Written on May 10th, 2008 at 12:05 am by Darren Rowse
Ad Positioning: Tactics to Increase Your AdSense Earnings Overnight
In this series I’m examining tactics that can be used to increase AdSense earnings immediately. Read the introduction to this series here.
Today I want to talk about positioning your AdSense ads - something that has a very significant impact upon the amount of money that they are able to earn.
I learned this lesson after I’d been using AdSense for some time - I often wish I’d discovered it earlier - because not thinking it through earlier cost me a significant amount of money!
My Story of Learning about AdSense Positioning
I remember clearly the time that my AdSense earnings almost doubled over night through me simply moving them from one part of my blog to another.
Up until the point where I made this discovery my AdSense ads had been largely in a banner position on my blog. I don’t remember my exact reasoning for putting it there but it was probably because that’s where I saw all the big sites doing. My blog’s post pages looked like the diagram to the right.
Performance with this positioning was OK - but then again, I didn’t know any different so while I was earning enough on my blog at this point to make a day or two a week of earnings I was blissfully unaware of the potential that my blog had to take me a step closer to going full time as a blogger.
I’m not sure of why I decided to experiment with my ad positioning but after a while of positioning my AdSense ads this way I decided to have a ‘play’ with other positions. I began to think about where on my page my readers would give their full attention and decided at the top left hand side of the content area would probably be the most logical position for people to look at a web page (as that’s where they start reading). This was at a time before AdSense brought out their ‘heatmap’ which confirmed that this was a wise move.
So late one afternoon I decided to move my ad unit from the banner position to this spot at the top left hand side of my post area.
My ads now looked like the diagram to the left.
I was actually a little nervous about making this move. What if my earnings went down and I started going backwards?
I decided to give the new position a couple of days testing. I could afford to lose earnings for two days but if they didn’t at least match the previous positioning I’d switch it back.
That night just before I went to bed I decided to log into AdSense to see what the results were like after a few hours.
Imagine my surprise when I saw my CTR 40%!
40% more readers were clicking my ads and this was obviously already impacting my overall earnings!
I didn’t sleep too well that night as I realized the power of what I’d discovered. I could potentially see a 40% increase in my earnings with a simple move of my ads.
The next morning I awoke earlier and logged into AdSense and found that the CTR was now up by just under 50%.
That day I’d increased my earnings enough to dedicate at least another day a week to blogging by simply changing the position of an ad unit!
Tips on Ad Positioning
Ad positioning is vitally important to the performance of ad units like AdSense.
In general - the positions that are ‘hot’ can be seen on the heatmap to the right (this is the official AdSense heatmap which they put together from their own research and observations of where ads work best. You can see how anywhere at the top of content can work best (the brightest orange area) but that in general above the fold and to the left seems to be the ‘hotter areas’.
This does vary from blog to blog and there are some specific spots that work best on blogs (I’ll show them below). The key is to try different things and to find what works best on your blog.
Further Reading on Ad Positioning:
- Previously on ProBlogger - Introduction to Advertising Optimization - Ad Position
- AdSense Help Page - Where should I place Google ads on my pages?
Next week I’ll continue this series of tips for increasing your AdSense earnings overnight with the continuation of my own story of learning to use AdSense and some more tactics that took my earnings to even higher levels!
43 Responses to “Ad Positioning: Tactics to Increase Your AdSense Earnings Overnight”
Farfield
May 10th, 2008 12:17 am
From my own experience it seems logical to me. While browsing you’re always focused on the spot where the information is. An adsense unit somwhere on the edge of the screen alsmost never grabs my attention.
I have to say though that I’m never clicking on an ad anyway. I’m not that easily distracted. But I might try moving around ads on my blog to see what happens.
Kyle Wegner
May 10th, 2008 12:23 am
Great article Darren. The main blog I run currently is just a casual, personal blog, but now that I look at it my ad positioning is all off. I can already tell it is going to take a lot of work to optimize my pages with ads, but I know it will pay off in the end.
