CLICKING - NEVER, NEVER click on your own ads.
Never instruct others to click on your ads. (Secrecy - Do not tell any friends or family members about your websites that have AdSense on them - they may try and "help you" by clicking on your ads, which can result in you being rejected from the program, with no recourse. Google can easily detect abnormal click patterns and IPs, etc. It may sound extreme, but it has proven to be good advice.)
APPEARANCE - DO NOT encourage clicks.
DO NOT place images next to Adsense ads.
DO NOT draw undue attention to the ads. No arrows, no flashing.
"Sponsored Links" is the ONLY acceptable text for introducing ads.
SITE CONTENT - DO NOT place prohibited content on your web pages. Read through the list to determine content that is not allowed.
COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL - DO NOT steal copyrighted material and place it on your web pages. Not only will you receive a "Duplicate Content" penalty, but you may receive a DMCA Cease and Desist order. If you get a couple of these, you are going to have a tough time getting your content indexed in Google.
top of page
AD TYPES
TEXT ADS - When using the "Get Ads" feature, specify "Text Ads Only". Image ads are CPM ads, and pay very little - typically, ten for a penny. JUST ONE image ad wipes out 3 or 4 higher-paying text ads.
CPM ADS - The default condition is to serve CPM ads to everybody. Email Adsense to "opt out" of low-paying CPM ads. This will help you to make more money, because your high-paying PPC ads will not be displaced by low-paying CPM ads.
PSA ADS - Avoid Public Service Ads which literally pay nothing. If you are getting PSAs, check for "poison words" on your page, which can result in only PSAs being served. Also, sometimes called "stop words." If you cannot identify any poison words, consider specifying "Alternate Ads" in your "Get Ads" feature.
ALTERNATE ADS - Personally, I do not specify alternate ads, since I consider the lack of Adsense ads a personal failure - either in keyword selection, or in page quality. I keep changing things UNTIL I no longer see the PSAs. Google has paying ads for just about everything.
top of page
AD FORMAT
BLENDING - Do NOT use borders.
Make the ad background color the same as the page background color.
TITLE LINK - Almost always, use the standard blue color for your Title Link. This works best overall, since most visitors easily recognize it as THE "link color."
AD TEXT COLOR - Use the same color for your ad text that you use in your body text. This aids in blending the ads, and makes them look more natural.
AD URL COLOR - I like green, just because it adds a little "color". Try other colors, too. Many prefer grey.
EXPERIMENT - From time to time, try changing your Adsense ad text colors to see if there is any improvement in CTR. If there is not, change them back to your old colors.
top of page
AD PLACEMENT
NUMBER OF BLOCKS - Use only ONE ad block per page.
The 250x250 is best (IMHO), since
A. It shows a maximum of 3 ads, and
B. the text is larger.
In general, the fewer the ads shown on your page, the more you will receive per click. Google will serve you the highest-paying ads first, then lesser-paying ads, as you add more and more ads. Google can also serve ads which have high-CTR rates, but pay very little (1 to 3 cents). You must filter these out. Arbitrage publishers create the highest CTR ads.
TOP CENTER - Place your single ad block at the top of the page, just below the title, near the center of the page (just like this page - removed for low performance).
Try other positions, to see if your CTR improves. Try the extreme left (menu-like) and extreme right (Google-like). Use the positioning that provides you with the highest CTR. Always place your ads "above the fold".
AD LINKS - Try Ad Links. I find them to be poor performers, but your experience may be different. Many publishers have good success with them. It all depends upon your site, subject and implementation. Try them at the very top, and at the very bottom of your page.
top of page
AD REPORTING
CHANNELS - Assign one Adsense reporting channel to EACH page, so that you can observe the performance of each page. You cannot see the results of individual changes, if you use the same channel on multiple pages. This is especially important for your best-performing pages, which should be studied the most closely.
The higher your CTR, the more money you will make. Use the channel to determine the change to your CTR, when you make any page change. Let your CTR be your guide.
If you hit the 200 channel limit, disable your lowest-performing channels (pages), to free up room for new channels for testing. Luckily, I have been granted 500 pages.
top of page
ADSENSE FOR SEARCH
SEARCH BOX - Add an "Adsense for Search" box to your index page, so that your visitor can quickly find what he/she is looking for on your site, AND the Internet.
In addition, you can get paid, if your visitor clicks on the search results.
Many publishers place an "Adsense for Search" box on every page. You may choose to do the same. For me, this is overkill.
top of page
ADVERTISERS
BLOCKING - Use the Adsense Blocking Filter to block those ads which you find offensive, have spelling errors, or are MFA (Made For Adsense, of Made For Ads).
