So, you are getting ready to do an adult Web site. You have a great concept and you think you have “the site” that is going to make you a millionaire. All you need is the content. You start looking around and confusion sets in as you find so many options, each with its own subset of opinions. By the end of your search you are left looking for the nearest bar.Hopefully in this article I can end several myths and straighten out some of the rumors that fly around about content. Please remember that what I write will be my opinion, so take it as that. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but after many years in the business I have learned some things that I can share with you.

There are basically four types of content that are used for adult sites.

The first is the type you never should use, period. Right-clicking on someone’s images and then using them on your site under the claim of “public domain” is not only a false assumption, but it is illegal too. You are stealing something from someone. There is no such thing as “public domain” adult images… end of story. If you are planning on stealing images to make your first million then you best be going back to your boss and begging for your job back.

The second type of content is referred to as “free content.” This content is provided by an affiliate program with the condition that any sites you build with it will promote one of that program’s pay sites. These free content programs can be great for the beginner and help make entry into the business cheap. With that said, while free content on the surface looks and sounds like a great deal, few Webmasters are successful with it – unless you have a special arrangement with a pay site owner or you are using a content program that is very unique. Most pages built around free content will not be accepted on many of the big TGP sites, link lists sites or other forms of free traffic-generating sites. You will have to rely on search engine traffic, and that, my friends, is not easy to get. The old adage “you get what you pay for” comes to mind.

If you are in a tight financial situation and you need to use “free content” then try to follow these suggestions:

Promote a unique affiliate program that has something new to offer. The newer the ideas used on their sites, the better your chances for success.

If you are using a well-known sponsor that offers “free content” and updates often, grab the content as soon as it has been released. Build a site and circulate it quickly so that you will be one of the first to display the content. This will most likely improve your success rate.

Make deals with pay site owners that allow you access to a limited amount of the site’s content. If you do get someone to agree to this, treat that person with respect. Don’t go into his or her member’s area and download or watch every one of the videos. Remember that bandwidth is expensive, and until you start making him or her a ton of sales, don’t become a liability or you most likely will find your password no longer works.

The third type of content is “licensed” content. Licensed content is just what you’d imagine, images you have purchased the rights to use on your Web site. Each company will have its own license agreement, so you need to read them. Understand the agreement before you purchase the content. Know whether you can use the content for TGP galleries and free sites, whether you can submit it to newsgroups, etc. Make sure you can use the content for banners or any other creatives your site may require.

I see so many people buy content and never once even read the license. People, this is a legal document and it is binding. Read it, understand it, and above all, abide by it. Licensed content is great for all your sites. The age of the set and the way that the provider/broker sells it will determine how used and abused it is. Again it will come down to the truth of getting what you pay for. Now don’t just assume that if the set costs $500 that it is going to make you a million back. If the model is so ugly he or she could drive maggots off a gut pile, I don’t care how cheap or expensive it is, it will not help you make sales – unless of course there is some niche I don’t yet know about.

In general, licensed content is great for any kind of adult site, and in most cases it will be well received by TGP owners and the like. One word of warning though, if you are buying a CD of images, and I am sure you have seen the “15,000 images for only $79.95” deals, you will have the same problems that you’d have with free content. Think about it. How many Webmasters do you think went out and bought that same CD and slammed it all over the Net in 40 gazillion different forms? If you let common sense be your guide then you should not go wrong.

The last form of content is “owned” content. Owned content is content that either you have personally shot or you have hired someone to shoot for you. You and only you have the rights to use that content, and this is by far the best type of content to have; however, it is not going to come cheap. I would suggest that content such as this be used only for a pay site or to promote a pay site that you own. Be careful with it. Don’t over expose it, don’t whore it out, and keep it exclusive to your own sites. I am not a producer so I do not have all the answers to how much it will cost and all that. My comments in regards to this type of content are purely from a common sense standpoint. If you paid $500 (no clue if that is an accurate number) to take pictures of a model, I would be sure to have a very good use for it. Unless you are going to become a producer for brokerage houses then I would really think out your pay site before you start hiring models.

There are a lot of things that are going on in the legal department right now, relating to adult content, and next week I will give my opinions, once again, about 2257 record keeping requirements and other issues involving the use of adult content on the Net. As always, I hope that you have enjoyed the article and that I have helped you understand this topic a little better. Good luck to all of you in your endeavors. May the porn princes shine down on you.