Written on November 16th, 2009 at 12:11 am by Darren Rowse
Does Your Blog Look Like NASCAR?
In this post, Jack Gamble from Babeled talks about ad placement and the risk of overdoing it.
Are you responsible for a website that has so many ads that it looks like Dale Earnhardt Jr. should be driving it in circles at high speed with a strange aversion to right turns?
That is because your advertisements are out of control.
Like all things in life, with advertising you need to know when to stop. If there is one thing that drives me crazy, it’s arriving at a blog and being bombarded by a mess of Goggle Adsense, pop-ups, and 125×125 banner ads. All of these are ways to bring in some cash for your hard work, but at what point does it become counterproductive?
Here’s a hint: if I need to scroll down to get to your content because you have nothing but ads above the fold, then I am never coming back to your site. I will not click your ads. I will not subscribe to your feed. I will not download your e-book. I will not tell my friends about you. Are you getting the point? Too much advertising on your blog is simply insulting to your readers.
You need to come up with some simple guidelines for your ad campaign and stick to your guns. I’m not going to tell you that this ad is good and that one is bad. But I will tell you that there is certainly a point where the next ad you put up will cost you money.
Try testing yourself. Click on any post in your blog and scroll down to an arbitrary point in the post. Now take stock in what you see. What percentage of the screen is dedicated to advertisement? If the number is too high, then you’re readers are not happy (if you have any left).
So what percent of space should you dedicate to displaying ads?
Let’s look at the other popular media outlets our there. In television for example, the average 1 hour show has about 44 minutes of programming and 16 minutes of commercials. That is an ad/content ratio of just over 26%.
Print magazines are far worse. The average magazine has an ad/content ratio on the order of 40%! This doesn’t exactly demonstrate a devotion to reader satisfaction. Could this be part of the reason that print magazine circulation has fallen more than 10% since 2008?
So what can we take away from these numbers? For starters, you need to get your ratio down as low as possible. Certainly the 40% magazine standard is a failing number, and in my opinion, the 26% TV figure is not much better.
All the ads in the world won’t do you any good if there is nobody there to see them. If your blog has been sitting idle with no growth in earnings, subscribers, or traffic then try removing some of the ads. You will find that a user friendly site with solid content and a few small ads will consistently outperform a confusing cluster of banners.
So unless your blog has a world class pit crew and can do more than 200 miles per hour, you better do something about your ad/content ratio. My challenge to you is get your ratio down to 20% or less. Your readers (and your revenue) will thank you.
Image: aarmono
Tags: Advertising, Magazine, Pop-up ad, Website
98 Responses to “Does Your Blog Look Like NASCAR?” - Add Yours
Firas Steitiyeh
November 16th, 2009 12:41 am
I 100% AGREE, specially on the point that says “if I need to scroll down to get to your content because you have nothing but ads above the fold, then I am never coming back to your site”
Very well said Jack!
Best,
Firas
Phaethon
November 16th, 2009 12:47 am
When I read this post title I was expecting it to be along the lines of “Does your blog go in a circle forever and waste a lot of your fuel?”
Good post though. I think I’ll try retooling the ads at least. I try not to advertise anything I personally don’t recommend, but there’s always room for improvement.
David Zemens
November 16th, 2009 12:50 am
I believe in simple website design with solid use of white space and plenty of room around the content.
Content is king. I understand the advertising thing and utilize it myself, as do most blog owners, but using it in moderation is the key.
And I agree with the writer — sometimes content is actually below the fold. Crazy, or what?
A Maui Blog
November 16th, 2009 12:51 am
I agree. I usually do not go back to a blog filled with too much ads. It’s an eyesore. And yes, quite insulting to readers. 20% less is a good ratio – thanks for the reminder.
Vishal Sanjay
November 16th, 2009 12:56 am
Using simple banner ads and adsense in the sidebar with some in text links, will never effect your users, but using popups are really bad. Actually there are many sites which are filled with ads, but still they are very popular. I truly haven’t got the formula of ad placement. Anyhow this was a pretty good post.
Regards
Vishal Sanjay
http://www.dumblittleblogger.blogspot.com
Vinny O'Hare
November 16th, 2009 1:01 am
Funny thing is I have a site about NASCAR that I don’t want to look anything like Nascars website as it is way to cluttered with ads.
It is a shame that they are missing the point but I guess they need the money.
Deborah A.