Block all ads from the giants, which pay very little, such as amazon.com, ebay.com, shopping.com, and target.com.
I also block ads which go from the specific to the general (less focused). For instance, if my page is about a heart diagram, I block ads for "diagrams" in general, which pay very low. No one who is looking for a heart diagram wants to see any other kind of diagram!
top of page
TESTING
TEST, TEST, TEST - Do not believe everything that you are told. There are many misconceptions. You must find out for yourself, what works best on your pages. Sometimes, what you think is best, may not be true. Keep an open mind.
ONE DIFFICULTY - While you are testing, Google is testing too! Do not confuse the results of YOUR changes, with changes made by Google! WATCH what Google is changing at the same time that you are making changes. Google switches ads all the time. Be aware that any performance change may be due ENTIRELY to the ads that Google is currently serving you, and may not have anything to do with your changes.
MINIMUM TEST TIME - Don't jump to conclusions. One day is always inconclusive, due to random variation. There are definitely day-of-the-week variations. A week is a much better length of time to evaluate any change. But sometimes, the result of your change is SO BAD, that you don't have to wait a week. If the results are terrible, then switch back right away. There is no sense in throwing away money.
top of page
AD REMOVAL
UNDERPERFORMING PAGES - Sometimes, you may have a VERY popular page, but the Adsense ads perform terribly, no matter what you do. It may be that Google simply does not provide good ads for the page. It may be that the subject of the page simply does not generate clicks. For instance, webmasters don't click - we have been trained (terrified) into not clicking anything.
REMOVE ADSENSE - It really doesn't matter what the reason is. You must remove the Adsense from that page. The huge number of impressions that do not generate clicks, will pull your CTR and eCPM stats WAY DOWN. This will result in you being paid far less per click on your other pages, and you will make a lot less money. Google rewards high CTR, and punishes low CTR.
This situation has occurred with my most popular pages. I have gone back and forth with adding and removing AdSense. The result is always the same. Poorly performing pages must be removed. Several of these pages will never see AdSense again, because they are a huge detriment to total income - a millstone, holding all the others back.
You don't have to believe me. Just try it yourself.
Strive to raise your CTR (legally), and keep it high. That is the nature of the game.
Never instruct others to click on your ads. (Secrecy - Do not tell any friends or family members about your websites that have AdSense on them - they may try and "help you" by clicking on your ads, which can result in you being rejected from the program, with no recourse. Google can easily detect abnormal click patterns and IPs, etc. It may sound extreme, but it has proven to be good advice.)
APPEARANCE - DO NOT encourage clicks.
DO NOT place images next to Adsense ads.
DO NOT draw undue attention to the ads. No arrows, no flashing.
"Sponsored Links" is the ONLY acceptable text for introducing ads.
SITE CONTENT - DO NOT place prohibited content on your web pages. Read through the list to determine content that is not allowed.
COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL - DO NOT steal copyrighted material and place it on your web pages. Not only will you receive a "Duplicate Content" penalty, but you may receive a DMCA Cease and Desist order. If you get a couple of these, you are going to have a tough time getting your content indexed in Google.
top of page
AD TYPES
TEXT ADS - When using the "Get Ads" feature, specify "Text Ads Only". Image ads are CPM ads, and pay very little - typically, ten for a penny. JUST ONE image ad wipes out 3 or 4 higher-paying text ads.
CPM ADS - The default condition is to serve CPM ads to everybody. Email Adsense to "opt out" of low-paying CPM ads. This will help you to make more money, because your high-paying PPC ads will not be displaced by low-paying CPM ads.
PSA ADS - Avoid Public Service Ads which literally pay nothing. If you are getting PSAs, check for "poison words" on your page, which can result in only PSAs being served. Also, sometimes called "stop words." If you cannot identify any poison words, consider specifying "Alternate Ads" in your "Get Ads" feature.
ALTERNATE ADS - Personally, I do not specify alternate ads, since I consider the lack of Adsense ads a personal failure - either in keyword selection, or in page quality. I keep changing things UNTIL I no longer see the PSAs. Google has paying ads for just about everything.
top of page
AD FORMAT
BLENDING - Do NOT use borders.
Make the ad background color the same as the page background color.
TITLE LINK - Almost always, use the standard blue color for your Title Link. This works best overall, since most visitors easily recognize it as THE "link color."
AD TEXT COLOR - Use the same color for your ad text that you use in your body text. This aids in blending the ads, and makes them look more natural.
