Ad Formats : Dress your ads for success!
How would you like your ads served? Banners? Skyscrapers? Rectangles? Squares? What about borders and background colors?
The choices can be overwhelming. Many people let Google decide for them- preferring to stick with the default settings. Big mistake! From my own experience I can tell you that it s like swapping a hundred-dollar bill for a ten-dollar on e.
For almost one year I settled for just a tenth of what I could have been making just because I didn't bother to control the looks and placement of my AdSense ads.
The various ad formats, colors an d their placement on the web page can be done in thousands of combinations. You can literally spend hours every day experimenting with every possible combination. But you don't want to, do you?
Let me give you a few ground rules that have sky-rocketed the CTR s on my top-grossing pages:
Don't "Look" Like An Ad
People don't visit your website for ads. They want good content.
If you make the ads stick out with eye-popping colors, images or borders, that makes them easy to recognize as ads and people work extra hard to avoid them.
The same goes for ads that are tucked away in the top, bottom or some other far corner of the page. So easy to ignore!
If you want people to click, make the ads look like an integral part of your content.
Today's visitors are blind to banners, mad at pop-ups, weary of ads and skeptical of contests and giveaways. So how do you win their confidence? Simple Don't make your ads look like ads!
Let s begin by reviewing each of the different types of ad available from AdSense and explaining their uses... then I'll introduce you to a few simple choices that rocketed my CTRs to incredible heights.
Meet the AdSense Family
Google serves its ads in three flavors, with each of those flavors coming in a range of different shapes and sizes. It is very important to understand the differences between each of these ads. Some are ideal for particular locations. Some should never be used in certain locations. And some should never be used at all.
The sample page at http://www.google.com/adsense/adformats lets you see all of the different kinds of ads at once. It even has links to sample placements that demonstrate how the ads can be used.
For the most part, I'd recommend that you ignore those sample placements.
I'll talk about location in more detail later in the book, but for now just bear in mind that many of the ads in the samples are just too out of the way to be noticed.
You can use them as a starting point if you want but you'll save yourself a lot of time and money by taking advantage of the experience of myself and others, and following the recommendations here.
Text Ads Google's Finest
Text ads are probably the types of ad that you're most familiar with. You get a box containing one or a number of ads with a linked headline, a brief description and a URL. You also get the Ads by Google notice that appears on all AdSense ads.
There are eight different types of text ad. The most popular is probably the leaderboard. At 728 x 90, it stretches pretty much across the screen and while it can be placed anywhere, it s mostly used at the top of the page, above the main text.
That's a great location. It s the first thing the reader sees and it offers a good selection of ads to choose from. When you're just starting out and still experimenting with the types of ads that work best with your users, it's a pretty good default to begin with.
Of course, you can put it in other places too. Putting a leaderboard ad between forum entries for example can be a pretty good strategy sometimes and is definitely worth trying. Overall, I think you'll probably find that one of the smaller ads such as a banner or half-banner might blend in more there and bring better results.
And I think you can often forget about putting a leaderboard at the bottom of the page, despite what Google's samples show you . It would certainly fit there but you have to be certain that people are going to reach the bottom of the page, especially a long page. You might find that only a small minority of readers would get that far, so you re already reducing the percentage of readers who would click through.
Overall, I'd say that leaderboards are most effective blended into the top of the page beneath the navigation bar and sometimes placed between forum entries.
Banners (468 x 60) and half-banners (234 x 60 ) are much more flexible.
Like leaderboards you can certainly put these sorts of ads at the top of the page, and lots of sites do it. Again, that's something worth trying. You can put up a leaderboard for a week or so, swap it for a banner for another week or so, and compare the results.
A banner or a half-banner would leave too much space on one side and make the ad stand out. It would look like you've set aside an area of t he page for advertising instead of for content. That would alert the reader that that section of the page is one that they can just ignore.
When you re looking for an ad to put in the middle of the page though, a half-banner can be just the ticket.
While a leaderboard will stretch over the sidebars of your site, just like the navigation bar, a 234 x 60 half-banner will fit neatly into the text space on most sites.
This sort of ad should be your default option for the end of articles and th e bottom of blog entries.
But for the most part, stay away from the 468 x 60 banner ad block!
One of the first things people do wh en they sign up for AdSense is to grab a 468 x 60 ad block.
Big mistake.
I have a theory about why they do this. It's the same theory that explains why the 468 x 60 block does not entice clicks.
Most site owners have the mindset th at when they put Google ads on their site, they must place the code that conforms most to traditional web advertising. And that would be...? Yup, the 468 x 60, the ubiquitous banner format that we h ave all come to kn ow an d love and... IGNORE.