November 16th, 2009 1:04 am
I just started putting ads back on my blogs, and I’m very careful not to overdo. I’m like you…if I have to scroll down to get to content, forget that site…never comin’ back. I don’t mind a small line of Google text links, or even one small banner, but if your header is so large that I can’t see the content on my screen when I go into your site, I just click out. On my own pages, I don’t even put ads on top. I put some on the sides, but only one block per side, and a small line of text links after every other post. And I HATE blinking ads, which means I will probably never come back here either. I have migraines, and those ads can trigger them, just in case you didn’t know.
Michael
November 16th, 2009 1:04 am
Indeed there needs to be some kind of sanity check, Ultimately people do not visit our sites for ads they show for the content. Any monetization will only work when it complements the content rather than replacing it.
scheng1
November 16th, 2009 1:05 am
Good advice. Fortunately my blogs are simple and pleasant!
Qatar Visitor
November 16th, 2009 1:09 am
We actually tested Aweber’s slide in (which looks like a pop-up) for our newsletter. It increased sign up rate by around 400%. I thought it might decrease page views as people got fed up of it, but page views actually increased as people signing up clicked on the links in the welcome newsletter and came back to the site. I don’t like pop-ups, but they work.
sockyee
November 16th, 2009 1:18 am
The most annoying thing is to come across web pages that contain ad pop-ups. What I will do is to just close the windows as I don’t believe the site has anything useful to offer.
Jonathan Frei -- OrdinaryTime
November 16th, 2009 1:26 am
great analogy. and for new blogs it doesn’t hurt to not have any ads. The value to the blogger of advertising doesn’t come in until the audience is quite large, and even then having a few very relevant ads will have a much better conversion than a site littered with them.
Ben Lumley
November 16th, 2009 1:28 am
I think it comes from the fact I don’t like clutter (in general not just on a website) that I instantly get turned off when I visit a site/blog with a billion and 1 ads.
It’s tough though because my blog hasnt been up for long and I’m constantly think about how to improve it or maybe generate a little bit of cash. I recently toys with the idea of Google Adsense but came to the conclusion that it would just clutter the blog up.
I can see why blogger do it though – I just don’t think it’s for me and my site.
Love the Nascar reference!
Kevin (strongandfit.net)
November 16th, 2009 1:28 am
Good analogy–the nascar thing is really funny.
Donny Gamble
November 16th, 2009 1:40 am
You definitely don’t want you blog to look to spammy with ads all over the place. If you do place ads on your blog, make sure that they flow nicely with the content and it looks like you are trying to add value to the user instead of trying to sell them on something
Helmi @ Huzzer Magazine
November 16th, 2009 1:57 am
For me, our blog reader won’t mind if we have ad banner in our site.
Unfortunately,there are quite a number of blogger that are too greedy in getting fast money by putting ad banner all over their blog – a sign of ‘nascar car’ syndrome.
For me, it is always best to keep our site as clean and simple as possible as it will our blog reader and reduce the ‘noise’ that can distract our blog readers’ attention.
What if we only have one banner section in evey time our readers scroll up and down at one particular moment? Will it be good approach?
Mike Goad
November 16th, 2009 2:05 am
I agree. If I have to hunt for the content, I’m gone!
Todd Morris
November 16th, 2009 2:07 am
The really sad part is, many of those people who have “NASCAR” looking blogs, obviously aren’t aware of a very simple sales rule …
The more choices you give someone, the less likely they are to make ANY decision.
Fewer, relevant ads will almost always perform much better than a page full of flashiness … with a bit of content squeezed in for good measure.
RaceDriven
November 16th, 2009 2:39 am
First I think you need to rewrite your blog title because I am not only a NASCAR fan, but write on it, as a matter of fact, that is most of one of my sites RaceDriven.com. But more so, it doesn’t draw in people with what you trying to say in your article.
However beyond the title I completely agree with you. I try and model my site after this site ProBlogger because the ad placement ratio is actually pretty low. One button up top and 8 125×125 buttons down the right side.
I can say that no reader of mine has to scroll to read the first post title and first paragraph. Content is still king, thats what your readers are there for.
Despite the title, good article.
Naz
November 16th, 2009 2:41 am
Hi Darren.
Peels away ads sometimes annoys me! Anyway, thanks for your advice. I hope my blog doesn’t look like a NASCAR race car. :)
Tarya
November 16th, 2009 2:48 am
I am an ads’ junkie. I love them. It might even happen that I buy a magazine just to check out the ads inside of it. I could even watch a tv channel that focuses primarly on ads.
