Adsense how far to push for income over usability

are CTR CPM all that matters

[steve40]

A few weeks ago there were a number of discussions over CTR and CPM and some very highly respected members provided some insight into
what was good medium or poor CPM and CTR

I read the threads and realised although I have done quite well from adsense over 2 years it looked like my figures were extremely low

I then looked around on the net at other sites utilising adsense in sectors where I compete at the design and implementation and found my implementation was done to integrate rather than dominate the page

Many sites I looked at had little above the fold for visitor to see concerning the search query they had entered to get to the site apart from highly focussed adsense adds

Like many others my CPM has dropped or stayed stable over the 2 years rather than increased which would be expected with the growth and increase of cpc for advertisers

One of the most worrying things from my looking at these sites was that their adds were better targeted than my own

So this is what I did as a test

took 50 pages across multiple sites and multiple sectors to do some testing

Made Adsense dominant on those pages and designed pages to get the most relevant adds
And the figures obtained were scary in comparison
CTR X 3 times
CPM X 5 times

So what do you do as a web marketer
Go for the money or just hope that your visitors appreciate the fact that you
provide them with the page they would like to see

I then looked at my page as a visitor might and thought another spammy load of c?
And I took pages back to my original style sure I will not make as much money but I started in this business before adsense was available
steve

[europeforvisitors]

I think you have to look at the overall picture.

1) Do you depend entirely on search traffic and one-time visitors for revenue? If so, an "ad site" (as opposed to a "content site") may work for you, at least until poor advertiser conversions catch up with you in the form of lower EPC.

2) Are you looking to build a site that will attract repeat visitors and more opportunities for income? Do you want a site that will attract inbound links, positive reviews in the press, and word-of-mouth advertising? If so, you'll want to use ads as an adjunct to your content, rather than the other way around.

I favor the second approach myself, partly because of my editorial background but also because my goal is to build a business that will continue to grow and prosper with or without AdSense. If my AdSense revenues shrank or disappeared tomorrow, it would put a crimp in my earnings, but it wouldn't put me out of business.

The "attract repeat visitors and more opportunities for income" approach works well for my topic (travel) because most travelers go through a planning cycle that might take several months from start to finish. If my pages were dominated by AdSense ads, travelers might click on an ad or two during their first visit, but they probably wouldn't come back when they were ready to book hotels, cars, rail passes, etc., and I'd lose the affiliate bookings that generate even more revenue than AdSense does. Nor would they come back when they were planning their next trip, so I'd lose out on even more AdSense and affiliate revenue.

[steve40]

I feel the same as you EFV
but the scary bit was the difference in income that could be achieved FIVE TIMES AS MUCH and most importantly why so many made for adsense sites are in the serps

I must admit it is tempting but I will continue on my slow tortoise path at the moment but if CPM does drop
due to poor targetting or lower percentage by G would consider at a later stage
steve

[Jane_Doe]

I suspect that some people who focused their Adsense ads solely for maximum click through rates and short term revenue gains may be the same ones who took a hit with the last Google update. Sites with Adsense ads plastered all over just aren't the kind of sites that people are going to get a lot of free links.

[jetteroheller]

[Many sites I looked at had little above the fold for visitor to see concerning the search query they had entered to get to the site apart from highly focussed adsense adds ]

Starting with XVGA 1024 x 768, all from my web sites is above the fold.

Strict rule since 2001: No scolling at XVGA!

Scrolling only allowed on the smaller VGA and SVGA screens.

Instead of scrolling, there are recorder style keys to the next and previous page,
to the next and preivous chapter.

So I have typicall

120x240
or
120x240 125x125
or
120x240 120x240

ads. But visitors usual visit many pages.

Only layout change since I am with AdSense:

Smaller logo to have more ad space.

The logo area went down from 300x150 to 300x90 pixel
The search area went down from 300x60 to 300x35 pixel

So I have now below the menus 60+25=95 pixel more
height

So from all the 1024x600 pixel above the fold at
XVGA, only 300x95 have been total changed for AdSense

The rest is before unused space below the menus
now assigned to AdSense

[vabtz]

For me it depends on where I am displaying the adsense ad & who is viewing the page that determines how aggressive I get with placement.

If the information quality is what I consider low for the page presented the visitor I am more aggressive. If it is high and more likely to retain the visitor I am les aggressive.

In my forums I am very aggressive with people referred from search engine, since more than likely not presenting them with useful information.

On what I consider my marquis sections of my site, where I am delivering what my core product I am less aggressive.