Customizing Site and AdSense Ads to Make Them Click

Customizing Site and AdSense Ads to Make Them Click
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Introduction

One of the biggest mistakes people make when setting up Google ads is failing to plan the look and feel of their site and AdSense placement first. The best way to increase visibility for your ads is to know what will grab your visitor’s attention. When customizing the design of the ads Google will place on your site, the number of choices can be overwhelming for a beginner. The worst mistake you can make is to use the default settings and allow Google to choose the best format for you. Knowing what will prompt your visitors to click on the AdSense ads and increase your income is key.

Make Ads Look Less Like Ads

The main reason people visit your site is for the content. Believe it or not, they aren’t there just to see what type of AdSense ads will be featured. Although the ads don’t draw visitors to your site, they can scare them off. Another mistake beginners make is to use bright colors in an effort to increase visibility.You don’t want the ads to be a turn off for your visitors. At the same time, you don’t want the ads to fade off into the background or to be hidden away at the bottom of the page.

The trick is to have the ads interwoven into the content. Since supplying quality content should be your first priority and ads the second, surround them with content so that they blend into the site. This takes the visitor’s focus off the fact that you are trying to sell them something. Instead, give the impression that you are supplying them with beneficial information; your site content and AdSense ads working together to fill a need.

Text vs. Images

Image ads may be pretty and attribute to the visual effects of your site, but the text ones are better for many different reasons. Text ads blends into your site better. Ads don’t pop out as much when they are placed within the content. Text ads take advantage of the limited space that is allowed; multiple text ads can be placed in the same space as one banner. Unlike multiple text ads, more than one banner or image placed together can seem cluttered and messy.

In this day and age, visitors have trained themselves to avoid banners and images at all costs. Visitors will probably not take notice of the banners while scrolling through your site. Visitors are more receptive to well-placed text ads than they will ever be to eye-popping banners.

The Size Really Does Matter

Google gives a range of size options when customizing the ads. Which size option produces the best performing ads?

The 336 x 280 – Large Rectangle currently holds that title. This size has been proven by the professionals to get more clicks. There is no reason why it does, but many internet entrepreneurs agree that this is the best size. The next best ad size is the 300 x 250 Medium Rectangle. The one size you absolutely want to stay away from is the 468 x 60 ad block. Because of it’s similarity to the traditionally-sized banners, visitors steer clear if it.

Adsense

Other Style Tips

Color and other style effects are additional things you need to be mindful of when customizing the look of the AdSense ads. Always pick a color that best compliments the style of your website. Don’t let your website’s colors and images overpower your content and ads. Keep it simple when it comes to design. A white background with clear, readable dark text is the preferred design. Remove boarders around the ads. You can do this by making the boarder color the same as the background of your website. Always use blue when picking the link color. Keep all this in mind when customizing your ads and watch your CTR increase dramatically.

This post is part of the series: Making Money with Google Adsense

A series of articles to help beginners and advanced users get the most out of Google Adsense.

  1. Making Money with Adsense Introduction: Pre-enrollment Checklist
  2. Making Money with AdSense: Creating Your First AdSense Ad
  3. Making Money with Google Adsense: Customizing Site and Ads to Make Them Click
  4. Making Money with Google Adsense: Best Practices to Maximize Visibility