That said, ads on a web page are a completely different story, some of them are painful for one’s eyes and they manage to ruin the design of your webpage. And in the end I wonder if they are really financially worth it. I personally don’t use them, my 3 readers won’t click them, so it’s pointless.
William @ DIY Video Marketing
November 16th, 2009 2:54 am
It’s odd to say print magazines are worse for having the percentage of ads they do. If they don’t have 40% of space in ads, you get 0% of magazine.
More importantly, the ads offer value to the readers. Who hates the camera ads in a photo magazine? And they fit how we read. We browse magazines for articles and ads both. It’s like bullet points in sales copy: you don’t know which one will be the tipping point.
We browse the Internet differently. So the ads still have to offer value, if differently. My main problem with NASCAR-style ads is that readers are blind to them. So they don’t get the value the ads offer and I don’t get any revenue.
kunu
November 16th, 2009 2:56 am
thanx for the advices ;)
Avraham Saltoun
November 16th, 2009 3:19 am
Very good. I agree with Kevin the analogy is funny. Great Post.
Surender Sharma
November 16th, 2009 3:48 am
Hi there,
I am completely agree with you.If so many ads appears on your site it can hurt your readership.You can loss readers.
So don’t make your blog like a dustbin…
se7en
November 16th, 2009 3:49 am
Great point!!! I need to rethink some of my big name affiliates – really that’s all they are – big names and minimal earnings!!! I get more out of the teeny tiny “personal adds”… Thanks for the reminder, I should stick with them!!!
Young Habits
November 16th, 2009 3:52 am
100 % agree with you.I like the site like Zenhabits.Without ads or with less ads.
I am working on a project which is non profit project without advertisements and completely focused on Young People.
I’ll never visit any blog like you,if having garbage of advertisements.
Laurinda
November 16th, 2009 3:56 am
Thank you for this advice. I have 2 advertisements on my blog and I think it looks horrible. I had no intention of showing advertisements when I designed my blog. I will be re-designing it and changing to Thesis theme in a couple of weeks. I wondered how much space to leave for advertisements. I will use the 20% recommendation.
Bollywood Wire
November 16th, 2009 3:58 am
Clean and simple layout is best for the blog or site.You can publish advertisements using some spots like leaderboard in the header section or 125×125 not more than 4 units on the sidebar.
We Fly Spitfires
November 16th, 2009 4:04 am
Totally agree with this one. In fact, it reminds of another article I read here a few months ago about how someone doubled their ad sense revenue by removing one of their ads and making a single large one, instead of 2 smaller ones.
Jim "Genuine" Turner
November 16th, 2009 4:43 am
This has been done in a blog post as well.
http://www.onebyonemedia.com/blogs-move-to-the-nascar-sponsorship-model/
Chris Mollo
November 16th, 2009 5:20 am
This is something that we as bloggers always need to be aware of. I know I’m guilty of it myself sometimes. There are just so many opportunities staring you in the face that you wish you could advertise them all. The dollar is a powerful thing but we have to stay strong and remember why we blog. It’s certainly nice to make money from your blog, but if you let your blog become more about making money and less about content, it won’t be worth much to anybody. Great post.
Jay | Niche Volumes
November 16th, 2009 5:22 am
I get scared when I see blogs like that. I try to keep mines simple because too many choices can overwhelm a reader.
Versus
November 16th, 2009 5:45 am
“For starters, you need to get your ratio down as low as possible.For starters, you need to get your ratio down as low as possible.”
I’m just starting my new blog. I’m planing to add only a 300×250 square ad block in the sidebar. This is gonna be after six months and I’ll keep it that way.
Eat Smart Age Smart
November 16th, 2009 5:58 am
Very interesting point of view.
About 2 months ago, I asked my web master to pull down all Amazon + Adsense banners on my new site.
I know have a few sponsorship spots + text ads and no more flash ads.
As a result, the site looks cleaner AND my opt-ins have really grown quite a lot in the process.
My first blog does look a bit like a NASCAR. I’m in the process of deciding if I sell it or keep it and when that’s decided I will revise ads and get rid of those that are not brining in any revenues.
Thanks for a great discussion!
Onepot @ onepot.wordpress.com
November 16th, 2009 6:16 am
I derive a much greater pleasure from a clean, calm design than I would from a fistful of dollars that my blog might bring in every month. My 9-5 job is there to pay the bills.
