22 Tips for AdSense
07/24/2007 9:59 PM Quote Reply Alert
Since I'm on a roll, I thought I'd keep it going ...
The AdSense policies should be strictly followed. As Google states, "Play by our rules and we will let you continue to play."
Never, no matter how strongly you are tempted, modify the Google Adsense HTML code. You may not get nailed this month, but you will, and it would be tragic to forgo that fat monthly check.
Don't ask your web audience to click on Google ads, that is classified as click fraud.
Don't click on your own ads - Google is much smarter than you think and this is also a form of click fraud.
Don't place ads in pop-up windows or error pages as this is against the Terms of Use.
Don't start another 'mesothelioma' website - it will never make money. Instead, write on what you are passionate about. Don't waste your money on high-paying adsense keywords lists, as often they are inaccurate. If you write what you are passionate about, you will do better in the long run. Trust me.
For short articles, CTR is best when ads are placed just above the content.
For long articles, CTR improves if ads are placed throughout the content, preferably somewhere in middle.
Use Text Ads instead of Image Ads as users get more options, plus they look less like ads and always have a higher CTR.
The ad border color and background color should be same as the page background color. For content pages, ads without a border are often most effective.
Always put ads "above the fold" as 86% of users still do not scroll down the page.
The large rectangle is definitely the best paying adsense format (336 x 280), but it doesn't always work on every page. Look at your layout and determine the best ad layout based on your navigation, site layout, etc. Test. Test. Test.
EDITED: The "hot tip" was to place images next to ads or above ads ton help in attracting user attention. While this worked well, it is not against the ToS with AdSense. There are still MANY sites employing this technique. The advice here is to avoid it. (Kudos to Dave for reminding me of this).
Blend AdLinks with other navigation links or place horizontal adlinks at the top of your webpage. Ads placed near the navigation tend to have a higher CTR than ads away from the navigation.
Look at Google's "Hot Spot" graphic and gravitate your ads to those areas.
Try to place a large skyscraper on the right sidebar. That area is close to the browser scrollbar, which can lead to clicks.
The first few lines of your content are an important factor for determining what Ads are served on your webpage. That's the right place to put keywords in bold or header tags.
Google search box doesn't pay very well but still something is better than nothing. You can test it on your site and if the payout is good, continue, if not, pull it and replace it with an affiliate banner. Remember, every area of your site is valuable real estate.
Use the URL channels to determine performance of individual sites and/or pages.
For low CTR pages, try changing titles or adding more content to get better focused ads.
Block low paying advertisers with Filters. Why let somebody leave your website for 0.01 cents. Simply place their URL in your block list and they will not show up again.
Google will tell you what people are looking for on your website. Focus and improve that content. Read your webstats at least weekly and give them what they are after.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Best Regards,
Jerry West
|
Linear Mode
