Forum Moderators: martinibuster
Here are some basic tips I've picked up along the way:
1) Medium and Large rectangles out perform other ad types.
2) Blending ads in to your website usually helps increase ecpm
3) The bot is pretty logical. A page about Cameras will earn a lower cpc for adverts about cameras, compared to a page about camera reviews. The review page suggests to google that the user is looking to buy.
4) Too many ads on the page will mean there is more chance of a lower paying advertiser to creep in and lower your CPC.
5) Don't dismiss the horizontal link unit, it can be very successful if placed well.
Eventually I want to understand and be able to think just like the adsense bot. So that I can ensure I'm getting the maximum cpc for my traffic which I believe is quality and relevant to the ads that appear on my website.
If you have any tips, please share them here.
I had two ad units on my main content pages, but just lowered that to one link, because I want europeforvisitors to link to me. :)
I will let you know how the one ad performs tomorrow in as much detail as I can without violating the AdSense TOS.
[edited by: kamikaze_Optimizer at 7:44 am (utc) on Oct. 17, 2007]
Running a forum? Expect < 1% CTR.
Try not to have run of site ad(s).
Rather, run them on content only pages.
Google seems to bless me with better paying ad(s) this way.
Place all ad(s) that require a click, either AdSense or otherwise; above the fold.
Do not put your ad(s) in the header, rather; blend them in with the on page content.
Do not put your ad(s) on site in such a manner that an end user must scrol down to see your true content.
View your site as an end user. Would you click on your ad(s)?
Or have you put them on your site in an insulting (spammy) manner?
Do not follow the AdSense suggestions of running the max number of ads. See above, I just went from two, down to one. Too many ads will only make you look like an ad farm.
Those are my 2 cents.
I generally use a single 300x250 adblock and a single 160x90 Adlinks unit on a content page. That's worked out very well for me.
On about 50 pages where location was more of an issue I tried using a 250x250 adblock which worked fine, but looked bad when only 1 ad was shown instead of 2 or 3 ads. I replaced the 250x250 with 2 -234x60 adblocks and a 200x90 Adlinks units and have had good results.
The most important tip I can offer is to find what works best for your site, and then leave it alone and get on with building more content.
The second most important tip I can offer is "Don't let your AdSense stats drive you crazy".
I have one site that I run AdSense on that has text links in the bottom of the navigation block site wide. This seem to do well.
As with all of my ads, they are above the fold.
I had two ad units on my main content pages, but just lowered that to one link, because I want europeforvisitors to link to me. :)I will let you know how the one ad performs tomorrow in as much detail as I can without violating the AdSense TOS.
This had very little effect over the past 24 hours. I think 1 vs 2 ads are about the same, but 1 vs 3 might make a for a more noticable change.
Probably most ORTT people make MFAs which are very thin on content and quality; thus they are prime suspects for smart pricing.
The best "smart pricing" around is advertiser black listing! :)
p/g
If you don't blend your ad unit with the page background color, frame it within a table that has padding of at least 4-8 points (padding width depending on font size, rest of the page layout, etc).
The default padding enclosing Adsense ads with a hairline is so minimal to non-existent it cuts against conventional page layout practices and is not attractive.
p/g
