Impact of Ad Density On Google Rankings

[samwest]

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System: The following message was cut out of thread at: https://www.webmasterworld.com/google/4967035.htm [webmasterworld.com] by goodroi - 10:47 am on Oct 6, 2019 (utc -5)

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@goodrow- the comment you deleted is absolutely true. Every page that now ranks in the "interesting finds" block contains way over the recommended limit of adsense ads, in at least one case that persistently ranks number one, a simple, non authoritative aggregation of sites where there are no less that TEN adsense ads on the page. Others in that block have an ad at every full scroll of the page. I'll be happy to provide examples. So, if you want to succeed in SEO in 2019, increase your ad density because right now, that appears to be what works, at least in my vertical. First time I've been censured for a totally on topic reply.

[goodroi]

I would be careful in making the claim that significantly increasing ad density will improve rankings. Just because a site is doing something does not mean that is why it is ranking. Google is looking at over a 100 ranking signals. There are many times a top ranking site is doing something that has no impact or a negative impact on their Google rankings.

Specifically for increasing ad density, I would encourage people to be careful. High ad density can cause many indirect SEO problems. Plus Google disclosed back in 2012 and many times since that they judge page layouts & will penalize sites with too many ads above the fold. Maybe Google has loosened the limits on ads above the fold but I wouldn't risk it. I would suspect there might be other reasons the site is ranking like hidden 301 redirects or other ranking strategies.

[samwest]

I'm not claiming it will help. I am making an observation of the #1 listings in my niche. No EAT, just Ads, so apparently there is no penalty for spamming as many adsense ads as you think you can get away with, and then change your domain every time you sink in the SERPS. Blackhat is the new SEO. I don't recommend it either, but for some who are currently on top, is appears to be a winning strategy. It makes sense if nobody is buying ads for that particular niche that Google would stuff the top with semi relevant sites that are packed with ads. Think about it.

[goodroi]

You originally said

increase your ad density because right now, that appears to be what works,

Then you said

I'm not claiming it will help.

I'm confused with your comments.

I'd suggest everyone remember that Google's ranking formula looks at many different factors. It is possible for a site to lose ranking points doing the wrong thing in a category and still rank well because it scored enough points from other factors.

[samwest]

You're confused because you took it out of context. I fail to understand the mod's apparent hostility here. I'm simply making an observation from my niche.

[tangor]

real world in my areas also indicates that some form of relaxation on how many ads has happened. Could it be that g has reached the point that too many ads are better than just a few?

:)

[JorgeV]

Hello-

Considering the amount of people using ad blockers, it might no longer be a source of nuisance , and so undergoes less penalty. It's also highly possible that these sites are not serving ads, to Googlebot, and so misleading Google "search" about the exact appearance of the site. (Nothing says that Adsense is sharing data with Google Search about the presence or not of ads).

[riccarbi]

High ad density can cause many indirect SEO problems

I have switched from manual ad placement (max 3 ads per page, more often only 2) to Google AutoADS (usually 8-10 ads per page) about a year ago and my ranking and traffic remained exactly the same.
Therefore, I could reasonably suppose that a high ad density can possibly cause SEO problems UNLESS you are using Google's AutoADS.

[EditorialGuy]

One quibble: "Ad density" and "number of ads on a page" are two different things. A long, text-heavy page could display a dozen ads and still have a lower "ad density" than a very short page with two or three ads.

Where the ads are placed is something else to think about. Big ads at the top of the page that push content below the fold are more likely to be annoying (and more likely to affect user behavior, which in turn could affect rankings) than, say, ads in body text.

[cnvi]

I don't think density matters.. it's true.. Google awards you with organic rankings IF you spend just a little with them on ads. I have seen this with dozens of clients across many verticals (not just SMBs, larger companies too).

It appears that its difficult to rank organically even if you have followed all of the E.A.T. guidelines in practically any vertical if you don't pay the boss. Google has made it very clear: pay to play - and that is very illegal since they control access to the web and have been designated by multiple agencies as an illegally run monopoly.

[EditorialGuy]

It appears that its difficult to rank organically even if you have followed all of the E.A.T. guidelines in practically any vertical if you don't pay the boss.

We've never bought a Google ad, and we have top rankings for many competitive queries. As always, YMMV.

[samwest]

Google awards you with organic rankings IF you spend just a little with them on ads.

Based on 20 years of experience, I can't necessarily agree with that. Due to decreased sales and poor ROI, I stopped buying Google ads back in about 2012, yet organic listings persisted until last weekend. Maybe some invisible 7 year statute just expired.

I would love to be getting the same traffic we had in 2007, because even if we had little ROI, I'd still be tithing with Google as in the past. One can only dream.

[samwest]

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Proof of concept: I enabled Auto Ads on my site because the site, while listed in the #1 and #2 position for my top volume key phrases, was not getting any traffic. Now my site has at least 5 on page ads, one on every scroll, automatically placed by Google themselves and my traffic is suddenly constant and my Adsense click rate is soaring (naturally), after only one day.

So, for those saying on-page ads are no means to an end or will just get you de-ranked, think again. It makes perfect sense for Google to prefer on-page ads, but you have to get to rock bottom, like I did, before you succumb to giving up your content to the almighty one.

[edited by: goodroi at 3:07 pm (utc) on Oct 18, 2019]
[edit reason] thread formatting [/edit]