Everyone is familiar with the 468 x 60. And that s exactly why the click-through rate on this size is very low, even among advertisers who use images on their banners.
The 468 x 60 blocks screams, " Hey! I am an advertisement! Whatever you do, DON'T click me. In fact, you should run from me as fast as you can !"
In all but a few special cases, I have found the 468 x 60 ad block to be completely ineffective, and recommend ignoring it the same way your visitors do.
Now, that doesn't mean you can never use it. You just have to know what you're doing and do it smartly. You have to do everything you can to make sure that that ad block looks absolutely nothing like a traditional banner ad.
At my site, I ve done that by surrounding the ad with text. Because there's no border around the unit, the ads blend into the text and look almost as they're a part of the article.
If I had left that unit in the middle of some empty space at the top of the page for example it would have looked exactly like the sort of banner that users have trained themselves to avoid. It wouldn't have picked up any clicks at all.
(Note, I could probably have used a half-banner here too but in general, I like to give my users as wide a choice of ads to click as possible.)
While this use of a 468 x 60 works for me and it can work for you too if you blend it into the page properly I'd stick to other formats, like the, half-banner if you're not 100 percent sure that you can pull it off.
When this ad unit fails, it can fail big.
Google also offers five different kinds of rectangular ads: buttons (125 x 125), small rectangles (180 x 1 50), medium rectangles (300 x 250), large rectangles (336 x 280), and squares 250 x 250.
In fact, all of the rectangles can be slotted into the same spots on the page... with the exception of the button.
Probably the most common use of rectangles is at the beginning of articles. You can wrap the text around the ad, forcing the reader to look at it if he wants to read the article. That s very effective.
But you can really put these sorts of ads anywhere on the page. On my site, I ve put two rectangular ads right at the top of the page so th at they take up the bulk of the space the user sees before he starts to scroll. That's a very aggressive approach that might not work on every site. It's worth trying though because if it works for you, you can find that it brings in great revenues.
If you're wondering which size of ad would be best for the position you've got in mind, my advice is to start with the large rectangle, the 336 x 280.
Why should you choose the 336 x 280 ad block? Simple .It gets the most clicks! My studies have shown that this format looks most like real content added to a page. I've dabbled with every size Google offers and this is the size th at consistently has the best results. Other people have told me the exact same thing. That's all I need to know!
Second best is the 300 x 250 rectangle.
This ad block size is really useful when you want to have two sets of ads side by side. They fit on most web pages just perfectly.
Buttons should generally be used in a different way to other rectangles. Like th half-banners, they're distinctive for their small size. While that means you could slot them in anywhere, I think they work best when slipped into the sidebars.
For example, you might have a list of links to frequently-read articles or other sites on one side of your page. Putting a button ad at the end of a list like th at could help it to blend in well.
The final types of text ads are those that run vertically. These come in three sizes: skyscraper (120 x 600), wide skyscraper (160 x 600 ) and vertical banner (120 x 240).
Clearly, these are useful options for filling u p the sides of the page.
I would also recommend using the 'wide skyscraper', text-only ads on the right hand edge of the screen in conjunction with the 3-Way Matching I discuss later in the book.
If you think about it, nearly all PC users are right handed (even left-handed people like me control their mouse with their right hand because it's how we were 'brought up' to use a mouse.) By placing the ads on the right hand edge it's psychologically 'less distance' between your right hand and the screen.
This 'closeness' in my opinion makes the user feel more comfortable and therefore more likely to click through to a link. They feel more in control of th eir visit experience.
Typically you can often divide sites into those that have plenty of content at the sides (especially on some blogs), and those that have nothing on the sides.
I think putting vertical ads in space so that they form the border of the main text makes the page look a lot cleaner. But that doesn't necessarily mean that they're going to get more clicks. If you're putting a vertical banner in an area where you have other content then just make sure, as always, that you blend them in well so that they look like the rest of your content.
Image Ads Built To Be Ignored
Text ads should always be your first pick when you start to load up your site. Image ads should always be your last choice.
A text ad offers many advantages over image ads:
A. With the right formatting, a text ad 'blends in' with your site content. An image ad will not give you the same freedom with its appearance, as the only thing you can play with is the size and positioning.
B. You can squeeze more text ads into the space that a conventional banner takes. People love to have more choices!
C. Properly formatted text ads don't look like clutter. Banners do!
D. People hate banners and avoid them at sight. Many tests confirm that people are much more receptive to text ads related with your content.