I can’t wait for you to release the rest of this series.
Thanks!
Jaspal Singh
May 10th, 2008 12:24 am
i have applied this .. just a weak ago … and it is showing results .. but the main thing remains is the traffic you generate, it will always mater the most !
Crazykinux
May 10th, 2008 12:25 am
By playing around with ad positioning, I’ve been able to triple my adsense revenue within less then a month.
I suggest to anyone to try out different layouts as Darren suggests. You never know what opportunities you are missing.
David “CrazyKinux” Perry
Soccer Dad
May 10th, 2008 12:29 am
Darren, I’m curious if the content inserted ad had such a positive impact, why you don’t currently use it - vs the fairly standard sidebar advertising which you use.
Rob Brydon
May 10th, 2008 12:36 am
Great story. It really inspires me switch things up. I am in a two column now, but will be switching to a three column soon.
Aseem Kishore
May 10th, 2008 12:38 am
Question…is it better to wrap the content around the ad or to simple have the ad directly above the content area? I have the Title, then Ad, and then content below…has anyone done a test with the text wrapped? Thanks!
James - DigitalKeyToInfo
May 10th, 2008 12:46 am
I think some experimentation is always good. While AdSense’s suggestions are a good place to start, like Crazykinux suggests, trying out different positions will help you find what works for your blog. I do think that floating left in the content like Darren points out is one of the stronger positions.
Crazykinux
May 10th, 2008 12:49 am
@Rob - Might want to reconsider the 3-column look. I’ve just switched back to 2 after doing a poll with my readers. In an overwhelming majority they preferred 2 columns to 3.
Just a friendly warning! =)
Joe
May 10th, 2008 1:02 am
Looks like a lot of blogs are positioning as you’ve mentioned in your change, Darren. This might be the new “standard” but do you think enough people seeing it like that might actually draw the rate down?
Muscle Post
May 10th, 2008 1:05 am
Great post! I definitely need to start playing with some different positioning options on my site. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now, I’m just not sure how to go about doing it (messing with the template formatting and stuff).
Any suggestions?
Make Money Talks
May 10th, 2008 1:23 am
Good tip, ads near content bust CTR but again you can bust more with ride position of ads inside content, thanks for info about your test results!
Nicholas
May 10th, 2008 1:23 am
The thing I’m worried about is this: Seeing ads while I’m browsing really irritates me. Sure moving the ads to a more prominent position will help with click-through, but to what extent does it alienate the reader and make a site look less professional?
What Sells Online
May 10th, 2008 1:35 am
Good heads up on this. While Google does educate Adsense users on optimum ad locations, I guess many bloggers or web masters oversee this when placing their ads.
However, I’ve seen a fair number of sites placing ads at the same location you did. It surely worked well to catch my eye.
Also, placing ads in between posts seem to be quite effective too. One popular spot that most bloggers use, simply due to general blog layout design, is on one of the right columns. That doesn’t seem to be a optimal location, if we refer to Google’s heat map.
I wonder if bloggers should worry about creating a balance between optimal ad locations, overall blog layout, and post readibility. Would placing ads at some locations make the blog look too cluttered?
Syed Balkhi
May 10th, 2008 1:39 am
Thanks for sharing all your experience Darren .. I have been using the 336 x 280 px adsense for a while now they tend to provide the best results
Sangesh
May 10th, 2008 1:44 am
Well, I think that I will have to rearrange my ad positioning, since I’ve seen very less growth in my revenue generation. I will definitely rearrange my ads so that they can perform well. And I will re-position my ads.
Barbara Ling
May 10th, 2008 1:55 am
Being able to both optimally position your ads and also weave them in seamlessly to specific blog postings is truly an art; I’ve found on my various blogs that what works for one site might have less benefits on others.
You also have to factor in your audience; visitors to meta-blogs/MMO might be obvious to text ads while visitors to, say, a knitting forum might be more alert to them.
