Google AdSense Suggestions
Google is at least as interested as you are that their ads work well on your site. And they have gone to some lengths to provide the information you need to optimize your AdSense.
What fascinates me is that apparently not everyone bothers to read his advice. And even some that do, don't apply it.
With that said, you should be aware that simply using their tips does not guarantee successful ads and a decent CTR (click through rate). How many times have you heard this? You have to prove. You have to try alternatives and see what works best for you, on your pages, with your content and your visitors. Try, try, try some more. Track your results, analyze them, test variations. Many of us don't do the test. We listen to the mantra, but we don't do the work.
First, let's see if we can get an idea of the location. (The graphic is included in my site article or you can see it in the Google link below) Generally, in the top half of the page, in the top center of your content, under the top navigation is the most popular location. Not immediately below what is good, but not that hot. In a left sidebar, to the immediate left of the main content or below the main content are also good. Most other locations are generally cooler.
Again, you must test and consider the behavior of your users, and your behavior may vary on different pages with different types of content. Google suggests that in some cases, such as articles, the best location may be at the end of the article. To quote Google, "It's almost as if users finish reading and wonder: What can I do next?" Well-targeted, relevant ads right there can provide the answer.
Don't blindly assume that gluing a nice big rectangle in the center over the crease will suffice. It can, but depending on its content, it can annoy or annoy your users.
Users tend to focus on content, navigation and, to a lesser extent, graphics. Positioning your ads near these elements will often work well, if those ads are geared towards the needs of your visitors.
The top three best performing Google ad formats are the 336X280 Large Rectangle, the 300X250 Inline Rectangle, and the 160X600 Wide Skyscraper. Google reports that wider formats tend to perform better than taller ones. One reason may be that they are perhaps easier to read, as they have fewer line breaks and require less eye movement. But you need to use formats that fit your pages well. Again, you need to try, but redoing your pages to fit a particular ad format may not be a reasonable alternative, and you may find that a different format actually does better.
Now we come to color. Conventional wisdom says that colors that tend to blend into your content work best. Some go so far as to suggest that the colors that make the ads look like part of the content are the best. Personally, I think someone really thinks those ads are anything but ads, but who knows. Google suggests that you may find that colors that stand out from your content work best, or maybe the opposite. This is absolutely one area where you need to try alternative color schemes. Following conventional wisdom generally works quite well, but without testing, you could be leaving a lot of money on the table.
Google allows you to have up to three ad units and one link unit on your pages. If you have long pages with a lot of text, you can only use small ad units, or you are in a niche with a large ad inventory, multiple units may be worth it. Note that the way ad serving works is that the highest value ads are delivered to the first ad unit in your code. Always make sure that this first ad unit is showing in the best location (yes, test). You want the highest paying ads to be in the top location of your page. Weaker placements can get lower priced ads. And if none are available, nothing will show unless you've included an alternate ad URL in your Google code. To maximize monetization, you should include alternate ad URLs, especially if you are placing multiple units on one page.
Using an alternate advertisement URL also eliminates the possibility of receiving public service announcements (public service announcements). It is your real estate property, maximize your profitability. Nothing here is secret. Except for the use of the alternate ad URL, all this information is available on Google's optimization tips page: http://www.google.com/support/adsense/bin/static.py?page=tips. html. You can buy books and courses, visit a dozen forums, and in the end it all comes down to what your visitors do on your site. The best you can get is a general guide. This means results averaged across many sites, many types of content. If you really want to do everything you can to really optimize your AdSense returns, there is only one thing to do: test. Whether it's AdSense, opt-ins, copy, headlines, anything with a measurable result that you can track, then the way to improve is to try and keep testing.