When adult entertainment first began to move online, Adult Verification Systems (AVS) were developed to verify that site visitors were legally eligible to view adult content. An AVS is simply a gateway site that controls access to a larger number of adult Web sites. Sites that sign up for an AVS service embed a simple cut and paste script into their Web pages so that when a customer wants to sign up for access, the script redirects them to a sign-up page provided by the AVS. The AVS then verifies the age of the user, processes the credit card payment and activates the membership. Revenues are divided - the AVS collects the user’s membership fee and pays back a portion of that revenue as a commission to the referring site.
For adult site operators, an AVS serves two major functions, age verification and payment processing. However, these functions have gradually evolved as adult site operators have learned to take advantage of the many ancillary benefits that an AVS can provide. What has happened is that AVS providers are increasingly being utilized as promotional vehicles, combing age verification and payment processing with affiliate marketing.
One of the leaders in AVS/affiliate marketing is NetVerifier. NetVerifier started primarily as an AVS but has evolved to the point where the lines between its AVS and affiliate marketing functions are blurred. As Vice-President of Business Development, Jamie Albano explains, “we’re more an adult affiliate partnership, we don’t really like to use the term adult verification, because we are really not doing that.”
Benefits
Why is signing up with an AVS like NetVerifier a good idea? What are some of the benefits?
Registering for an AVS service cuts down your overhead significantly. If you conduct E-commerce transactions yourself, you will have to purchase and implement the proper software, sign up for a merchant account and provide customer support. Going with an AVS reduces the time, expense and resources required to get your own pay site up and running. “It would be good for a new Webmaster,” says Albano. “It’s a lot easier to set up, there are no headaches.” But most importantly, it will save you money. Albano reminds adult site operators that they “won’t have to pay the $750 Visa registration fee that all the top operators are charging right now [and they] won’t have to pay the 15 percent holdback that the processors charge per transaction. “
The higher bandwidth and functionality required of an E-commerce site will make Web hosting an added cost to setting up your own pay site. Typically, E-commerce hosting packages are more expensive than the basic shared hosting packages that many smaller adult sites use. Having an AVS process your transactions eliminates the recurring (hosting) costs of setting up and maintaining your own pay site. And NetVerifier can help bring your costs down even further. It offers free (and bannerless) shared hosting for all members of the NetVerifier system.
Saving money is just one side of the coin. The AVS model is ideally suited to creating affiliate relationships because of the large pools of traffic they bring together. Albano explains that if Webmasters join the NetVerifier network, they will increase their chances at signing up customers and most importantly, retaining them. Signing up to a NetVerifier site gives a potential customer access to over 243,000 adult sites! As an adult site operator, “you are able to promote your site and the (other) 243,000 sites that the user will get access to if they join your site…all for no additional charge,” says Albano. Access to such a large volume of content increases the chances for customer retention by creating incentives for users to stay on. Adult site operators “are able to promote that on their site…they can say…you are going to get access to 243,000 sites, thousands and thousands of videos and images.” What can happen is a customer may not even end up frequenting your site - the one he/she originally signed up from. “If the customer doesn’t like your content, he/she is still a member of the system… [and]… still has an infinite amount of content to choose from.” That’s 243,000 extra reasons why a customer might stay on.
As the referring party/site, you not only qualify for an initial commission, but you continue to make residuals on a monthly basis so long as that customer retains its membership. In fact, NetVerifier has some of the best affiliate payouts in the industry. Under one program (as a member of the NetVerifier network) you qualify for a one-time $45 payment (no renewal residual) for each one-month sign-up that comes from your site. And there are some lucrative bonus programs. Recently, NetVerifier launched a campaign where Webmasters can get 200 percent payouts for their referrals. Albano explains: “What happens is the day that your site will be selected to be on the 200 percent bonus program, we send an e-mail ten days in advance so you can get your traffic ready. The day that you are on it, you will get 200 percent payouts - that works out to about $65 (an industry high).”
Signing up with an AVS operator like NetVerifier can provide adult sites with increased traffic – traffic that costs a fraction of what it would cost to generate through traditional marketing means such as banner advertising. This is especially valuable in a market that is fast reaching the saturation point. As an adult site operator, you really don’t have much to lose. The best part of it all: signing up under the NetVerifier banner doesn’t cost you a penny. The AVS makes money off traffic that its members send, and individual members profit from the traffic generated by the entire network.
So Why NetVerifier?
So why go with NetVerifier over another AVS/Affiliate Marketing Program? In business since 1996, NetVerifier has what amounts to a lifetime of experience in the online adult entertainment industry. “We’ve been around for awhile, we’ve got a lot of experience…I know a lot of people say that, but it’s worth its weight in gold,” says Albano. Customer service is another reason. “Customers can call me one the phone anytime for anything and I will help them out,” emphasizes Albano. “We pride on taking care of our webmasters…whatever they need, I will take care of it to make them happy.”
NetVerifier also offers its webmasters the consistency of extremely high retention rates. “Our membership retention is at 5-6 months (on average) if not more, and that’s a lot for a user to stick around in the system,” says Albano. “And the pricing model is extremely low, its $24.95 to become a member of the site, as opposed to what these guys are charging now – $30 and $40 per month.”
Another benefit of going with NetVerifier is flexibility in terms of sales limits. Other affiliate programs require that you reach a certain amount of sales over a specified time frame. In the event that you fail to reach this target, your site will be de-listed from the program. NetVerifier does not place similar constraints. Not only is the service free, there are no sales limits.
In today’s crowded online adult entertainment market, attracting traffic remains the key factor in determining whether an adult site will become a profitable enterprise. NetVerifier has transformed the AVS model into a full-scale adult affiliate marketing program. A service that adult Webmasters can utilize to save money while generating the larger volumes of traffic that translates into profits.