Enjoy,
Barbara
aLien
May 10th, 2008 2:38 am
Great post Daren. Make the Adsense link appear within sigh visitor sigh position as suggested.
Greg
May 10th, 2008 3:02 am
I have tried to do this in the past, but cannot figure out how to wrap the text around the ad block. I have tried it with two different word press plugins.
Adsense by Phil Hord
Adsense Manager by Martin Fitzpatrick
Can anyone give me another idea or way to do this and make the text wrap and look clean?
Joe
May 10th, 2008 3:54 am
Greg, you can use OIO publisher, but that does cost money. It does the wrapping very well. You can check it out on any single page on my blog.
Another choice could be Adsense Deluxe, which I think John Chow uses.
Bontb
May 10th, 2008 4:13 am
My advices are.
1. Play with adsense navigation
2. Play with adsense colors
3. Size does mater. Graphics Too
4. Refresh you Adsense code every month!
5. Get rid of hurricane adsense
James Joyner
May 10th, 2008 4:26 am
Of course, you haven’t run AdSense on ProBlogger in quite some time! (Unless you’re hiding them to regular visitors.)
I’ve actually put it back on my front page as of this morning because BlogAds sales have dried up. Otherwise, I’d gone to only a 300×250 unit high above the fold on my archive pages.
Simple Mom
May 10th, 2008 4:32 am
I took Adsense off my site this week b/c they were performing terribly, but now this is making me second guess myself. I’ve been wondering the same thing as Joe; I see so many sites positioning them this way, I wonder if that will lead to ad blindness even more.
I never see Adsense ads on other sites, so it makes me think my readers don’t, either. The mainstream are becoming more and more web savvy.
HERO
May 10th, 2008 5:55 am
A tool I left out of my Adsense equation for far too long was the use of channels. Now each of my ad areas is assigned a separate channel so I can monitor each space and really see which of my designated ad spots gets the most reaction. It’s been eye opening to say the least.
Thanks for a fantastic article Darren. I look forward to the rest of the series.
Beth Norman
May 10th, 2008 6:00 am
I wasn’t a fan of adsense, and here I am reading about it, after my web designer spent time with me this morning explaining why I should use adsense. I wonder if adsense would be of any value in my realm of blogging, as I’m a rubber stamper. I’ll keep reading what you have to say on adsense and just might get started on it.
Sandy Naidu
May 10th, 2008 6:12 am
A very helpful post Darren…Look forward to the next map…Adsense brings in most of my revenue and am looking to increase this further…
Sovknight
May 10th, 2008 6:16 am
I’ve never received a single click on any of my ads. Not one. It’s disappointing, but I don’t know what to do. I’ve moved my ads to different places around my page, but all to no avail. My impressions are decent for the amount of traffic I get (not much), but nary a click. Not one… ever.
Bob Potter
May 10th, 2008 6:16 am
Actually, I had quite the opposite response to putting them in the upper left hand corner of the article. After two years I was earning $10-$17 per month through Adsense. I was using 250px squares at the bottom of the article and some 180px squares or small rectangles throughout the article. In February, I tried the larger 250px square in the upper left, just as so many bloggers have advised. But my earnings went down to less than $2 per month (yes, per month). Another change is that I made the color of the links and description to what you’d see in a normal Google search (the blue and green).
Kyle
May 10th, 2008 6:20 am
Thanks, Darren!
I’ve just begun my own site after owning the domain for years. Even though my traffic is non-existent right now, I’m playing with adsense to see what could happen if it ever picks up. This series should be very helpful.
Rich Page
May 10th, 2008 6:33 am
Very interesting. Firstly - do you have any examples of posts that you did this on? Secondly, I have always been apprehensive to do this placement, because its kinda ‘in your face’ ads to readers. I know when I see a blog that has adsense right in my face in the position you tried, that I immediately am not as likely to read it, and will think the site is more ‘money-grabbing’ than trying to be useful. Don’t get me wrong, I think ads are fine, but should be left to certain expected areas. I mean, how would you like it if someone posted billboard posters in your lounge windows all of a sudden?
