>> Why,
on your web pages of course. Ok, just kidding. The real
question should be: “Is there really any truth to the
rumors that where you place those Google AdSense ads can
actually improve response?” According to my best
information, the answer to that question is: Yes.
Google’s own AdSense experts say that that there is a
direct correlation between the placement of the AdSense
ads and the resulting clickthrough.
When ads are placed in “content zones”, rather than in “advertising
zones”, response rates on Google AdWords goes up. There
are also indications showing that ads appearing on the
right side of the page get clicked more than ads
appearing on the left side.
Advertising analysts with degrees in human behavior and
psychology have spent thousands of man-years (people-years?)
studying how people read printed and Internet content
and what it takes to get them to respond to ads. While
some of these studies are proprietary, or are only
available to anyone with $10,000 or more to spend on a
copy, other studies have been made public and can be
read by anyone who is interested.
Google themselves has released some relevant information
which is focused directly on increasing your Google
AdSense response. You can read their findings here
(https://www.google.com/support/adsense/bin/static.py?page=tips.html).
Of course, all of the studies in the world aren’t worth
a hill of beans if the findings don’t work on your web
site. That’s why it is important to test, test and test
again. Experiment with your Google AdSense placement and
track the results over a period of time. Google provides
response tracking tools in your AdSense control panel.
Learn how to use them. As you begin to see what may be
only subtle differences in response, you’ll be able to
determine what works best for your particular site. But
don’t get complacent. What’s working for you now might
not work next month if you change your site design or
content.
One of the most important factors in determining
placement of your ads is the type of content that your
site delivers. If you are primarily an e-commerce site,
and you have a lot of pictures and ad copy for your own
products competing for attention against AdSense ads,
then it is going to be a particularly tough challenge
getting any kind of decent Google AdSense clickthrough.
It is situations like this that require very thorough
testing and a lot of trial and error.
Blogs seem to have a lot of success generating high
response rates to Google AdSense listings. Perhaps it’s
because blog readers realize that ad revenue is the only
way that their favorite blogmaster can keep the lights
on, so the readers think of clicking on ads as a way to
make a donation.
Regardless of what the experts say, your best bet is to
tailor your Google AdSense ad placement to what your own
experience shows works best for you. In the end, you’re
the only expert who matters.
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