Ash
November 16th, 2009 7:23 am
I’ve just started a new blog, with advertising. I’m a bit worried about my ads, but I’d like some revenue! Especially since I’d love to be a full-time blogger… I’m hoping that my (future) readers will tell me if I’ve ever overdone it. This article was quite relevant for me.
John
November 16th, 2009 7:27 am
Here, here!
Nightrain
November 16th, 2009 8:09 am
Very useful advice. Totally agree with u. Hope my blog won’t look like a Nascar.
Rgds,
Nightrain
http://besttipsaround.blogspot.com
Joblist Nigeria
November 16th, 2009 8:34 am
The writer has hit it on the head, I am even begining to wonder whether google adjusts the cost per click of adsense displayed on the sites with too many adsense, it appears to me that websites with fewer adsense displayed has higher rate of cost per clicks for those few ads displayed.
Blogs with too many ads will likely not see me again, I won’t click on any of the ads either, except if I’m sleep browsing lol
CathyWebSavvyPR
November 16th, 2009 11:33 am
Love your site, love your info, I share your posts often with my readers and twitter peeps. But I dislike the flash in the ads on your site. I will probably never click on of your ads (like you suggest in your story) because they annoy me. Sorry.
When on your site, I change the size of my Firefox window to cover up your ads. I look at the ad, and am annoyed by it, therefore I don;t want to buy it. Also, although I think I am an average reader (or I represent at least a descent percentage of your readers) your ads are for items not of interest to me (except maybe Demand Studios – which is not flash), and I’ve seen most of them before anyway.
You most certainly aren’t the only person using flash ads, but my Flash program was down for a week or so, guess what – I enjoyed seeing the web flash free, hardly missed it.
Note to advertisers, one requirement you could set is no flah in ads on your site. or try testing them over a couple of months – w/ & w/o flash – you might be surprised. Then again, knowing you, you have already done this test and proved me wrong.
Great site otherwise, your content has been useful to me.
Dana @ Online Knowledge
November 16th, 2009 11:54 am
Yeah, nascar blog surely can distract the readers.
Carla @ Green and Chic
November 16th, 2009 11:54 am
I think ads before the actual content is the worst. I hate having to scroll down just to find the actual post. I removed a lot of my ads early on and I’m so glad I’ve done it.
Web Design Gold Coast
November 16th, 2009 12:18 pm
Totally agree. Too many ads can take away from a website and possibly turn people away.
Amelia Burton
November 16th, 2009 12:30 pm
Help!
I hate the look of google ads! I have reluctantly put them in my articles and am making about $50 per week. I wish there was another way I could advertise…
My ads on the side don’t sell very well but then again I haven’t really pushed them. I don’t even know how much I should charge advertisers for those 125×125 ad spaces.
Any suggestions…?
Amelia
http://www.ameliaburton.com.au
Dave Doolin
November 16th, 2009 12:32 pm
I’m kind of with WIllian @ DIT Video – Print magazines: no ads, no magazine.
Besides, in some magazines (I’m thinking Vogue), the action is *in* the ads.
Filipino Entrepreneur
November 16th, 2009 12:41 pm
Good post and informative. Very nice comparison between a nascar and a blog full of ads. But if you could blend the ads nicely to a blog, then maybe it won’t look like a mess. Just use ads in moderation not putting all kinds of ads under the sun in your blog.
Tinh
November 16th, 2009 1:01 pm
I think space should be appropriate enough and not larger than the content space. I think I should keep my blog as clean as possible and it is not my time to generate revenue for my small blog
Upgrade Cisco IOS
November 16th, 2009 1:44 pm
I agree too as I keep my blog as a way to generate traffic to buy product on the site.
Debra Weiss
November 16th, 2009 2:54 pm
Would you believe the Problogger Sponsors wouldn’t load for me in the sidebar? I just thought it was kind of ironic considering the content. :)
Deb
Living with Balls
November 16th, 2009 3:15 pm
I completely agree. I can’t stand blogs with tons of ads. Since starting my blog in July I’ve always made sure to maintain a clean look.
Nibras Bawa
November 16th, 2009 3:47 pm
Problem is not many bloggers know the basics of advertising. Well.. one needn’t be an Ad professional, but the basics should be clear. Don’t clutter !
