AdSense on Discussion Forums

why it doesn't pay?

[LilyTousi]

Hi all!

I remember reading somewhere that it doesn't pay much to put the Google adds inside a forum -, I'm new with adsense and I don't understand exactly why? I own a discussion forum (about travel, phpbb) which generates an average of 13 000 impressions per day. I thought it would be good to put adds in it.

[martinibuster]

Depends on where you put the ads, which ad units you use and the keywords people use to access your site AND how much of your traffic is search based versus direct navigation. Returning visitors probably won't click as much as a new visitor.

The other reason forums don't pay is poor moderation and optimization.

I have found that a large blended rectangle unit at the top of the page, but beneath the masthead works exceptionally well. But it may have a negative effect on member growth. Putting a blended banner or leaderboard in that spot works about half as well but is less intrusive and presents less UI issues.

[Rodney]

I remember reading somewhere that it doesn't pay much to put the Google adds inside a forum

With enough quality traffic and the right implementation, Adsense will work just about anywhere, even forums.

Google even posted 6 adsense tips for forums in their blog:
[adsense.blogspot.com...]

#6 is pretty important I think. It may make more sense to only show ads for non-members (non logged in guests) so they don't disrupt the community.

[roddy]

I've yet to find anything that works better. You might not get the eCPM of a content site, but if you've got a well-organized forum and coherent discussions you'll get SE traffic, and some of those visitors will click on ads.

The forums that Adsense won't work on are those where the owner is measuring success by the number of posts per day, and hence encourages idle chatter, posting competitions and general low-content posts. But no other form of advertising will work there either.

[LilyTousi]

Thank you guys for the very useful information! this will certainly help me optimize revenues.

Roddy, what is "SE traffic"?

About 30-40% or the users of my forum are regular visitors.

Lily

[Lame_Wolf]

what is "SE traffic"?

Traffic that has come from search engines.

[roddy]

Your regular visitors are, generally, less likely to click ads. They will see them constantly and become blind to them. Best thing to do is usually show ads only to guests, then offer that as a benefit of signing up - 'register to hide ads'. That way the people contributing to the site get a smooth, ad-free experience; while the guests still see the ads.

[rickhz]

I have a tiered system of ad distribution. Unregistered gets the most ads, regular registered users get less ads, and paying members see the least. It's been working out well for me on my forums.