Optimize your site for Adsense

Google Adsense, is more of a Art then a Science, and so although there are no right ways to set up the Adsense units to your page, there definitely are some ways that are better than others. So although this page has many different pieces of advice to help you figure out the ideal setup for your Adsense units, it will still take a lot of testing and rearranging your ads to see what works best for you.

Step 1 - Choosing the right Ad Format

Something you should probably know first when picking your Ads, is that wider ad formats tend to outperform their taller counterparts, due to their reader-friendly format. Readers absorb information in thought units (that is, several words at a time). The wider format lets them comfortably read more text at a glance without having to skip a line and return to the left margin every few words as they would be forced to do with a narrower ad. The wider ad format also lessens the likelihood of readers leaving the ad unit altogether.

Since these formats allow users to read more text without having to skip a line every few words, users’ eyes have less chance to leave the ad unit altogether. If positioned well, these ad formats can increase your earnings. The formats we’ve found to be the most effective are the 336×280 Large Rectangle, the 300×250 Medium Rectangle, and the 160×600 Wide Skyscraper. Keep in mind that while these ad formats typically perform well, you should use the format that best complements your pages.

Step 2 - Choosing the right Colors

Another thing to keep in mind is the color of your ads, which in fact, do make a huge impact, because it makes the difference of whether of not a reader will skip right over it or not.

Basically what it comes down to, is if your page’s background is lighter, then Ads within the content should blend with the background color, and Ads adjacent to the content (sidebars etc) should either blend or compliment the colors of your page.

On the other hand, if your page has a dark background, you should Blend, complement, or contrast the ads within the content, and Contrast or complement the ads adjacent to the content.

• To blend, make the background and borders of your ads the same color as the background of your page where the ad is placed.
• To complement, use colors that already exist on your site, but don’t match the background and borders exactly where the ads are placed.
• To contrast, choose colors that stand out against the background of your site. Contrasting is recommended only for sites with dark background, so we suggest using a palette with white background, white borders, and blue titles.

Step 3 - Choosing the right location for your ads

Google has provided a breakdown of the success rates of different ads placed in different locations on a page.

The Darker the square, the more successful that area is for ads. As you can tell, the closer inwards towards the content, the more successful the ad will be.

Remember not to make the ads in a location that is annoying to the viewer, because that will not only reduce traffic, but lower your clicks and ultimately your revenue all together.

Google advises you to ask yourself these simple questions when placing ads and I make sure to ask myself these same things when placing ads.

- What is the user trying to accomplish by visiting my site?
- What do they do when viewing a particular page?
- Where is their attention likely to be focused?
- How can I integrate ads into this area without getting in the users’ way?
- How can I keep the page looking clean, uncluttered and inviting?