Irony is i’ve seen many cluttered blogs by so-called “simple life” and “simplicity” gurus. I’d like to think your blog is also a reflection of your state of mind. A f**ked up mind often results in a cluttered blog. On the other hand, a clear, calm and result oriented person is likely to have a clean blog that works.
Also one need not monetize solely on Ads. You can be creative and earn using subtle, indirect ways. Google is a case in point. I simply adore their Max 28 word count on their home page. It just worked for them. I’d advocate learning a Google lesson, that is you can be clean and yet cash rich !
Thank you Jack Gamble and Darren Rowse. Sorry i’m unable to link as i don’t have a blog yet.
Jim Gray
November 16th, 2009 4:09 pm
i feel the same way…i’m convinced that less may be more on some accounts.
Rita
November 16th, 2009 7:03 pm
A funny post. A good way to use humor to make a point.
I’m just starting to advertise on my blog and the ratio idea is a good way to keep advertising under control.
Rita Blogging at The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide
Kevin (strongandfit.net)
November 16th, 2009 7:26 pm
I’ve been thinking about this a little more since reading it.
Here’s the catch–a rectangle ad above the content tends to be the “money spot.” So I’m not sure I would advise everyone against putting an adsense widget there.
But I’ll agree with the overall point of the post–too many ads tend to keep any of them from getting clicked. They are overwhelming and end up turning off readers.
David Walker
November 16th, 2009 9:11 pm
Hear Hear Jack, and you hit the nail right on its bloated, misshapen head. I have been turned off many sites and have never gone back again. I get the feeling the blogger is trying to sell me something every inch I look and it’s not a good feeling since I wasn’t buying to begin with. I also feel cheated out of whatever I wanted from the site as it somehow feels like it has a price tag attached. O ye moolah-seeking scribes; subtlety rules.
Ryan
November 17th, 2009 12:03 am
None. I don’t actively advertise on my blog. I include a logo for my primary online venture, that’s about it.
Blogs with multiple ads turn me off. Blogs plastered with ads get the X out automatically, no matter how informative the content. I understand why most would want to monetize their blogs but I’m of the school that if I want something I’ll search for it on my own.
John Paul
November 17th, 2009 12:22 am
Nice Post.. Over the last weeks I have slowly been cutting the ad fat off my blog.
Looks cleaner and less in the readers face.
work at home
November 17th, 2009 12:24 am
I also guess it that putting so many ads on blog, increase bouncing rate of our blog and its take time to load our blog. I always try to put less ads on my blog so that my blog load fast.
Kevin @ Blog Tipz
November 17th, 2009 12:29 am
The whole key in advertising is to make enough to support you and running your site. Having less advertisements is usually ideal, charing more for them, but this doesn’t always work. The larger ad format appears to really be catching on, with more sites sporting the larger sizes.
Cutting down on “unrelated” ads also helps attract more advertisers to your site.
Deepak @ BusinessAttitude.com
November 17th, 2009 12:30 am
I have always refrained myself from putting too much ads. I just have enough income for the expenses and my blog is growing everyday. That’s enough for me :)
GolfGurl
November 17th, 2009 12:37 am
Agree agree agree. Good post. Good advice. I’m always battling the temptation to add an ad…
Floorsander
November 17th, 2009 1:06 am
I’m a novice in the blog world, but I would warn against getting dogmatic on the subject of advertising vs. content. You might be surprised. Ads don’t turn me away from the many newspapers or magazines I like to read, and they don’t keep me from watching TV shows I enjoy (although I do prefer to record and “scroll down” past the ads most of the time). Unless there’s something totally unique about the blogosphere, good content will probably be able to carry at least the 26% of ad space you defined for TV, assuming positioning and audience alignment is appropriate. It seems to me that, like all other media outlets, with blogs content is king.
ITrush
November 17th, 2009 1:26 am
Above the fold ads is just fine, just make sure you blend it with correct colors of your post content..
kosmo @ The Casual Observer
November 17th, 2009 1:39 am
On my main page, I have a smaller ad at the top, and two slightly larger ads after the first and last articles on the page. On the pages for individual post pages, I have an ad at the top and one at the bottom.
I also use the WhoSeesAds plugin to eliminate ads for regular visitors. A normal, check-the-site-a-few-times-a-week visitor will never see ads (other than the first few times they visit).
Joi
November 17th, 2009 2:26 am
Great post – we all need a reminder every now and then. As someone who works online without an offline job to count on, I know firsthand that it’s hard NOT to yield to temptation and throw ads everywhere they’ll be seen.
