you guys.. maby you will have a better suggestion for this idea. maby somthing like a youtube video saying the prize gos to the person that leaves the 1000th comment..?
ok leave suggestions thanks

[simonsta]

If there was a silver bullet, I am sure we would all be using it! ;-)

I think doing what you are doing is good - posting comments on forums is a good way.

Posting comments on blogs is also another good idea - but don't spam!

You could try registering with Entrecard which is a nice way of swapping ads with people - its free!

[Holistic Star]

Hi Orange,

There are strict laws on the use of competitions in the UK. Be sure to check out the legal situation.

My understanding is that the winner can't be just on chance if they pay to enter as that is a lottery. I believe there has to be some level of skill involved.

This is a really good site for you to read:

Running a competition | OUT-LAW.COM

What are the consequences of running an illegal lottery?

Any individual or company involved in promoting or managing an illegal lottery – including a competition which is a lottery – is guilty of a criminal offence under the 2005 Act, and on conviction is liable to a fine of up to £5,000 and/or imprisonment for up to 51 weeks (England and Wales) or six months (Scotland).

Conviction, fines and imprisonment are a worst-case scenario, but the bad publicity which could arise from running a competition which is found to be an illegal lottery could be significant. Bear in mind that the Gambling Commission has said that it expects to monitor the boundaries between lotteries, betting and gaming on the one hand, and skill competitions and prize draws on the other, and that it will act where schemes are organised which the Commission considers amount to unlicensed and therefore illegal lotteries.
What practical steps can you take to mitigate your risk?

* Think carefully whether the skill element of a competition is sufficient to deter a significant proportion of potential participants, or to eliminate a significant proportion of entrants. If it isn't, increase the skill requirement. Obtain, and keep, material which supports your view that the skill requirement is satisfied.
* If the competition does not satisfy the skill requirement, make sure that no payment is required to participate – either to enter, or to find out who the winner is, or to collect a prize – or ensure that there is an alternative free entry route.
* Make sure that any alternative free entry route is adequately publicised and equally convenient, and that there is no discrimination against those entering the competition in this way.
* If your competition involves forecasting a result, ensure that it does not require payment to participate.
* Take care that your competition does not amount to playing a game of chance.

In summary, if your competition does not satisfy the skill requirement, and involves payment (without a free entry alternative), you should stop running it.
CAP Code on prize promotions

The British Code of Advertising, Sale Promotion and Direct Marketing (known as 'the CAP Code') sets out certain additional rules which should be followed when running prize promotions.

The CAP Code applies to all marketing communications in print, cinema and video, as well as online advertising in paid-for space. It does not apply to broadcast commercials which are subject to the BCAP TV or Radio Advertising Standards Code, or to the content of premium rate telephone services which are regulated by PhonepayPlus (previously known as ICSTIS).

In addition to the general principles that advertising must be legal, decent, honest and truthful, the CAP Code requires that the following information is given to consumers before or at the time of entry into the prize promotion:

* how to participate; if there is a free entry route, this must be clearly explained;
* the start date;
* the closing date in certain circumstances (eg if targeted at children);
* any proof of purchase requirements – or, where a promotion encourages but does not require purchase, a clear statement that no purchase is necessary and explanation of the free entry alternative;
* the minimum number and nature of any prizes, and whether a cash alternative can be substituted;
* any geographical, personal or technological restrictions (eg location, age, or the need to have access to the internet);
* any limit on the availability of promotional packs (if this is not obvious);
* the promoter's full name and business address;
* any restriction on the number of entries;
* how and when winner(s) will be notified, and when they will receive their prizes if this is more than 6 weeks after the closing date;
* how and when the results will be announced; winners' names must be published or available on request, but promoters must not publish excessively detailed personal information;
* the criteria for judging entries eg the most apt and original tie breaker; if the choice is open to subjective interpretation, then an independent judge (or a panel including one independent member) must be appointed, whose name must be available on request;
* who will own the copyright in the competition entries (if relevant);
* how entries will be returned (if applicable); and
* any intention to use winners in any post promotion publicity.

Participants must be able to retain this information or have easy access to it throughout the promotion.

Hope that helps.

[alexb5784]

Why don't you turn your website into a blog? That way you can actively encourage people to learn more about Cornwall. For example, you don't have any pictures on the homepage and people have to click on links to see the photos. Some people are probably turned off by that.

If you decide to blog or write more articles, here are some possible subjects:

1. The 5 Best Cheap Places to Eat in Cornwall
2. Visiting Cornwall on a Budget
3. 5 Tips for Surviving The Rainy Weather in Cornwall (A great article for us North Americans!)
4. What You Need To Know About Moving To Cornwall
5. Studying in Cornwall

You've got to make your site more user friendly if you want people to keep visiting it.

Here are 4 things you can do right now:

1. Remove those black boxes and replace them with photos and text.
2. Place your ads in the articles that you're going to write.
3. Change your header, make it smaller. Also embed a link to the homepage in your new header.
4. Change the color, font style, and font size in your menu bar.

You don't have to have the best looking site. All you need to do is provide people with useful information that they can easily find and enjoy.

Good Luck!

[blackfm]

By the way,
I thought the maximum google-adsense ads allowed per page was 3 (Three)
Has there been a policy shift?

[MartialDev]

Many psychologists would tell you that offering a small prize is worse than offering no prize at all. It is likely to change the nature of the relationship, to your disadvantage.

Furthermore, suppose you could figure out how to make a profit by offering your visitors £10...the first person to offer £10.5 will put you out of business.

[Holistic Star]

Hi Orange

I had a quick look at your site and sweetie, you really need to sort out your spelling and grammar.

Type your pages in Word, use the spell check and make any corrections. Then copy and paste into a text editor like Notepad (to remove the Word formatting) and then copy from Notepad into your site.
And then get someone to double check it for you too.

I would never pay for advertising or give my email address to a site where there was even one spelling mistake. I know it sounds old-fashioned, but there are many people that think that way.

Well done for making a go of it at such a young age, but if you want a professional website and income you will have to give a professional image.

[mentalken]

Hi Orange

I think you need to be careful regarding your AdSense account. I'm pretty sure you can only have 3 ad blocks per page. I counted 6 on your homepage. You can get banned for that.

[Agoge]

I own a forum, and I once used a "contest" for people who signed up and register in order to be have a chance for winning. I forgot what the prize was, but it really wasn't that much and it worked better than any other promotion I've used.