Monetizing Your Website
I'm a big fan of using contextual Advertising on my sites. One of the big contextual advertisers is Google Adsense.
Google Adsense
is an excellent way to maximize you site's
potential and it won't cost you a
thing. My Adsense
revenue each month more than pays for all my
other advertising and training
costs.
I recommend using Google Adsense primarily on article or informational pages. Don't put them on your product or product review pages as they can be a distraction for visitors.
Adsense sign-up is free and there are an abundance of ad formats that will fit your site design.
Tips for using Google Adsense Ads
Place
your ads in the upper left hand quarter of your
website.
Studies show that people
typically scan your site from the top left
working down. Placing a vertical skyscraper ad
in that section can help increase your click
through rate from 2% to as much as 30% or
higher.
Don't
place Google Adsense Ads on your affiliate
product endorsement
page.
You're likely to do better
making an actual sale than with Adsense Ads. If
a visitor doesn't click your affiliate link
it's better to keep them navigating your site
than send them off to an Adsense ad.
Don't
use horizontal banners or
ads.
Google recommends that you
use vertical as opposed to horizontal ads. Web
surfers see lots of horizontal banners
and web surfers almost
instantaneously avoid them.
According to Google, wider ad formats such as the large rectangle ads and inline rectangle tend to perform better. This is probably due to the fact that they are more reader friendly allowing you to read more text at a glance without having to skip a line and return to the left margin every few words.
My experience
is that positioning these ads just before or
just after your main content can increase your
click through rate substantially.
Avoid the
Dead
Zones
Google research has shown that there are zones
within your site that won't generate clicks.
These areas are the top right of your site, the
bottom right-hand corner and the very bottom.
Ads in these areas are often ignored. Keep your
ads to the upper left, and center or just above
or below your primary content.
Coordinate the ad colors to
match your site
colors.
Google Adsense offers an
array of colors that you can use to display
your ads. Choose the two main colors of your
site and use those colors for your ad. Keep the
URL link of the ad in blue since this is the
link color that most viewers are use to. The
idea is to blend your ads with your site
content so as to invite more clicks.
Follow
the Adsense program policies to the
letter.
Google keeps a close eye on
how their ads are displayed and they will
cancel you immediately if you break the rules.
Google Adsense is an excellent way to bring in
some extra revenue so don't risk losing a good
thing.
If you're looking for more Google Adsense monetizing tips, Google Adsense Secrets by the Adsense master Joel Comm is now in its 4th edition and it doesn't sell for $97 any more, it's $9.95. I've used it over and over for finding the best tips and strategies for earning the most money with Adsense.
Your Partner
In Success
Elizabeth