When your income completely depends upon it, you get overly zealous sometimes. But as you point out, we only hurt ourselves when we fall for the clicks and whistles.
BloggerDaily
November 17th, 2009 2:55 am
Yep. This is the mistake that I’d done in my early times blogging. Too much ads!
I realized the mistake and remove the ads, turning it into simple sidebar with minimal ads and amazingly, the visitors and loyal readers were increasing!
Galvahaha
November 17th, 2009 3:16 am
hen I read this post title I was expecting it to be along the lines of “Does your blog go in a circle forever and waste a lot of your fuel?”
Good post though. I think I’ll try retooling the ads at least. I try not to advertise anything I personally don’t recommend, but there’s always room for improveme
Gabe | freebloghelp.com
November 17th, 2009 3:41 am
Excellent reminder for all. I try to keep mine sites pretty lean when it comes to ads.
Anyway, recent studies have found that even on some of the most popular sites, reducing the number of ads have kept revenue equal or the same.
Ms. Freeman
November 17th, 2009 4:04 am
That’s funny! I see so many blogs just tatted up with ads, (mine included somewhat). Which is not a problem if it is working for them then so be it. I was reading elsewhere that a great way to go is “Leak Proof” meaning not posting ads other than for your own products and your readers either buys or exit-no other option. I like that idea if I had something to sell.
David B Katague
November 17th, 2009 4:31 am
I say, Amen, Amen, Amen! Since I started blogging two years ago, I have only encountered maybe a couple of blogs that had too much ads, it turns me off right away. I never came back and was glad to say Adios!
Durkin
November 17th, 2009 4:43 am
In my experience ads are never really a problem until they either start becoming full page or start popping up.
A number of times I’ve visited sites and read a post only to realise after I had finished reading that the adverts were out of control.
I agree that there is a limit, and you have to consider your readers when you place ads, but I think its quite difficult to drive away readers with ads if you have good content.
I personally try to keep mine slick and clean.
Oleg Mokhov
November 17th, 2009 5:10 am
Hey Jack,
The most effective way to increase reader stickiness is to prioritize the reader’s experience.
Do readers like ads? Only if it’s something that’s truly useful to them, and it’s not brought up too much. Too much of a good thing is bad, after all – do you want so much chocolate offered that your stomach gets sick?
By tastefully placing ads–and making sure it’s offering something relevant, remarkable, and valuable (and assuming you believe and would recommend the product yourself)–you not only can earn some income but actually benefit the readers with something useful.
The less ads, the better. And if the ads are of the highest quality, then that’s the best.
I feel a great example is Daring Fireball. John Gruber has minimal and tasteful ad placements, and the products advertised are some great stuff, not some random “make money online” trite.
Nice reminder to prioritize reader experience in order to increase their stickiness – the ads should serve to improve the experience, not the readers serving the ads (and ditching your site shortly thereafter).
Best,
Oleg
Ron
November 17th, 2009 5:30 am
Same here, I don’t like blogs that has too many ads. It is annoying, specially if it crosses some of the paragraphs.
Cheryl Andonian aka Momblebee
November 17th, 2009 5:35 am
Absolutely agree with you on this. Seems content often becomes secondary to advertising. I guess it all depends on what you are after. My blog is not an advertising vehicle. I make money from the services I provide and my blog is a vehicle to express my thoughts about business and in turn generate clients, not generate ad revenue. If I need to search for the content when visiting a blog, then I’m gone.
Blog Tips
November 17th, 2009 6:22 am
Nascar? lols. I can even see some blogs that has one content and lots of ads around it.lols
Anyway thanks for reminding us, putting good content first is a must if you really want your blog to last
Paul Hassing
November 17th, 2009 10:36 am
Nice one, Jack! It is with some amusement and growing dismay that I watch my wife read her fashion magazines.
She forks out more than a few bucks for each one, then sits in bed going flip, flip, flip, flip, flip, flip, flip, flip, flip, flip, flip before she reaches the first skerrick of actual content.
This is not a recipe for prosperity in my book. Good on you for calling it like it is. Best regards, P. :)
Arthur K
November 17th, 2009 12:12 pm
Is a tough call. I agree for blogs though that ads should be minimal. Readers want to read text not images. I only include 2 ads on my blog and only recently put them in to see if they would generate any income. I leave the ads to the main site. And even there, its minimal.
