Blending Secondary Ads Into Webpages Featuring Affiliate Products?

Any best practices or best approaches for merging Adsense, Chitika, etc.?

[Webwork]

I've read a few past posts about blending different revenue streams into any one website.

If I recall the advice the trick is to not lose the big sale by trying to make every possible type of sale.

My idea is to have pages that discuss certain products and make the affiliate connection - either text link or image link (or both) - the emphasis of the page.

However, I might also ad a single Adsense block with only 1 or 2 ads within the single block. Not one of the big blocks with 4 ads in it.

I might consider an Adsense link unit at the bottom on the page.

Are there any "best practices" rules for blending Adsense into a page that first and foremost wishes to target the affiliate sale?

Are there any "eye scan" rules that come into play? Would I be wise to consider eye tracking studies and somehow attempt to position the affiliate message in the primary hotspots?

When then should one place the contextual/other ad?

[Skeptic]

I have integrated secondary ads into my affiliate sites for a couple of years now. What I have found (no surprise) is whichever program is most prominent or the best "catered to" on the page is the one that will produce the best revenue.

You want more Adsense revenue? Put 3 Adsense blocks on the page.

You want more Chitika revenue? Put 3 or more Chitika blocks on the page.

You want more Affiliate revenue? Put more Affiliate links on the page and reduce Adsense and Chitika to one ad each, near the bottom of the page. (etc.)

[Beagle]

My idea is to have pages that discuss certain products and make the affiliate connection - either text link or image link (or both) - the emphasis of the page.

You'd want to devote the "eye scan" area that involves the discussion of the product to the specific affiliate links for that product. Such as an image or image-with-text link at the top of the discussion for those who already know what they want > a text link (or two?) within the discussion at points where a person might be most likely to make a decision > a link at the end of the discussion for those who aren't going to buy until they read the entire thing. All within the horizontal area of the discussion itself, as the reader's eye travels down through the text.

--Other links I'd place either below the final affiliate link or off to the side so they don't seem to be directly connected with the discussion. Besides the higher income (hypothetically speaking) from the affiliate link, IMHO there's also the issue of "Why is this guy giving me links to other products on other sites if he thinks this one is so great?" So the other links are located to be seen by people who've already decided not to buy that product, or have decided not to decide yet, and so want to look at other options.

--Sometimes I've even put a second "layer" affiliate link below the final link to the one discussed: "If this widget is too large for your available space, try..." But I don't have any numbers to show that this works.

[edited by: Beagle at 6:01 pm (utc) on July 11, 2007]

[Webwork]

So the other links are located to be seen by people who've already decided not to buy that product, or have decided not to decide yet, and so want to look at other options.

Good point Beagle. Thanks for the tip. Basically a statement that "If you are still considering other options . . . " - without coming out and saying it directly.