[Poll] Free ad impressions for your site

This thread records a site-submission poll and the follow-up discussion from @Dani, @floris, @samaru and others. Several practical lessons stand out — outdated entries, uneven promotion, and prize fulfilment logistics — so the notes below condense those lessons into concise, evergreen guidance for running a fair, measurable banner-impression giveaway.

Best practices include: define objective and rules up front (required fields, eligibility, judging method and exact prize specs); vet every entry before it goes live (check redirects, screenshots, and contact info) to avoid the “old link” problem noted by @SMterminator; protect voting integrity by requiring registered accounts, limiting one vote per account, logging timestamps/IPs and applying CAPTCHA or email confirmation; choose a short, well-promoted voting window, pin the poll and post timed reminders to counter low turnout (an issue raised by @samaru); and require the winner to accept terms, submit ad assets by a deadline, and provide a target URL that includes tracking so results can be verified.

Measurement and fulfilment: allocate a unique tracking destination for the prize (UTM tags or a dedicated landing path), agree on the impression reporting period, and publish a short confirmation of delivered impressions and basic metrics (impressions, clicks, CTR). Example tracking URL:

https://example.com/landing?utm_source=daniweb&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=sitepoll

Troubleshooting and alternatives: audit logs for suspicious voting patterns before awarding; decline or delay placement for low-quality creatives; and consider alternatives to open voting (staff-judged categories, randomized draw, or entries-by-invite) as discussed by @Syneticus and @oohdale. Clear rules, simple verification, and transparent reporting eliminate most post-contest disputes.