I just can't think of a reason why anyone would want to take an image ad from Google. Text ads perform so much better, in my opinion, you're better off sticking with those and ignoring image ads altogether.
That doesn t mean you can't use images to subtly draw people click on ads. But images that are ads just scare people away.
Link Units Great Little Stocking Fillers
If you've ever bought Christmas presents for children, you've probably bought stocking fillers. You dole out hundreds of bucks on some state-of-the-art electronic gizmo, toss in a couple of toy cars that cost a dollar each just to fill up space and give the kid more to unwrap... then watch him spend 90 percent of his time playing with the car that cost 10 percent of your total gift budget.
AdLink units have the potential to be equally profitable.
They're very small, almost unnoticeable... but when used well, they can be extremely effective.
AdLink units let you place a box on your site that contains four or five links. They come in sizes ranging from 20 x 90 to 200 x 90, and are really meant to be placed on a sidebar.
Because you can place both AdLink units as well as other ad units on the page, you might find that the choice helps: if a user doesn't spot something interesting in one type of ad block, he might spot it on another.
Where AdLinks differ from other types of ads is that they on ly display a list of topics that Google believes are relevant to the content of your pages. They don't display the ads themselves. When a visitor clicks on a topic, Google pops up a new window with targeted ads.
It can be argued that the AdLinks are ineffective because people have to go through two clicks in order for you to get paid. That's right, you only get paid for the second click (but that does mean you can check to see which ads your users are being served.)
But it can also be argued that if someone is taking the time to click on a topic, then they are probably very interested in the link, and are likely to click an actual advertisement on the resulting page. Some people have found that just about everyone who clicks on an AdLink will click on the ads that appear on the next page.
I have tested AdLinks on multiple sites and have seen vast differences in results. That makes it more difficult to say whether or not they are for you.
In the first case, I placed the AdLinks on an in formation-based site with a very general audience. The results were nothing to write home about. Let's just say that you could just about buy a large candy bar with the CPM I saw.
In the second case, I placed the AdLinks on a product specific site with a narrow audience. The results were fantastic! We're talking about a CPM that is greater than what someone might make flipping burgers in one day.
The conclusions should be obvious. If you're going to use an AdLinks unit campaign. You need to put them:
- On a site with a specific field of interest. A general site will give you general ads and few clicks.
- Above the fold with few other links. For AdLinks, this is crucial: If your users are going to click a link, it should be a link th at gives you money.
It s also a good idea to keep your AdLink units for sites with high-paying keywords. If someone comes to your site seeking out information or a product on a top-notch keyword, they tend to be more likely to click as a result.
Let s take a look at an example:
Chris Pirillo's site at Lockergnome.com is an excellent template for how to do AdSense properly. While I don't have access to his AdSense statistics, I have watched his sites long enough to speculate as to his success.
The center column of his page is classic AdSense placement. He is using a medium or large rectangle with blue links, black text and subtle URL. The ads are placed inline and right justified. People start on the left and drift to the right. My testing has also shown that ads on the right perform best.
He is using a 120 x 600 skyscraper ad in sidebars, as many people do. Chris has also thought outside the box and used the white space next to his bullet points for this page. Right justifying the skyscraper block and placing it inline is a slick move.
But look where his AdLinks are: in the top left column of the page, above the fold. That means you can see Ads by Google as the first item. As long as those AdLinks are very targeted to the content on the page, they could generate 1 percent to 2 percen t in clicks. If you have the space and they fit in your sidebar, I would test them on your site as well.
There are two kinds of link units: vertical units and horizontal units. Chris Pirillo's site is a great example of the right way to use vertical link units.
But horizontal link units can be at least as effective. Since they were introduced, they really have become an extremely useful tool.
Some users have reported increases in CTR as high as 200 percent using these units!
Instead of piling the links one on top of the other which is great for putting above lists of links but stand out too clearly when placed in text the horizontal ads blend in perfectly when placed on pages with articles.
You can still only use one AdLink unit per page and users still have to click twice before you get paid but they're definitely worth slipping into a long article. You probably shouldn' t put them at the bottom of a page where they'll be very easy to miss, but there are plenty of other places where these sorts of ads can work very, very well.
For example, a horizontal ad unit can be a great alternative to a leaderboard. Its much more subtle and takes up less space on the page definitely something to experiment with to see which of the two brings you the highest revenues.
Or you could use them to separate forum or blog entries. As a horizontal unit, they can be very effective as frames that give people somewhere easy to go when they reach the end of a text unit.
