How much should I charge for business advertising on my site?

Question

Assuming that I should charge based on average hits to the site per week. How much should I charge per hit?

Note that I'm not asking for sites that do this for me. I want to do this myself.

Answer 1

It really depends on the website, the amount of traffic, the size of the ad, etc. It can range from as little as $10 month to over $20,000. What is the URL of the site you want to sell ad space on?

Answer 2

I wouldn't charge based on hits unless you are personally visiting each potential advertiser, and they ask this specifically.  Have a few different positions on your site, and just charge a flat rate.  Of course, base your rates on the number of hits you get per month/week.  

A good guesstimate of how much to charge?

A banner ad on a site that gets 50,000 - 80,000 hits per month is around $200 per month, at the highest.  Littler ads, or smaller vertical banners can run $100 or $50 each per month.

Charging per click usually isn't the best deal for YOU, but it's good for your advertisers.  This is why I wouldn't suggest charging per click.  You'll get more money if you charge a flat rate, and advertisers will assume that they are getting what they pay for.  Be sure just to get stats on your site in case anyone asks.