What is frustrating is that once I put google ads into my main site, they started to really work for me. My policy is that I either have an affiliate link or google on a page, not both.
Keeps the pages clean and makes some money.
free income
November 17th, 2009 1:27 pm
Blogs that has many ads on it instead of putting up great contents are only there to earn money not to become helpful to their readers
Rebecca Laffar-Smith
November 17th, 2009 1:29 pm
I was just telling a client yesterday that the sidebars were a little too flooded with information. It’s not just ‘ads’ that create the visual clutter and information overload for readers. Advertising is more effective when it’s highly targeted and eye drawing. Multiple ads stacked together don’t draw the eye as effectively as having just a handful on a page.
Thankfully, there are fantastic ways to set up ads these days, consider having your banners randomized for example, one page load presents this ad, another page load presents that one. You can run multiple campaigns over the same web real estate and avoid cluttering the visual appeal of your page.
I think you’ll agree that the advertising on the Nascars aren’t as effective these days as they were when it was just one or two sponsors instead of twenty. When technology advances a little more we’ll have electronic rotating advertising on the side so that each time you look at the car it’ll have a different ad. ;-) Much more effective!
Jason
November 17th, 2009 5:16 pm
So, how do you rate the percentages? What counts as “ad space”? If the main is 680px and the side is 120px, then that should be fine right? I mean if the negative space also eats up site layout percentages, That would put mine at roughly 10%…
Reza Winandar
November 17th, 2009 7:58 pm
A blog WITH a community shouldn’t put and Adsense Ads on the main page, but if your blog is a full keyword blog, then you can put it as you like.
Fence
November 18th, 2009 2:40 am
I have used ads in blogs, I don’t currently because just started a new site after selling a few others. I think one needs to be very careful not to appear as though the ads are more important than the content, the content is #1.
Just my $.02
Keith
Lori Bjork
November 18th, 2009 5:44 am
Please know my comment is sincerely from a place of respect. So much so that after I read your post, I immediately went to my main blog, californivacation.blogspot.com, to peruse what sort of percentage of content to adverts I broadcast.
That is until later while I was showering. The shower is where I do most of my “aha” thinking. It occurred to me that this may be how it is for you, but it is not how it is for me.
For instance, I desired to read your blog post ‘cuz I was interested in how you tied in NASCAR. As I had this desire, it made no difference to me how much advertising the blog included. I wanted to read what you had to say…period. Truth told, for me I feel I have a decent ad filter. I barely notice an ad if that is my desire.
To extend further, you could have the most awesome blog design with little to no advertising. Yet if I have no desire to read your content, my eyes will never adore it.
What am I saying? My opinion is pay some attention to your advertising. Yet what consistently pays off is focus on content. Content. Content. Content. When people desire and love your content, you’ll be able to get away with advertising similar to the sort of upchuck look of a NASCAR car with no risk. No one will care. They’ll be too busy anticipating what’s next.
B Becker
November 18th, 2009 7:26 am
The NASCAR racecar example is awesome. It took me twice to figure out what you meant, but the second time was a charm. The car with all of the decals was priceless.
I agree with many, there is no set ratio. QVC broadcasts only ads, and they are successful. Reiman Publishing has published successful magazines for decades with no ads at all. Different models.
Most blogs and web sites are advertising supported. With that in mind, we need to understand that advertising on a web site may be a ‘net sum game’. That is, if you have two ads, 50% may be attracted to one ad and 50% to another ad. If you add a third ad, you may discover that the clicks will now be divided between 3 ads, with each getting 33% of the clicks. Many studies have shown there is a point where there is a net sum game. The key is that you may be able to go from one ad position to two or three or more and see overall net advertising income increase. But, if you went from three ad positions to twenty, you may see no increase at all.
On our craft site, http://www.favecrafts.com we added an advertising supported video option. We tested the video with an imperfect A/B split. We saw that the video did not increase our total ad income, rather our income from other banners on the site actually decreased. We repeated the same test on our food site, http://www.recipelion.com and found similar results. I say the A/B test was imperfect because we were also changing site structure at the time and other variables were not constant, except during the test. We plan to repeat the video test again, but intuition says it will decrease other ad revenue.
Hence, we may have reached our equilibrium on these two sites. Results may vary for reach site. And, if the advertising is very closely associated with the topic, the ability to add ad positions is enhanced.