Thoughts?
Rich Page - A web Fanatic
http://www.rich-page.com
Jade
May 10th, 2008 6:40 am
As I am just learning to navigate Adsense in general, I find this series extremely helpful. I am going to try some of your tactics and see if they work for me as well.
FabioG3
May 10th, 2008 6:51 am
@Greg: Try Shylock AdSense: super simple, there’s no need to touch the code.
Ryan McLean
May 10th, 2008 6:57 am
Great post…I need to experiment with my ad positioning on my blog so I can make some more revenue and then maybe I could afford to work part time doing my financial blog
Luis Gross
May 10th, 2008 10:03 am
Yes ads closest to content proves to be the ones to work best. Quite naturally people focus where the quality information lies. Placing you ads near your hot spots will certainly bring up your earnings and CTR. A great way to do this is by checking your site analytics and see what pages are most visited and what content is most focused on, doing this lets you tailor place your ads to where YOUR blog has the most activity.
Mark
May 10th, 2008 10:41 am
Firstly Darren, I wanted to say a big “thanks” for the great service you provide through Problogger.net. Ironically as a Web Designer I’m only very new to the concept of professional blogging but your site has inspired me to try it for myself.
On to your post: Your discussion around the advertising position heat map is hardly surprising when you think about. In building my own blog layout I have been positioning advertising in all the yellow areas.
You would think that with usability experience your article would be of little surprise to me. For some reason we seem to fall into the same old traps! Popular usability theory teaches us that users scan a page in an ‘F’ shaped pattern foraging for relevant information. We do this while disregarding advertising in the belief that it will get us further from our goal.
It’s hardly surprising then that readers focus on content rich areas. It therefore makes perfect sense to place advertising within these areas. I would assume also that text based advertising strategically positioned within a page content would also have a higher conversion rate than say image based advertising.
Once again I realise how little I truly know. It’s great to be always learning!
moserw
May 10th, 2008 11:27 am
I have always left the ads in the sidebar to the right and never experimented with position change. Guess its time I started doing it and check out the reponse from the readers. Good post and cannot wait for the remaining parts of the series.
The Masked Millionaire
May 10th, 2008 12:23 pm
You can put the Adsense ad wherever you want. Most people, sorry to say, don’t bother looking at the ads.
It is just a fact.
Live From Las Vegas
The Masked Millionaire
gcw
May 10th, 2008 3:32 pm
i’m using “all-in-one-adsense” and it generates ads for you. it’s a bit limited and only places ads in your posts. anyone know of any others for wordpress?
Cory
May 10th, 2008 6:29 pm
this article doesn’t address why every single blog about seo/traffic has a slew of 6 square ads on the right side, supposedly in one of the ‘coolest’ zones.
Arun
May 10th, 2008 7:41 pm
I have looking for information regarding adsense ad placing, Most of the adsense ads in my blogs are placed in left and right navigation bars. These tips has given me insights on new way of adsense ad placings to generate more revenue
http://www.simplewayoflife.net
Matt
May 11th, 2008 2:27 am
Great suggestion… In blogger how do you put adsense in the top left hand area of the post?
Any articles out there that explains how to do this?
thanks,
matt
The IT Skeptic
May 11th, 2008 8:56 am
I read somewhere that the cursor tends to range up and down the right-hand side of the screen more than the left, so people prefer menus on the right and will be more likely to click something on the right. This made perefect sense to me but it does not gel with Google’s heatmap showing the left side hotter than the right. Interesting. I’ll try some Adsense on the left and check the results.
Thomas
May 11th, 2008 3:32 pm
I have noticed this lately as well and wanted to implement this for our blog. Does anyone know how to do this in blogger?
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