Google AdSense Tips
I'm a small, independent web publisher like millions of other people. Publishing can be a great hobby, a labor of love or even a small business. In any case, it's nice to see a little money in return for your efforts. And like many others, I've been disappointed by what little revenue web advertising networks and affiliate programs have brought me over the years. So now I'm trying Google AdSense.
Early on, I discovered Google AdSense had great promise. But this promise increased when I began to experiment with ad formats, placement and tracked their effectiveness. My background is in graphic design. I realized I should be applying basic visual principles to how I placed the ads to get them noticed. Beforehand, I'd simply found a "good spot" to tuck them away. The ads did "ok". Once I started working to get the ads noticed, the response rates and resulting revenue improved greatly.
Simple Graphic Design
Tips for Google AdSense
These are not "tricks" to fool your site's visitors into clicking on an ad. Such techniques are dishonest and will ultimately hurt your site's credibility and potential earnings. What I'm presenting are simple techniques to help your Google AdSense ads stand out visually.
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Contrast Link Colors
For example: If your web page's text links are the traditional cool blue, set the AdSense "linked title" to a contrasting hot red. The particular color combination is not as important as the contrast between the two. That's what gets the ad's link noticed.
- Place Ads in the "Flow" of Content
The ad placement on this page is an example. If you place your ads in the context of the main content of a page, it will be noticed more often as your visitors read through. Tuck an ad at the top, bottom or in a sidebar, it will get some response but it will be more easily overlooked.
- Use a Variety of Ad Formats
The eye can get easily accustomed to one visual design over time. Change up your ad placement and formats from page to page. Experiment here. Keep some ad placements consistent and change others. Don't be completely chaotic! The variations will allow the ads to be noticed more frequently.
I will admit this information is just "common sense" for anyone in the graphic design or advertising industries. But I'm not writing this for my peers there. These tips are for my fellow small, independent publishers who hope to reap a little income from their labors of love. I hope this does you some good.
-- Tom Briscoe