Fascinating case study. The exact answers still to be determined.
Tomas Stonkus
November 18th, 2009 10:49 am
I have absolutely no adds on my blog. Adds scare people away and distract them. I am selling content. I am offering real help to people and I want them to focus just exactly on that.
I don’t believe in adds. Maybe that’s an overstatement. But I am not going to put adds of things that I do not believe or do support.
The only adds you will ever see are going to be other products that I support and trust; it will be recommendations for other websites that I am a fan of; it will be my products that I put in a lot of work to develop that will sell.
Random adds make people feel alienated and disconnected. Let us reconnect and rethink what we are after: money or helping people?
Best,
Tomas
Dean Saliba
November 18th, 2009 11:10 am
I’ve been a victim of this. I used to plaster ads all over the place but I’m learning to cut them down. I still have a few too many but at least it is a start.
Soundtrack Maestro
November 19th, 2009 12:24 am
There’s nothing more off-putting than a site full of adverts. A few choice relevant ads will keep viewers coming back.
Robert Bravery
November 19th, 2009 1:29 am
100% correct. Many new and young bloggers seem to think that the more ads you have the more money you make. Where in fact it is actually not true. The more traffic you have the more money you can make.
A simple calculation will show, that if your blog has 500 pageviews a month and 5 ads, you could have a total of 30000 ad impressins per year. 500×5x12. Not a lot.
But if you have just three ads and increase your page views just 10% per month, then you can look at 56000 ad impressions in the first year, and over 175 000 ad impressions by year 2. It increases exponentially.
Zaheer
November 19th, 2009 1:57 am
NASCAR analogy drove the point home! I think your percent number is to the mark but another aspect to consider is the placement. If the ads are out of most visitors way in a sidebar or footer then I don’t think they will look too bad. One or two Adsense block within the post are also OK. The thing I dislike the most is the pop up ads that slides across your screen. I have seen these annoying ads on major publication websites also.
Blogbooze
November 20th, 2009 12:28 am
Well said, It is a talk to the point and I read the article non-stop just like a NASCAR :-) I have only placed 2 Adsense and I don’t think it is too big. Just take a look at it by clicking my name.
Also I want to know one thing, is image ads working better than text ads?
Culinary Cory
November 20th, 2009 2:38 am
This was a really great post for me to read. I recently was considering beefing up my advertising to help further balance out the costs vs revenue ratio of my food blog. But, it was always nagging at me the thought of losing sight of my most valuable asset…the content. Now I’m going to focus on other ways to make money. Or even save money.
Van Gelder Bus Lines
November 20th, 2009 10:38 am
Look at print media – full pages of only ads. Sometimes full sections. And that the New York Times. I think the challenge is to present ads as content. Then the sky is the limit. And avoid really annoying ones. My two cents. Here are some examples from the travel space –
http://www.tripcart.com/
frommers.com
http://www.tripadvisor.com
emumbert1
November 21st, 2009 4:01 am
A very well done article. I’ve been in sales and marketing all my adult life, owning radio stations and a paper. The NASCAR analogy is great. I’ll add one about radio. In the early days of FM radio, we loaded up as many commercials as we could reasonably get on the air..three to five bewteen each song. Along came Arbitron and we all discovered that we could generate a much bigger audience with fewer commercials. Once we bit the bullet and cut way down on commercials, we had the number one stations in the area. That meant we could charge more per spot and run fewer spots…make more money and have the best stations!
Keep the great articles flowing!
film izle
November 21st, 2009 5:59 am
I have been saying this same thing to my partners for YEARS. I will make them read this to see that a professional agrees with me. Thank you for posting this article, it will be useful.
Lauren @ Hobo Mama
November 22nd, 2009 6:27 pm
I’ve been trying out lots of different ad/affiliate networks, and now that I’ve figured out what works (and, more importantly, what doesn’t!), I’m ready to chop. Thanks for the reminder that it’s time!
scott
December 15th, 2009 9:16 am
Thanks 4 posting, I found this very interesting and helpful.
Thanks,
Scott, CA
http://linksharedirect.blogspot.com
Bert Hermanus
February 4th, 2010 7:16 pm
Thanks for writing about this. There’s a bunch of good tech info on the internet. You’ve got a lot of that info here on your web site. I’m impressed – I try to keep a couple blogs reasonably ongoing, but it’s a struggle sometimes. You’ve done a great job with this one. How do you do it?
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