Six AdSense optimization tips for forums that you might forget

Posted by: Tran Tinh on: Tháng Ba 7, 2008

• In: Google Adsense
• 2 Comments

I know that you have been involved in Google Adsense program for a long time and earned a lot from Google but sometimes bloggers are trying to increase their earning with illegal tricks and not aware of the threat of account termination. I strongly recommend you all to apply all of suggestions and tips that Google recommended together with your blog reputation, you can boost your earning in a short time.

These optimization tips have been disclosed in May 2005 and many of you have forgotten them even me. That is why I would like to recall them and share here for your reference just in case you are planning to run an Adsense forum.

1. Format is important for multiple ad units

Placing a skyscraper above the fold on the left side of your forum seems to produce slightly better performance than other positioning. However, when using multiple ad units throughout the page our horizontal bias still favors the leaderboard. See the Forum Heat Map below for more details.

2. Display your ad units where repeat users will notice them:

A leaderboard at the very top fits nicely next to the logo, but forum regulars tend to skip the header and go straight to the meat of the thread. Placing your ad unit above or below the first post can be more effective.

3. Place a leaderboard immediately after the last post:

This provides users who make it to the end of a thread with a ‘next step’ when the content ends. If you place it after the footer, though, folks will move to the next thread before they even see the ad!

4. Use horizontal link units:

Link units offer a wider range of relevant topics for users to browse. A horizontal unit can be placed near the top of your forum just below the header.

5. Opt-in to image ads:

Supporting image ads increases the pool of ads –particularly cost-per-thousand-impression (CPM) ads – bidding to display on your site. Since forums tend to have lower click-through rates (CTRs) than other types of sites, CPM ads can improve revenue without the need for clicks. Please remember, however, that CPM ads come in both text and image formats.

6. Be sensitive to your forum community:

Forums are highly interactive, so be sensitive to your users when implementing your AdSense ads. Be sure to blend the ads nicely, so they don’t appear overly intrusive – but don’t blend them so well they mislead your users! Every forum site is different and you know your community best, so as always use your own judgment to create the most positive experience for your users.

I just want to add that you should also think about other ad units like 300×250 of text/image/video too as your readers will never want to see the same text ads all the time. Good luck!