About.com Offers Sponsored Links

In a move to further monetize the traffic on its network of
vertical content sites, About.com on Monday
unveiled “Sprinks,” sponsored contextual links, which it’s
selling to the highest bidder.

As in GoTo.com‘s (GOTO) model, the advertiser who agrees to pay
the most for the links gets the highest placement, and
advertisers also suggest on what content areas their links
should appear, with the final decision going to About.com (BOUT).

The links will appear on the content pages, on Luna Network
partner pages, on keyword search pages, and on a
special “Sprinks” site that will be launched later.

The company is beginning to sign up advertisers on Monday, but
the links themselves won’t appear until About.com flips the
switch on a site redesign later this week — an overhaul that
aims to make each section seem more like its own vertical site.

“With Sprinks we further demonstrate the efficiency and
scalability of our business model,” said Scott Kurnit, chairman
and chief executive officer of About.com.

The addition of “Sprinks” is the latest move by About.com to
bring in more revenue from advertising. The company recently
launched the Luna Network, which ties About.com’s vertical
content sites with similarly-focused sites and allows About.com
to sell advertising across all of the properties. The company
also recently announced plans to acquire direct marketing firm
Sombasa Media, which owns technology for the personalization of
e-mail content.

Initial advertisers for “Sprinks” include Amazon.com, DealTime.com, Bizland.com, Value Voyager, and bathclick.com.