Google's 300x250 Rectangle

... did you make the change?

[austtr]

Many of you will remember Google's email of a few months ago recommending that we should try using the bigger rectangle ad blocks. Like many folks on this forum, I also assumed Google must have a lot of inventory and needed more publishers able to carry those formats.

Being a cautions fellow by nature, I did a trial on a site different from the one Google suggested. The results were pretty good with more clicks, higher rates and more income.

I then changed over the site Google had recommended in the first place.... and have been underwhelmed to say the least. It is the norm to see only 1 or 2 ads in the block and it is the exception to see an ad with all 4 spots filled.

There seems to be no competition for the ads.... I see the same advertisers all the time and on multiple pages throughout the site. Income is about the same as when I was showing skyscrapers... but its not the income that is pi***** me off, its those ugly empty boxes that Google suggested.

If skyscrapers were always filled with 4 ads, why are rectangles nealy always partly empty.... and why ask us to make the change?

[moTi]

they asked the publishers to make the change because they obviously had a few prospects on the advertiser side who were interested in this format but hadn't found the inventory.
plus google wants to promote their video ads which are typically shown in that format.

the crux is, that the rectangle still seems not being widespread enough and the advertiser base isn't catching on either.

reminds me of their flopping image ads. no advertising real estate on the publisher side, barely any interest on the advertiser side, low inventory, always the same ads, no competition, low income..

i'm always sceptical when google wants publishers to install formats which aren't "naturally grown"..

[scotland]

What do you find it the best performing ad size and position? I have used the large format adverts. They do tend to make the page look like an MFA site!

[iwannano1]

I’m using 300x250 and doing pretty well, each and every site is different so the ad inventory; if you are not happy please change the ad format.

[netmeg]

I don't have any sites where the rectangles would fit in nicely.

[MThiessen]

Wasn't the big push for this because their video ads used this format primarily?

[Leonard0]

I did an A/B test with the medium and large rectangles for a month (approx 100,000 impressions). The result was 13% less revenue for the medium rectangle.
I received very few targeted ads, less than 1% of total impressions.

[farmboy]

Wasn't the big push for this because their video ads used this format primarily?

On a related note, I recently changed over to text only ads as a result of AdSense showing irrelevant video ads on my pages, at the expense of releveant text ads.

As a result, the Cadillac video ads disappeared and relevant text ads came back.

FarmBoy

[scotland]

Are people not more likely to click on a video advert? While I don't click on adsense adverts when I visit websites I must admitt that I do tend to be curious about video adverts.

Is there anyway to specify that video adverts appear other than allowing image/graphic adverts - which do not appear to perform so well.

[Quadrille]

I tried it on three sites, and kept it on one.

The two where it did not work are niches where video ads do not figure at all, and the text ads were patchy (and looked awful).

The third site often has a white space - but the ads that do appear are usually video, and justify the change; if / when video ads pick up, it could be a very good move.

I think it's always worth trying these things; interestingly, if Google had actually added a para or two about video ads, I'd probably have changed site three immediately, and left the other two alone ;)

[scotland]

An alternative to think about where white space comes up is to add your own alternative advert - it could be an idea to have your own video advert created as the alternative advert link. I have not done this myself however it had given me an idea to try it.

[farmboy]

Are people not more likely to click on a video advert? While I don't click on adsense adverts when I visit websites I must admitt that I do tend to be curious about video adverts.

As with all things AdSense, it depends.

It depends on whether the person has a slow connection, whether at work or home, whether the ad looks relevant, whether the visitor trusts the ad isn't hiding spyware, etc.

FarmBoy

[Wonderstuff]

I'm pleased with he return on the medium rectangle.

However the basics of advertising still apply. The punters must be attracted to click on a relevant video ad. If they do not, and it's at the expense of focused text-based ad's, you're in trouble.

Horses for courses as we say in the UK.