Forum Moderators: martinibuster
The old version had a leaderboard at the top, and a wide skyscraper at the right. The new version has the largest rectangle at the top (just above the content) and the vertical banner at the lower right. Both are nicely matched to the site's color scheme.
I'm not yet sure if I should worry or jump for joy. :o
Why worry? You've done a good job for yourself and for the advertisers.
Paradoxically, user feedback is more negative for the larger ads (at least the whiners whine more) in spite of the improved performance.
Paradoxically, user feedback is more negative for the larger ads (at least the whiners whine more) in spite of the improved performance.
That just shows that you've got to look at the overall picture. On an information site, giving the appearance of being too "commercial" could backfire in terms of getting repeat visits, inbound links from libraries and .edu sites, etc. That's where editorial experience and gut instinct come in: It can be risky to make layout decisions based on AdSense numbers alone.
On an information site, giving the appearance of being too "commercial" could backfire in terms of getting repeat visits, inbound links from libraries and .edu sites, etc.
That is a very good point - academics (living off our taxes) can be remarkably sniffy about linking to anything 'commercial'.
(That's from an ex-academic)
That is a very good point - academics (living off our taxes) can be remarkably sniffy about linking to anything 'commercial'.
Not all academics live off people's taxes, but that really isn't the point. What matters is the first impression that visitors receive when they look at your pages. Does your site give the impression that it exists to sell, or that it sells to exist? If you have an editorial site, it may be wise not to let the tail (commerce) wag the dog (content). That's where judgment comes in. It can be tempting to squeeze every last cent out of every page, but for an editorial site, there may be hidden costs in taking that approach.
I'm rolling lots of new features out besides bigger ads, but I'll keep a finger on the pulse.
There are those for whom any ad is too much.
Though, with such an incredible jump, should I shoot off an email to Google?
On a peripheral note, it is possible to use the large ad block at the top of a page or article without being obtrusive or obnoxious - I've seen it done on the site of a NY Newspaper in a way that was actually quite pleasing to the eye. Granted, usually when I see it, the presentation is quite awful.
If you're running a site like EFV's, and you take a "shove it down their throats" approach to AdSense, you are likely to put off both return visitors and also to lower the estimation of your site in the eyes of your visitors. A short-term revenue gain in people fleeing the site through the first available link would undermine the long-term business model. But if you're running a site which doesn't get return visitors, whether because of the nature of the information you provide or because you're running a "made for AdSense" site composed of keyword-stuffed garbage, that's a lesser concern. (I just hope that, if you're in that camp, your site falls into the former category. ;-)
If you're running a site like EFV's, and you take a "shove it down their throats" approach to AdSense, you are likely to put off both return visitors and also to lower the estimation of your site in the eyes of your visitors. A short-term revenue gain in people fleeing the site through the first available link would undermine the long-term business model. But if you're running a site which doesn't get return visitors, whether because of the nature of the information you provide or because you're running a "made for AdSense" site composed of keyword-stuffed garbage, that's a lesser concern. (I just hope that, if you're in that camp, your site falls into the former category. ;-)
It's definitely not a "made for AdSense" site as it's been online since March 2000 and is just simple, useful content for anyone of any age/sex. It gets both types of visitors, returning visitors and those who find it in the SERPs. It's been averaging 1000+ uniques per day for quite some time. I have 3 other sites of which only one was created since AdSense first existed. That one site wasn't made for AdSense either, just made to satisfy my own need to create. Those 3 don't get anywhere near the traffic of my main site.
At the end of the day, you've got to pay your rent. This lets you pour in more content and features into the site. People will appreciate that.
This lets you pour in more content and features into the site. People will appreciate that.
That's exactly why I jumped to using a CMS. I had been using a WYSIWYG software package before and publishing the site in 14 sections. While that was easy to create & add pages to the site, I still had to go through a lot of songs & dances before the new content went live. Adding new sections was nearly out of the question as I'd have to edit each of the existing sections individually to have the site navigation properly reflect a new area of the site consistently. Now I can do it all at basically the click of a button. I've already added some new content today, and plan to spend my evening off from work by adding more. :)
As far as the new vs. old layout goes, using the large rectangle on the old layout simply looked tacky and out of place. It blends well on the new layout. I won't deny that it is more "in your face". That fairly recent thread about the "hot" zones article was a great influence.
