AdSense works differently for different people, It is not like that if something works for somebody then it will work for you too. So to get the most out of AdSense, You should always experiment with it. By 'Experiment' I don't mean editing the code (you'll get penalized if you make changes to the code), I mean experimenting with placement, colors, ad sizes etc. Once you have an idea of what works best for your site then you can plan your strategies to earn more from AdSense.
My Experiments with AdSense
Despite of having a decent alexa rank (below 85k) and decent traffic, I was never satisfied with my Adsense earnings. Many people with low traffic & alexa rank were earning much more than me and this used to make me feel bad. Though I never blogged for money but I still used to ask myself "Why my earnings are low despite of having good traffic?". I did a lot of research online and read several articles on adsense but nothing seemed to work. One day I came across an article, In which the author explained different aspects of adsense and also mentioned some ways of experimenting, which i picked up.
From that day I experimented a lot with Adsense. I tried different Ad sizes, Colors and placements and was surprised to see the results. I saw a boost in my income and CTR went up. During that time I wrote a detailed article explaining Different ways for increasing Adsense income and I recommend you to read it and I'm sure it will help you increase your revenue. Coming back to topic, On that day I found some great tips which were really effective and I decided to work on them, So that I can kick the most out of them.
5 Ad Placement Strategies to Boost AdSense Income
I used the tips which I found from my experiments, To Plan strategies which can boost my income. I played with different layouts, placements and colors and finally found some sure shot ways to boost adsense income. Today I'll share them here so that you can try them on your blogs.
Note: As I said earlier, AdSense works differently on different sites and traffic. So it is not necessary what worked for me will work for you, But it is really worth a try. For some people it may work wonders and for some it may not work but I'm sure that it will definitely bring a change.
The following are some strategies which I experimented with and found them to work better. I also saw some boost in my adsense income after using the below mentioned strategies. Please note that it may take a few days for the strategies to work, It will not work overnight, so let them run for at least a week and if they don't work then you can make changes.
1. Large Skyscraper (300x600) in Top Right Area of Sidebar.
In November 2012, Google AdSense Introduced a New Ad unit which instantly became popular. The 300x600 Large Skyscraper unit is now used by many blogs, The reason behind the success of this unit is it's Size. This Ad unit is large and fits perfectly in sidebar, because of it's huge size, the ad unit attracts more eye balls and thus increases your CTR. The Placement of 300x600 Ad unit is very important to get the most out of it, As Adsense allows only one 300x600 Ad unit per page, You'll have to think twice before placing it. Wrong placement can create 'Banner Blindness' and thus making it difficult for people to get attracted to it.
Earlier I used to avoid this Ad unit as it didn't used to work for my blog, But recently I stared using it again and the only difference between then and now is the placement. I experimented with its placement and was surprised to see the results. In one day this Ad unit defeated my highest earning ad unit, So lets see
What I Did?
Earlier I used to have a 300x250 Medium Rectangle unit in Top Right area of sidebar and a 300x600 Large Skyscraper in Mid Sidebar. The 300x250 unit was my lowest performing unit as it was a Homepage only unit and My 300x600 unit was also not doing well. I just switched their positions and Bingo! Both the units suddenly started doing well. The 300x600 ad unit defeated my highest performing unit overnight and I also saw a boost in 300x250 unit. This Proves that 300x600 Ad unit can do much better if placed in Top-Right area of Sidebar.
Strategy #1
Placing a 300x600 Large Skyscraper Ad unit (Text & Image) in Top Area of Sidebar. Leave the unit running for at least 2-3 days and after that check the Performance Reports from your Adsense Dashboard. Compare the before and after results to check if this strategy worked or not.
2. Leaderboard on Top Left Side
According to Google AdSense Heatmap, It is known that Ad units above the fold and in Top-left region tend to perform better then those which are placed on right side. Most of the time implementing this on a site is difficult as Most of the templates have sidebar on the right side and placing ad units on left side is not possible. I used to have a 728x90 Leaderboard Ad unit on Top-Right side in Header area (next to logo) and like every blog, Logo on Top-Left side. I decided to switch places of Logo and Ad unit and the Results were amazing. The 728x90 Leaderboard worked great in Top Left area and my earnings significantly increased. The CTR was higher then before and this proved that Ad units in Top Left region work better than the ones placed in Top Right.
Strategy #2
If your blog also have a Leaderboard Ad unit then try switching it from Top-Right to left side. For blogs with no room on left side can switch the ad unit with logo. Use this strategy for a week and compare results.
3. Ad Unit Under Post Title Aligned Center
Many blogs nowadays use a 336x280 or 300x250 Rectangle Ad units below the post title and above the content. This is one of the Best performing placements and will definitely work for everyone. Mostly people align the Ad unit to Left and thus creating an empty space on right side. Some people add Social Sharing buttons next to In-Post Ad units just to fill the empty space, that's good and I'm too using Social buttons next to Ad unit.On one of my blog, I changed the alignment of the Ad unit which was placed under the post title from left to center and BAM! the results were amazing, A small change made a big difference and my income increased.
Strategy #3
4. Ad Unit above Comment section
On blogs with High Traffic and Comment rate, Ad units below the content and above comment section work really well. Mostly people use wider Ad units here instead of longer ones and the High performing ad sizes for this area are 728x90, 468x60, 336x280, 300x250 etc. About a month ago, I added a 728x90 Leaderboard unit above Comment section. I used contrast colors to this unit so that it can stand out. The results were good, The CPC was much higher and even a few clicks used to make big money.
Strategy #4
- 728x90 Leaderboard
- 468x60
- 336x280 Large Rectangle
- 300x250 Medium Rectangle
Make use of Contrast colors, Use a different background color (not matching your site) like Lemon Yellow, Black, Red etc. Choose vibrant colors for Text and links. Keep this ad running for at least 2 weeks and after compare results.
Note: This Strategy will only work for those with Quality Content, High Traffic and Comment Rate. Blogs with relatively low traffic and almost no comments will not benefit from it. Also if your blog has content which is not worth reading then this unit will be a waste of time.
You can also experiment different color on this strategy. Try different contrast colors on it and see which one works best. You can also use colors to Blend this ad in to your template and see if that works better than contrasting.
5. Placing Two Ad units Side by Side
I've seen a number of blogs using this method. In this method, We use a script which places two ad units side by side. For this you'll need the Adsense Ad unit code. This works best on 2 Skyscrapers or 2 Rectangles units. This method does not work for all So you should experiment first. For some blogs, This method works like charm and they earn decent income by placing two units together and for some this method can creat banner blindness and result in no income. No matter what are the chances, This method is worth giving a try and if it fails then you can revert back to normal placement.
Strategy #5
This Strategy Works best under the Post Title or Above the Comment section. You can also use this strategy in between posts. If using skyscraper units, you can use this strategy in most of the sidebars. Keep this strategy running for a week and then compare results.
Final Words
The above strategies were made by me and I've tested each of them. If used as said, You'll start to see a rise in your AdSense income. I'm not saying that the above strategies will work for all but it is worth giving a try. I hope this article was helpful, I tried to add each and every detail I could. Please let me know if it helped, Also share this article on Social Networks and Don't forget to leave your comments below.Spread The Love, Share Our Article
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