Increasing Your Google Adsense CTR
Increasing Your Google Adsense CTR
The most common mistake that many people make with Google Adsense is to assume that all they need to do is copy and paste the Google Adsense code into their website, and the money will come rolling in. And then they are disappointed when the money machine doesn’t kick in as expected.
It is not enough to download the Google Adsense code and plunk it on your website; like any good design element, it must be optimized or enhanced so as to have the maximum possible impact on your website visitors – which will lead them to click on these ads. How?
Relevant Ads
First, make sure that the ads that appear on your site are closely related to your content. The plain truth is that if your ads are not relevant, most people will not click them. They went to your site with a specific purpose in mind – their focus will be on that purpose (which your site’s content aims to satisfy) and would not be bothered with anything else.
So, how do you ensure the relevance of your content and the ads that AdSense generates? A few suggestions:
- Keyword-rich Content. One way of doing this is to create one topic per page.
- Mark some keywords as bold or italic. Even if your content is already keyword-rich, it wouldn’t harm it to emphasize some words. Don’t overdo it, however, else Google will assume that you are spamming.
- Place your keyword in the page title.
- For your content title, use HTML Tag 1 and place your keyword in it. Place this tag at the beginning of your content.
If these do not work, check the possibility that there are no ads that match your keyword. One way of doing this is by using the Google Adsense Sandbox, an amazing tool from the Digital Point Website. The program will request for your selected keyword, and display every Adsense ad that is connected with that keyword. If, as you suspected, there are no ads related to your keyword – change your keyword! It shouldn’t be that difficult – and it does happen.
Wide Ads
Second, use wide ads (250×250, 336×280, 300×250). Experience has shown that wider ads (which easily call attention to themselves) are the best performing ads.
In-Synch Ads
Third, blend your ads with your website themes. If your background color is white, make your ad’s border and background white as well. If the background color is dark (i.e., black), use bright colors such as yellow as the link color – which would help reduce user ad-blindness.
Well-Positioned Ads
Fourth, placement is important. Consider placing your Google Adsense in these positions:
- Above the fold, or the portion of the webpage that’s visible without having to scroll down. It is one of the best locations on a page because it is something easy to spot and (if you have ensured the ads are relevant to your content), would easily grab interest from your visitor.
- In the middle of an article or page. If your article is more than 500 words, people tend to stop for a moment to ‘rest’ by looking for something different while they read.
- At the end of an article. The natural tendency of people when they’ve finished an interesting article is to think, “Okay, what’s next?†The answer would be right there – in the Google Adsense ads that may provide them with just the answer they need.