One great use for horizontal link units though is on directory pages. If you have a Web page that contains tables of links, slipping a horizontal link unit above or below them or both can make the ads look like a part of the directory.
It almost makes you wan't to build a directory just to try it out!
To sum up the different types of ad format then, Leaderboards are best at the top of the page; Squares and rectangles can be embedded into text itself; Vertical ads and buttons should slip down the side of the page; Vertical link units should be placed next to link lists; Horizontal link units can go at th e top of th e page, between blog entries or above and below directories; And image ads shouldn t be used at all.
Those are the general rules governing ad formats. They're worth knowing because they're a good place to start.
They're also worth knowing because you can't break the rules until you know what they are... and that's when the fun really begins!
Expanded Text Ads Shrinking Control Or Expanded Income?
Take a look at the ad format samples on the AdSense site and you'll see a bunch of squares and rectangles filled with ads. Most of those ad units will contain more than one ad. On those units that do contain just the one ad, like th e button or the half-banner, the ad will fill the space neatly an d look pretty subtle.
You might be surprised then to put a skyscraper or a leaderboard on your site and find just one giant ad, written in super-sized text.
All the effort you've put into picking the right ad for your site, testing to see which formats work best and calculating which will give you the most clicks will have gone right out of the window.
You've prepared your site to serve multiple ads that look like content, and instead you're handing out a single ad that just screams Don't click me!
This can happen sometimes, but it s not a reason to panic. It might even be a reason to celebrate.
There are two possible reasons that Google is sending you these expanded text ads.
The first possible reason is that you've been keyword-targeted. Google keeps track of your results (just like you should be doing) and tries to serve up the number of ads for your page that will bring in the highest amount of income. That might be four ads in a unit .or just the one.
Frankly, I'm a touch skeptical that showing one ad is going to bring me more revenue than showing several, but I m prepared to give AdSense the benefit of the doubt.
If I see that Google is giving me one ad, I'll compare the results for that one ad to the previous results that I've had serving multiple ads in the same unit. If I find that my revenues have dropped I can either block that ad using my filters or just ask AdSense not to give me any more single ads.
But if I find that the expanded text ad is giving me more money, I might still be worried. I know that users are more likely to click ads th at look like content. I also know th at they prefer to have a choice of ads rather than just one option.
If I'm getting more clicks then with just one ad then , it could well be that I have been doing something wrong with that ad unit in the past. I would want to look at how well it's been optimized and whether its in the right place to bring in the best income.
It could well be that this single ad is a high-payer and works better with little competition. But it could also be that getting that one ad is a warning that something was wrong with the way you've laid out that ad u nit on your site.
You might want to try some different strategies to see if they'll increase your revenues when the multiple ads come back.
There is another possibility though. You might have been site-targeted.
This is a whole different ball game. It means that an advertiser has spotted your site and asked Google to run their ads on it on a pay-per-impression basis.
You're no longer dealing with tempting people to click, so you don't care how much your ad looks like an ad. In fact you might even want it to look like an ad, if that's what will keep the advertiser happy.
The most important point to bear in mind here is that you want to make sure that you're not losing money. It might be very nice for the advertiser to have exclusive control over a particular spot on your page but if you can make more money serving CPC ads in that space, you need to make sure that your site is working for you and not for the advertiser.
Again, watch your stats for a week and see if the revenues you receive for your impressions are h igher than those you receive for your clicks.
Most publishers find ads which pay by eCPM pay better, especially sites with high traffic rates. After all, you're getting paid for every visitor who comes to your site rather than just those that click, so all you have to do to increase your revenue is increase your traffic. As long as each impression pays more than you're paying for the traffic, you're going to be making a profit. That should be easy to calculate.
If you find the revenues are lower though , then you'll want to boot that ad off and go back to serving conventional ads. You can do that by opting out of showing site-targeted ads (you're automatically opted in).
In general, the biggest problem with these sorts of campaigns is not lower revenues, its that you've got no idea how long they're going to last, which makes it difficult for you to take advantage of them. If you knew , for example, that you were going to get paid per impression for the next two weeks, you'd want to buy in as much traffic as possible for that period, provided that you were paying less than what you are bringing in.
And because you don't care about CTR, You could also lay off the optimization and focus on making your site more attractive to users.
But you can't tell when your site is going to be used for a CPM campaign and you can't tell how long its going to last either. That means there's little point in making major changes to your optimization ; you might have to rebuild it the next day.
The best strategy to use when you spot a site-targeted ad on your site is to keep a close eye on the cash flows. Buy in more traffic if you can do it profitably, but for the most part, just enjoy the extra income!
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