Double Adsense Earnings Strategy

[huseinnm]

I would like to increase my Adsense earnings by making my pages shorter.
Scrolling will be reduced and possibly eliminated which leads to maximum Ad exposure.

I want to achieve that by placing my content inside a fixed height DIV and setting CSS property: overflow: scroll. My content will scroll inside the DIV. My Ads are outside the DIV. Page will not scroll.

Does doing that constitute a violation of Adsense TOS? Is that considered as "Giving too much attention to Ads"?

[Chrispcritters]

Do you think that change will help or hurt the user experience?

[frankleeceo]

it's violation of TOS that will result in higher earning until you are caught.

[webcentric]

it's violation of TOS that will result in higher earning until you are caught.

Hmm. Can't think of why this layout would be a violation but it's been awhile since I've reviewed the terms and I probably wouldn't consider the layout because it sounds like a crappy user experience. This doesn't seem the same as anchoring an ad to the viewport so it's always visible as the page scrolls.

frankleeceo - Can you point to some specific Adsense terms that would cover this. Drop-down lists hide content from view too. Wonder if the case would be different with a scrolling frame (another crappy user experience though). My curiosity is purely academic.

[frankleeceo]

I did it an year ago for which the setup stayed for about 3 months or so, it was actually recommended by one of the googler at Learn with google adsense.

However, later I got adsense warning specifically asked me to remove the setup stating the information I got was incorrect. It's not written anywhere but more of a, no you cannot do this kind of deal.

I did a "sticky" ad where it sticks after you scroll after a certain point. The content scrolls while the side sticks. But the thought is basically the same as the OP.

That's the long story, so yeah the short summary is my original statement.

[frankleeceo]

ps. I don't think the rule has anything to do with coding or how you implement it, but rather the concept or merit behind it of how users perceive the website.

As long as you have scrolling content that scrolls and fixed ads with any sort of implementation, css or script, you may eventually get warning.

The only way I observe some people get around it is to break content into really really thin pages to inflate the pageviews. Which results in no more scrolling at all, all content can be viewed on one single page with max ad exposure.

But this technique can be tricky to pull off with some other SEO consequences.

Last Edit: It appears google has updated adsense policy:
These ads are referred to as “sticky ads” and they are not permitted. We will take action when we come across this kind of implementation.

[support.google.com...]

[webcentric]

@frankleeceo - The OP is describing a situation that does not use css or js to stick an ad to the page. It's always sitting in the same location on the page because the max possible height of the page is fixed. The actual page never scrolls. Only a section of content within the page. It kind of like having a multi-frame page with one frame serving an ad while another has scrolling content. Never tried that and don't know if it's specifically a violation but that's the idea.

All the minutia aside, it's still going to create an unpleasant user experience and I'd stay away from it for that reason alone. That and it might still be a violation as you suggest. That part is just not as clear to me as it might seem to you.

[karkadan]

It is a violation of TOS. Even the fixed sidebars where the ad stick and the rest scrolls down, it is a violation of TOS.

Google wants their ads to be "organic".

[Planet13]

Can I interrupt for a moment please:

Does this apply ONLY to Adsense ads?

Meaning, google isn't going to get mad at me if I have a "Newsletter Signup form" that stays in the same location, are they?

They are specifically against Adsense ads staying visible, right?

Pardon the interruption.

[frankleeceo]

@Planet13

Specifically against adsense ads that are fixed, or appeared to be fixed, again it doesn't really matter how you implement it, it's all about how users perceive the site.

I have not run into any troubles with either non-adsense pop up, pop under, light box, nor any other fixed side bar implementations. I tested often with all sorts of implementations and see how they affect my users and earning.

This includes fixed navigation, or fixed advertisement from other agencies, or affiliate offers. So i would reckon your newsletter signup form will have no trouble neither.

A few things to watch out of is when your fixed items cover up ads permanently, especially with vertical implementations. Ads should always in full display. Fixed sidebars can often run the danger of cutting ads in half, which can get you into instant trouble with not just adsense, but almost all the ad agencies.

The second thing to watch out for is that the fixed items should not purposely induce accidental clicks.

Hope that helps.

In terms of general user experiences, I actually saw higher user interactions with certain fixed items implementations as they do draw significantly more attention. Your best bet is to test, check bounce rate, and how your users perceive the site again.

Fixed Ads is another story, they almost always generate much higher earnings at the cost of user experience. I see 150% to 300% increases for my sites, but in turn receive quite a bit of user complaints within the time periods. So I actually took them off and avoided fixed ad implementations in general.

In your news letter case, you will almost always generate at least twice as much signup with fixed implementation, am I correct? But at the least the good thing is that the sign up should not take too much screen space.

[Planet13]

@ frankleeceo

Thanks so much for your detailed response. It is really appreciated.

I don't want to hijack this thread more than I already have. But I am just at the very beginning of deciding whether to test the fixed placement newsletter signup form.

Your tips are very helpful.