User First program

[csdude55]

This option just popped up on my account today. I don't honestly know what it is... it seems you have to qualify for it before they'll tell you why you should try to qualify for it?

But I get an ! on "Ad layout", with no real explanation. Clicking on "Fix This" takes me to a very generic:

[support.google.com...]

To my knowledge, ads aren't too close to the navigation, and they're not in a location that would encourage accidental clicks... I've had the same layout for years and years! My first banner is 300px below the navigation, and a bottom banner is 110px below the "Previous" and "Next" buttons. And I have the interstitial banners turned on, but of course Adsense manages their location.

So how am I supposed to narrow down what the issue is? Or is qualifying for the "User First" program even worth the effort?

[LuckyD]

@TrialDex
Did anything change for you since hitting the three green? Trying to figure out if it's worth investing time in getting the check mark for site speed or not.
Ironically, the thing that's slowing down my site the most is AdSense

[TrailDEX]

@LuckyD
No, not a huge jump in revenue that stands out. Now Site speed has dropped to a yellow warning. As we all know the ads aren't compressed and pulling from multiple slow sources. Oh the joy...lol

[csdude55]

Ironically, the thing that's slowing down my site the most is AdSense

Same here. Without Adsense, page load time is about 1 second. So I'm being punished, by Adsense, for using Adsense? It's crazy.

But I guess if it makes no financial difference then it doesn't matter. Unless, as someone suggested earlier, these are just suggestions that may improve the user experience... in which case, they need to focus on their own delivery time.

[Sally Stitts]

I'm sorry if I missed this.
NOW I know why I wasn't invited. I was ALSO SERVING mediadotnet ads.
Check THIS out - [support.google.com ]

"Get access to the User First beta program

You’re only one step away from being able to take advantage of AdSense’s new User First beta program. With this program, you'll get early access to new features designed to help boost your revenue and provide your visitors with fewer, better ads.

To adequately measure and adjust the number of ads your visitors see, we’re only able to provide the benefits of this program to sites that serve only AdSense ads.

To get going, review your site and ensure that AdSense alone is showing ads to your users. Then let us know you've done this via this form.

We will notify you when the changes you’ve made get you into the beta. At that point, you’ll be able to start tracking your performance against a number of other key user experience metrics in the AdSense UI. You can read more about the beta requirements here."

Clears it right up, doesn't it? D@mn!
Arm-twisting to FORCE compliance. I'm NOT THAT interested! Mediadotnet is currently paying me MORE than AdSense, after I removed AdSense from my top page, due to the embarrassing cr@p I was thrusting upon visitors. A few of us still have SOME pride.
Its hard enough achieving EAT, without screaming, "Look at me, I'm the idiot with the cr@ppy ads."
This issue does not exist with mediadotnet, once you get them to target by page (not easy, but possible).
.

[l008comm]

I'm in the same boat as so many. I have a red ( ! ) for "Ad Layout" with no obvious reason why. My one ad per page is in it's own separate box, not near anything. And it's only a banner, barely moving the content down at all. Is my ad "pretending" to be content... well I guess, in the sense that that's what ads intentionally try to do. That's something to talk to the publishers and ad moderators about, not the adsense users.

[FourDegreez]

Has there been any insight gained into the "Ad Layout" issue? It's so vague, I don't know what should be done to try to resolve it.

[lifeofguenter]

Same here! Fixed the page-speed issues but unfortunately still a red ( ! ) on ad layout. I added more spacing between the ads and content, but so far nothing helped.

[csdude55]

Login today says that "Ad Layout" has been changed for clarification:

High-quality clicks: Used to be called "Ad Layout", but changed to "High-quality clicks" to clarify exactly what we measure

Clicking the "Fix This" now tells me exactly which ad unit this applies to. I still don't see the problem, but at least it has more info now.

[l008comm]

A week or so ago, my "Ad Layout" problem went away all by itself. There's no place to "join" user first, it seems like I'm just in it, automatically.
Except nothing looks different. Same old ads. And if anything, my earnings have gone down a tiny bit. Certainly no increase. Methinks this was just a lot of hoopla over nothing.

[Broadway]

I'm red on page speed. Most other measures of this metric tend to disagree.

What is there a known monitary value associated with this program? I'd like to know that there is before jumping through this hoop.

[l008comm]

I had three green checkmarks for a while, so apparently I was "in" the User First program, even though I didn't notice any changes.

After a few weeks, I just noticed a yellow " ! " under "High-quality clicks".
[i.imgur.com...]

Rut roh, what now? I never did anything to fix the problem last time. Just complained here, and to them, that there was no clear problem explained so how could I possibly fix whatever it was. Then suddenly I went all green.


Well anyway, I clicked on "View Recommendations" and got this:
[i.imgur.com...]

Notice there are "No opportunities" next to High quality clicks.


So in conclusion, I've been getting fewer high quality clicks lately, i have no idea what that really means, and i have no idea how they want me to "fix" it. This is #*$! #*$! to be honest. WTF google?

[Srihari]

I got the alert today in my dashboard (no email) and i thought this is something new but was surprised to see ppl getting this since 2014! No improvement in CPC seen since morning though. Can i know about others experiences? Any improvement after this alert? Thanks.

[Maleda]

Is anyone who is in the beta programme and who also has three green ticks seeing any results from this?

[l008comm]

I go back and forth between all green, green yellow green, and green red green. I don't seem to see much difference at all. I see a much bigger difference when google currently has their own campaign going advertising adwords or google apps. Those pay way better than anything else.