Google AdSense

Google AdSense

Since Google automates so much of the ad sales process and has such a large user base, some people can make good money just by selling AdSense ads. Here are a few tips for getting the most profit out of your AdSense ads:

•       Good advertisements do not look like ads. Blend AdSense ads with the site design by using similar fonts and colors.

•       Usually the banner ad format is not good unless is looks exceptionally similar to the site design. Different format types will have different CTRs and earnings. The vertical 160x600 “wide skyscrapers” and ad blocks work well for me.

•       Some people place many ad units on each page. This may work, but many times this hurts earnings since you are selling more ad inventory to cheap ads, which may end up getting clicked instead of the more expensive ads that would display if you ran fewer ad units.

•       Default blue with underline is good at getting clicks. Increasing ad clickthrough rate should be a consideration before doing any major design or redesign.

•       Some people place visual cues next to their AdSense ads, but you cannot tell people to click on the ads.

•       If you are running a somewhat spammy AdSense site that is just there for AdSense revenue, you want to limit users’ options by not giving them many other links to click on. Either do not use site navigation above the fold or visually depreciate the navigation links.

•       Google AdSense has channel tracking and URL tracking, which will show you how various channels and sites perform. Additionally, there are a variety of third party programs that sell for around $50 to $100 that provide additional details.

•       Google offers AdSense optimization tips on their site at

https://www.google.com/support/adsense/bin/static.py?page

=tips.html. Notice how placing ads where navigation typically goes increases earnings.

•       JenSense.com is a good blog about contextual advertising. Jen is also branded as an AdSense expert. She sells consulting services to help people optimize their accounts and is also a moderator at Search Engine Watch forums.

•       Your ad click-through rate is going to be highly dependent on your audience profile. More sophisticated people tend to click fewer ads.

•       Yahoo! is beta testing a publisher contextual ad program similar to Google’s, but Yahoo! does not have as much ad network depth as Google does. Also, Yahoo! tends to focus on expensive ads, whereas Google focuses more on ad relevancy, and, thus, gets a higher clickthrough rate. 

When using AdSense, the CTR and earnings can be much higher if you make a couple small changes. The key is to test different things to see what is most effective for your site design and setup.

Some sites place the ads in such a way that it hurts their ability to gain links. If you are actively trying to promote a site and build an audience, make sure the ads are not so prominent that they end up causing people to question the purpose or usefulness of your site. For example, it may make sense to show no ads on your home page to make the site seem more legitimate.

Many blog posts are generally short, targeted, and quick to make. Many blog networks are used as AdSense keyword nets. Reporting topical news can build a large number of pages quickly. Weblogs, Inc. is one of the more well-known blog networks that aggressively integrates AdSense ads.

Google also offers AdLinks, which is another ad format that has helped some publishers. A new contextual ad program by the name of Chitika has been gaining praise from a number of bloggers although some have been absolutely frustrated by their ad auditing.