The Google AdSense Basics

This article explains basics of placing Adsense ads on your website. I think this is very interesting article with a couple of simple tips that will help you to increase your Adsense CTR.

In this post we will go over the layout for your pages and discuss why they are a key part of your Adsense earnings.

With AdSense you can place up to 3 ad blocks on your web page. You will find different theories on whether or not it is most effective to have your ads blend in with or stand out from the content on your page. While some would say they have better results when the ads stand out, in my opinion it is best to try and make them blend in with the rest of the site as much as possible so that your visitors will see them as content rather than advertisements.

Try mixing the ad blocks throughout your content to create a natural flow through the page. The proper positioning of your ads should be done with great care. The goal is to position your ads where your visitors are most likely to click on them. According to research the first place most people look when they visit a website is to the top left of the page.

Although it may seem to be a good idea to add bright borders, colors or links to make you ads pop out on the page, you will want to take in to consideration what your visitors are looking for when they come to your site. If they are there looking for information or a solution to a problem they would be more likely to click through on a link that appears to be content rather than one that looks like an ad. If they are there shopping for a product you may do better to have your ads stand out. The key lesson here is....always keep your visitor in mind when you are building your pages.

Google has run tests that show horizontal ads tend to receive more clicks than vertical ones. This is because a person is more used to reading horizontally, so they are more likely to be attracted to this layout. The larger rectangular ads that read horizontally have been proven to get more clicks as well.

Another tip for ad placement:

There are certain areas to place ads that are thought to be more likely to encourage a greater click through than others. For instance:

- above the page footer.
- below the navigation at the top of the page.
- on the top left hand side of the page.

Keep in mind that near the middle above the main content is thought by many to be the best place to put your ad blocks. Let's say that you have 3 ad blocks on your page, but still want more. What can you do?

Here comes Google's link units to the rescue. You are allowed to add these in addition to the standard 3 ad blocks without breaking any of the Adsense rules. These link units are a great way to incorporate ads that can look like they are a natural part of your site's navigation menu, but when they are clicked on they take the reader to a page of targeted ads that are related to the topic of your site.

I know this is a lot to think about, but it is very important to take the time to think about your page layout. If you get stuck for ideas just start surfing. See what other sites are doing and where they are putting their ads. You will get some great ideas!

Author of this article is Maher Aljabri