Monday, November 24, 2008

Ad Sense Foul Ups - Where Did I Go Wrong

By Julie Roze

There is a common myth that simply putting Ad Sense on your website will get you some instant cash. If you are one of the millions who have tried this.you know it's not that easy. Many people simply create the ads and place the code on their site without giving them another thought.

How should you customize your ads to maximize your profits? Let's talk about location first. Where should your ads be place for best performance? The center of the page is the best location followed by the upper left hand side bar, just below the header and directly below your text at the bottom of the page. Places you should avoid are the right hand side bar, above the header, and lower left hand sidebar.

Let's move on to the style of your Ad Sense ads. Borders are a big no-no when it comes to Ad Sense ads, yet I still see them around. When you have a border it provides a visual stopping point between your text and the ad. Make your border the same color as your background on your site so that it becomes invisible. Also, the background of the ad itself should be the same as your site.

The title link should be the same color as all other title links in your site/area you are working with. This will draw the surfer's eyes to it as a clickable link. The text should be the same color as the text you are working with. Also, the little URL at the bottom should be the same color as the text.

Now, if you've paid attention, you'll notice the same theme in the paragraphs above. Make the Ad Sense blend in with your site with the exact same colors of your site. Instead of thinking of them as ads, think of them as small areas of important text related to your site. People have developed "Banner Blindness" and anything that looks like an ad will not get any attention or clicks, people simply don't see them anymore.

I can give you a few more tips to jump start your Ad Sense earnings. Surf other people's site and see what they did. Avoid image ads. And finally, maximize your ads. When I wrote this, you were allowed 3 ad link units and 3 text ads, which I use. Make sure you put them all on your page.

Ad links can be placed in navigational areas. Make the background and border the same as your site/area that you are putting the ad in. Make the link color the same as the links in the area. You can place a horizontal unit just below the header of your page. A vertical unit can be placed in any vertical navigational area you have, either above, below or within it.

When deciding on links per unit, take the font into consideration. If your font is larger, try 4 links per unit. If your font is smaller, try five links per unit. Also, you may want to underline your links so that they match better with the ad links. - 16747

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