ads above vs below

while google suggests above the fold as better compared to below the fold

[sandyweb]

while google suggests above the fold as better compared to below the fold i have seen some bigger websites having ads below the fold. so let me ask you this question. which one pays you more? above the fold or below the fold. please share your personal views from your own websites experiences.

things about fold is

user sees the ad easily
sometimes misinterprets the site as MFA

things about below the fold

ad goes unnoticed mostly
site may be respected for putting ads below.

so which one pays you better? pls share your experiences.

[martinibuster]

My take:
Above the fold
User finds content there that is relevant to their search that may not be in the editorial content. For instance, ever try to find a plumber or some local service or a product you want and find Wikipedia in there?

Scenario 1
Sample query

cheap widgets

Editorial content

Cheap widgets can be found online through using websites like WidgetInfo.com. However, are you getting the best value for your dollar spent? We'll examine the pros and cons of what you get for bargain widgets...

AdSense Ad

Cheap Widgets Here
Quality Widgets for Cheap
SomeSite.com/CheapWidgets

Scenario 2
Below the fold
Appropriate for informational articles discussing certain projects, products, services, and the ads show where you can obtain said projects, products, and services.

Who is ideally reading the informational product/projects/services review? Someone in the buying cycle who after reading it decides they want to research vendors and go on an ad clicking spree.

Summary
In my view, it's about the ad placement complementing the content and the buying cycle the web visitor is in. The ads are ideally commercial content that complements the editorial content. Higher CTR, imo, that way.

I don't think it's a coincidence that About.com, which is heavy on informational articles, places their ads within their content, and not at the top of the page. They're basically recognizing that their audience is there to research, and if the research stimulates them to shop they'll click the ads.

Just my take on it from experimenting with ad placement and trying to figure out why some placements work better than others. Your mileage may vary.

[shallow]

I recently had my site put into a Content Management System and initially the subcategory links were placed in the right-hand column. It was a disaster as far as associate revenue was concerned.

Income from Google and Chitka ads dropped by 30-40 percent, though some of that was due to about a 10 percent drop in traffic initially.

After scratching my head and studying other sites it dawned on me that the right hand column is a key place for ads. Other ad placement changes were done too and in no time at all income improved.

My pages are three column. Ads are primarily in the right-hand column and in 468x60 ads under the header area and at the bottom of pages.

I'm still having a problem with ebooks that sold very well before the site was redesigned and now sales are almost non-existent. The ads for them are not in the area where they were in my old site, so I want some changes to the layout to get the ads in the same location. Unfortunately, the person who designed my site is not available for about eight weeks, so I can't do anything until then.

Take a look at other sites and see where they place key ads. Experiment with your site to find the sweet spots.

[TheDonster]

I had only used a leaderboard above the fold when I first installed AS on my site. I tried a banner at the bottom for a while which did generate a modest amount in addition to the leaderboard. But I was constantly testing different formats to find a good mix. What I eventually settled on was a leaderboard on top and a link unit at the very bottom. The different formats seem to complement the page and the link unit offers a more sutble choice for the reader when they get to the bottom of the page.

You will definitely have to test to get the maximum out of AdSense since all sites are different. The majority of visitors I get spend less than 30 seconds on my site so I cannot afford to have ads below the fold.

[trannack]

Fundamentally - every site is different. Some of my sites I have above the fold, others below. It depends on what you want your visitors to do? If you have valuable content, and you want them to read it - and perhaps view other pages, then below the fold. If, on the otherhand, your aim is to get them to leave via adsense, and that is your revenue stream for the site (in other words you are an MFA) go above the fold.

Perhaps you get a lot of traffic to your site - that really isn't relevant, in this scenario above the fold works well at perhpas pointing them to what they want.

There is no fixed and fast rule. You will have to test, re-test and then evaluate the results to find the best placement for you and your niche/subject area and page layout. I would suggests running a trial for a least two weeks to get a good idea of what is working - but this will depend on the amount of traffic you are getting. For some a couple of days is sufficient - and for low traffic sites perhaps a month.

[jetteroheller]

I added in October an 336x280 below the fold

I have now

90x120 Adlink top left in the navigation, just under the logo
36,8% of revenues

300x250 ad left in the navigation just above the fold at XVGA
35,1% of revenues

336x280 below the content, on XVGA below the fold
28,1% of revenues

[martinibuster]

Jenstar pointed out at a pubcon a few years ago that you can put an adlinks unit at the bottom of the page. It will catch people who are done with your content and are ready to click out and go somewhere else.