Forum Moderators: martinibuster
Prior to April 1, I wasn't blocking any urls. So much for improved targeting.
Now the question is what to do when I run out of alloted url blocks? Since I've been adding 15 - 20 urls a day for the last few days, it looks like I'm going to hit the limit in the next day or so if things don't improve dramatically immediately.
Anyone else face this?
What did you do?
General problem is that you don't really know how widespread each advert is - just guesswork based on perhaps seeing it a few times from your own PC's.
1) It's a "whack-a-mole" game. If you block one ad for purple gadgets on a yellow widgets page, another (and lower-paying) ad for purple gadgets is likely to take its place.
2) With Google using geotargeting to serve different ads in different regions, it's impossible (or at least impractical) to block every inappropriate ad.
3) I've got more productive ways to spend my time.
Well, I certainly know that game, very frustrating.
If my CTR and income stayed up I could just say I didn't understand my market as well as I thought. But the ads were so off target that on some days my CTR fell by half taking my income with it.
Blocking the ads at least brought the CTR/Income back temporarily.
I guess I'll have to try experimenting with removing some blocks as space runs out.
it makes a poor optimization tool.....
it is important to remember that the url blocking was not intended as an optimization tool, but rather, a way to insure that your *competitor's ads* were not showing on your site. that's it.....
Google states: "Filter competitive ads from partners with whom you have exclusive relationships, or others you want to block."
That's pretty far-reaching. Also, note that Google refers to competitive ads from partners, not from competitors. That's because AdSense was conceived as an advertising product for publishers, and publishers are more likely to see competitive ads from partners (such as affiliate vendors) than from their own competitors.
I'll take the correction, but my point still stands, It is a poor way to 'optimize' ads......
Yes. Unfortunately it's the only one we have.
The real answer is better tools from Google. If I have a page which mentions that widgets have flashing LEDs I should be able to tell Adsense not to give me ads for LED wholesalers.
Until that happens I'll just keep whacking them moles.
I'll take the correction, but my point still stands, It is a poor way to 'optimize' ads......
I certainly wouldn't argue with that. Too much trouble, too much time!
[edited by: europeforvisitors at 6:03 pm (utc) on May 3, 2004]
...argue with that. Too much trouble, too much time!
I can only hope you are refering to 'blocking urls'!
: )
Any suggestions for a better way?
I would suggest spending the time making better content...
Have seen my site and the content Nyet?
Unless you have, comments like the one quoted here are pretty meaningless.
Sorry. I meant to suggest nothing about you or your site.
Let me rephrase......"in general it is my considered opinion that a publisher's time would be better spent improving the (perhaps already excellent) content of their quality site, rather than spending time trying to optimize the ads displayed on the aforementioned site"
My theory is that quality content will attract quality visitors which creates quality leads (or conversions) for the advertiser(s).
IMO the gains as a result of quality is a win-win-win situation. IMO this is a better way to spend time.
I hope that does not offend.
My theory is that quality content will attract quality visitors which creates quality leads (or conversions) for the advertiser(s).
And even if you've already got quality content, creating more pages on your topic will result in more impressions, clicks, and revenue.
Quality = good.
Quality + quantity = even better!
I certainly agree that developing high quality content i sa better use of a webmasters time in general.
However, I think the quality of content on my pages is quite good considering the intended message the pages are designed to convey.
If I was talking about mistargeting on a handfull of pages, reworking them might be reasonable anyhow.
But with over a 1,000 pages, each addressing a different widget, that becomes much more problematic.
Keep in mind that the targeting was very good up until April first.
These pages usually don't change after I publish them, so there is no reason for the targeting to change based on my pages.
Yet Googles modifications to the target algo resulted in drastic changes in the ads that were displayed.
I'm quite content to live with a bit more general targeting, as opposed to the very specific targeting previously eveidenced.
But when the targeting results in ads for sites that promote adult content, well that's just not going to appear on my site if I can help it.
NOTHING on my site would lead one to expect to find such ads there. But that's an extreme example of the ads I've blocked.
A more common example would be the "bad credit repair" and "easy loan" ads. These are not ads that are likely to attract folks visiting my site. They are much more likely to be offensive to my visitors.
My CTR certainly showed that at the very least, my visitors were unlikely to click on these ads.