AD URL COLOR - I like green, just because it adds a little "color". Try other colors, too. Many prefer grey.
EXPERIMENT - From time to time, try changing your Adsense ad text colors to see if there is any improvement in CTR. If there is not, change them back to your old colors.
top of page
AD PLACEMENT
NUMBER OF BLOCKS - Use only ONE ad block per page.
The 250x250 is best (IMHO), since
A. It shows a maximum of 3 ads, and
B. the text is larger.
In general, the fewer the ads shown on your page, the more you will receive per click. Google will serve you the highest-paying ads first, then lesser-paying ads, as you add more and more ads. Google can also serve ads which have high-CTR rates, but pay very little (1 to 3 cents). You must filter these out. Arbitrage publishers create the highest CTR ads.
TOP CENTER - Place your single ad block at the top of the page, just below the title, near the center of the page (just like this page - removed for low performance).
Try other positions, to see if your CTR improves. Try the extreme left (menu-like) and extreme right (Google-like). Use the positioning that provides you with the highest CTR. Always place your ads "above the fold".
AD LINKS - Try Ad Links. I find them to be poor performers, but your experience may be different. Many publishers have good success with them. It all depends upon your site, subject and implementation. Try them at the very top, and at the very bottom of your page.
top of page
AD REPORTING
CHANNELS - Assign one Adsense reporting channel to EACH page, so that you can observe the performance of each page. You cannot see the results of individual changes, if you use the same channel on multiple pages. This is especially important for your best-performing pages, which should be studied the most closely.
The higher your CTR, the more money you will make. Use the channel to determine the change to your CTR, when you make any page change. Let your CTR be your guide.
If you hit the 200 channel limit, disable your lowest-performing channels (pages), to free up room for new channels for testing. Luckily, I have been granted 500 pages.
top of page
ADSENSE FOR SEARCH
SEARCH BOX - Add an "Adsense for Search" box to your index page, so that your visitor can quickly find what he/she is looking for on your site, AND the Internet.
In addition, you can get paid, if your visitor clicks on the search results.
Many publishers place an "Adsense for Search" box on every page. You may choose to do the same. For me, this is overkill.
top of page
ADVERTISERS
BLOCKING - Use the Adsense Blocking Filter to block those ads which you find offensive, have spelling errors, or are MFA (Made For Adsense, of Made For Ads).
Block all ads from the giants, which pay very little, such as amazon.com, ebay.com, shopping.com, and target.com.
I also block ads which go from the specific to the general (less focused). For instance, if my page is about a heart diagram, I block ads for "diagrams" in general, which pay very low. No one who is looking for a heart diagram wants to see any other kind of diagram!
top of page
TESTING
TEST, TEST, TEST - Do not believe everything that you are told. There are many misconceptions. You must find out for yourself, what works best on your pages. Sometimes, what you think is best, may not be true. Keep an open mind.
ONE DIFFICULTY - While you are testing, Google is testing too! Do not confuse the results of YOUR changes, with changes made by Google! WATCH what Google is changing at the same time that you are making changes. Google switches ads all the time. Be aware that any performance change may be due ENTIRELY to the ads that Google is currently serving you, and may not have anything to do with your changes.
MINIMUM TEST TIME - Don't jump to conclusions. One day is always inconclusive, due to random variation. There are definitely day-of-the-week variations. A week is a much better length of time to evaluate any change. But sometimes, the result of your change is SO BAD, that you don't have to wait a week. If the results are terrible, then switch back right away. There is no sense in throwing away money.
top of page
AD REMOVAL
UNDERPERFORMING PAGES - Sometimes, you may have a VERY popular page, but the Adsense ads perform terribly, no matter what you do. It may be that Google simply does not provide good ads for the page. It may be that the subject of the page simply does not generate clicks. For instance, webmasters don't click - we have been trained (terrified) into not clicking anything.
REMOVE ADSENSE - It really doesn't matter what the reason is. You must remove the Adsense from that page. The huge number of impressions that do not generate clicks, will pull your CTR and eCPM stats WAY DOWN. This will result in you being paid far less per click on your other pages, and you will make a lot less money. Google rewards high CTR, and punishes low CTR.
This situation has occurred with my most popular pages. I have gone back and forth with adding and removing AdSense. The result is always the same. Poorly performing pages must be removed. Several of these pages will never see AdSense again, because they are a huge detriment to total income - a millstone, holding all the others back.
You don't have to believe me. Just try it yourself.
Strive to raise your CTR (legally), and keep it high. That is the nature of the game.
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