Getting the balance right between high paying ads and number of ads.

[crick]

I know this varies and some prefer to have 1 block, some 2 and some even 3 blocks per page. I have tried 1 block of ads (the large rectangle at the bottom of the page). While it does show the most relevant ads (I am therefore assuming these will be the highest paying), I feel it is not enough, especially on a long/ish page. I feel the optimum number would be 6 ads i.e. a large rectangle and small tower (the one with the two ads) or skyscraper and a small leaderboard (the one with the two ads). Any of these combinations should work well.

Has anyone tried the small tower (I can't recall the correct name for it) along the left or right side of their pages. How is the CTR for this? I want to maintain the large rectangle because I like the idea of providing the user with at least 4 ads when he/she has finished the page.

[hunderdown]

I think you mean the 2-ad tower? I use that on some short pages instead of the standard skyscraper, which is the one adblock I use on most page. CTR is somewhat lower than the skyscraper, but that could be due to fewer ads, or to the smaller font used in the 2-ad block (considerably smaller).

If I were you I'd also experiment with a larger vertical block at the top and a smaller horizontal one at the bottom.