Now, don't get me wrong here, I like WordPress, but I don't understand how a website that was recently in sore enough shape to need to do large scale search spam can want $10,000 for a one day home page text link sponsorship.

Certainly there has to be some middle ground in between needing to upload 100,000 AdSense pages and needing $10,000 for a single text link?

1-Day Text Link $10,000.00 average clicks 4 cost per click $2,239.64

Who would look at those numbers and eat that up? Maybe an online casino looking to spread a viral story?

I do not do much in the lines of ad sales, but sometimes the key is to charge lower rates to help boost demand, and then raise them after advertisers see the value. Some of my friends give ad space away off the start.

Even if the traffic is not well targeted people will pay money if they believe the value is there, but I think it may help to place a blank ad for a friends site on the home page just to get a test sample of CTR data. You need to prove the value or have a ton of buzz before people will want to rent uncertain pixels.

What is the most you ever paid for a click? Was it worth it? How did you know before and after you bought it?