potentialgeek - 5:38 pm on Jan 22, 2012 (gmt 0)

> potentialgeek: the 336x280 box is on the left, content is on the right. I've removed the 728x15 link bar sitewide. That will be a 22% ad revenue hit, but that's better than a 30-40% traffic hit. I'm hoping the penalty won't apply with a single 336x280 above the fold.

> deadsea, I also had a 336x280 on the left with content on the right.

The only way I can see that differs from conventional sites is their ads of the same size are on the right, not the left. I'd bet the link bar isn't offending Google's algo, just the 336 location. Otherwise Google would have to target every site with 336s on the top right, which isn't going to happen, IMO.

Any ad on the left side, I imagine, is risky.