Placing an ad on Ebay or other such auction site can drive thousands of qualified targeted prospects to your website. With a well worded ad and proper product placement not only can you cover the cost of ads you may make money and sales directly from the Auction site, and you will attract hot prospects to your website.

Each auction site has its own set of rules in regard to linking from an ad to your website. Most of these rules are very easy to work with and may actually help keep your marketing on track.

For example:

• The standard retail price for a product offered on your website must be greater than the opening bid of your item in the auction.

• It's not allowed to link from your auction directly to a purchase form on your website. They take this as evidence that you're not really serious about selling through the auction.

• Your website must reflect your ad. Bait and switch is frowed upon.

Fairly straightforward rules actually. And if an auction site has a rule you can't work with then let them know you have a problem with the rule. Perhaps they are experimenting with "what will the customers let us get away with?" And, obviuosly you can choose to not use that auction house.

We find it useful when linking from an auction item to a webpage to make sure that the following points are covered:

• Have something on the page (graphics and/or titles) which instantly confirm to a browser that he or she has followed a link to the correct place. This is partly a name branding issue and partly a consideration for nervous clickers who may run away if they think they've messed-up (again) and clicked through to the wrong page.

• Consider "branding". Unless you are a fly-by-night scamster trying to hide your identity give the customer an easy way to recognize you. A graphic of a lapel with a white carnation might be fun. Or perhaps a proper logo which is repeated on the auction site as well.

• Make sure your webpages backup your auction ad. This satisfies the requirements of many auction sites and quickly demonstrates to potential customers that you have the content to backup your product.

• Have a breadth of content. If your website is merely a repeat of your auction ad the browser-by will feel rightfully cheated and conclude that your website has little more to offer. This will not build traffic to your website.

• Testimonials might be fun. It's not okay to quote Ebay ratings on your website, but it is very okay to quote glowing tesitmonials emailed to you from your website customers.

• Make sure your website bespeaks solidity. Don't bother linking to one of those freeby here-today gone-tomorrow hosting services. That will only serve to confirm a customer's suspicion about you. Give an impression of permanence in the web-community. It helps lower the bail in all those cop shows and helps a customer make the magical leap of trusting.

• Give them something to come back to. Somehow in some way let it be known that if your customer returns later they will find more of what they are looking for. This can be through "Coming Soon" notices, obviously dynamic content, contests, or "what have you".

Placing ads on auction sites is good experience in writing ad copy. It will be an income source from sales through the auction. And it's an excellent source of targeted traffic.