What position gets the most clicks?

Choosing the best ad layout

[spikedo55]

I've been using vertical ad layouts mostly. However, I've often wondered if horizontal layouts get noticed more and thus encourage more clicks. Has anyone ever tried both on the same site and have any observations they can share?

[annej]

The most important thing is that your ads are above the fold meaning they are seen on the screen before you scroll down. But then it's something of a compromise. If it looks fine and doesn't detract from your content putting a horizontal ad across the top or near the top might be best. In may case I usually use a vertical ad with part of it showing above the fold. That is the least intrusive to my content while still being where it is noticed by my visitors.

[trg9]

I like to put the ads near links - but not to near. And also inbetween blocks of text or data that is the focus of the visitor. I used to have the vertical ads off to the right but got far fewer clicks. Sandwiching these ads inbetween focus items is the best.

[LukeC]

"Sandwiching these ads inbetween focus items is the best."

Ditto. My CTR has doubled since I removed the vertical and introduced ads between blocks of text at the top of the page.

Hopefully Adsense will be giving us stats per Ad type and we won't have any more of this speculation.

[annej]

I think you have a point there that though the vertical towers are the least intrusive visitors would tend to notice only the top 2 or 3 ads.

I've tried horizontal ads and they seem to cut off the flow of the articles and am wondering about using the rectangle blocks. I'd like to float them to the right of the first paragraph of the articles. My problem is that I don't know how to do that. On an image I'd just align="right" but I don't know how to align a java script. How could I do this either with CSS or with HTML?

[annej]

I just figured out I can do it with a simple table aligned right. I guess I was making it too complicated.

A CSS soluting could be nice though. It would be great to be able to change things from the style sheet.

Has anyone experimented with using these block ad sets near the top of the page? If they work as well I'd rather use them.

<edit> Well so much for the table solution. I just checked and it doesn't work on Netscape 7.1. <sigh>

[varya]

I just wrap a span or a div around the iframe code and then I can classes and ids to the div and put it wherever I want.

I use css layouts, no tables, and I have no problem putting the ads (or amazon iframe served links) exactly were I want them.

[Gorilla]

To float the AdSense javascript generated HTML put it into a div and float that div. You can do it like this:

<div style="float: right; margin: 0 0 3px 3px;">
AdSense code goes here
</div>

The margin part will make sure you get a little air around the bottom and left edge of the ad.

[annej]

Thanks for the CSS info. It works great with the new Netscape. I gave up on old versions of Netscape for CSS long ago.

[Broadway]

I run the 5 ad skyscrapers on my site. I made a change over a week ago where I changed absolutely nothing with the ads other than to make bold color changes with the ads on each successive page of each of my site's topics.

Evidently this has the effect of drawing attention to them. Clicks are up easily 25%.

[annej]

I can see that changing the colors occasionally would catch the attention of regular visitors. Is there a way to do this on a CSS style sheet instead of going one by one and changing them?

[jonknee]

The square block ads inside articles work best for me.