Where are ads best placed on the page?

Banner or right-hand side

[diamondgrl]

I am trying to design a content-based web site from scratch that will use Adsense. Any ideas on how to design the site so as to optimize revenues?

I want the ads to be tasteful and integrate in nicely with the Web site. Should I incorporate a banner across the top or have it run on the right-hand side above the fold, or what?

[kodaks]

I would not recommend you put a adsense banner on the top, because I believe it is too intrusive. You should put one on the bottom of the page. You could also match the colour of the banner with the colour of your site. Good luck!

[Leosghost]

RHS below the fold ..otherwise one might think you only want them on the page so they clik'n'go ...

give em some content then make em scroll before they make you money ..

[diamondgrl]

interesting answers. i would not have guessed that. anybody out there possibly have experience to back up these or other strategies?

[ownerrim]

I can tell you from daily experience that if you have a content-rich site and serve a need that is useful to people, you won't have any problem putting adsense on top of the page or running vertically down the side of the page in a skyscraper. I've been able to get a lot of links from non-profits and .edu sites because of the CONTENT. The ads stand out on the pages like a pineapple in alaska. It doesn't matter to the visitors or those who link to the site because the content is USEFUL. If I buried adsense at the bottom of a page or made it blend in to the extent that it was invisible, earnings would probably be about 1/4 of what they are. A lot of people don't even realize or understand what these ads are, or that I've placed them there. I've actually had an advertiser whose ads show up on the site contact me and ask how his ads could be made to show in the skyscraper.

[conroy]

In general, above the fold will give you a better CTR.

[wellzy]

I was running the ads at the bottom of the page when I started and was doing OK (or so I thought). I moved the ads to the right side next to the content and my Adsense revenue rose by 20%. Could be just my experience, but it really helped having the next to the content (I put them 1/3 of the way down where they 'looked' right)

wellzy

[diamondgrl]

thanks for the second opinions. the answers certainly more accurate than the first responses i got, although obviously i can appreciate folks wanting to deemphasize ads and emphasize the content.

now the question is, does anybody have a sense for whether banner or skyscraper above the fold works best?

[Leosghost]

Actually what I meant was more like wellzy or ownerrim said ..
But not across the top ..thats for scraperscum ..IMO

[ownerrim]

skyscraper in my opinion. that way, as the eyes follow the content, the ads stay in sight longer

[freedata]

I used to display LeaderBoard on the very top.
Since then I switched to TopBanner (436 wide) with only two ads in them, but right below my first heading of the page (H1). My CPM jumped up by 50%. Also my FG,BG colors match the ads. Only thing different is the font.

[HughMungus]

Think about it this way: Where is the scrollbar?

[europeforvisitors]

I've tried banners, 4-ad skyscrapers, and leaderboards on my site, and the leaderboards have worked best for me. (I haven't tested the 5-ad skyscrapers or the inline rectangles, because they weren't available when I settled on the leaderboard format.)