Official AS Blog Profiles "Optimisation Specialist"
G's official AS blog profiles an optimisation expert who boosted one site's earnings from $10/day to $1,700/day, just by changing the ad placement!
The secret to AS preponderance...
They were using a 468x60 Banner at the bottom of their pages, but started experimenting with two 300 x 250 Medium Rectangles -- one placed just at the top of their content, and another placed directly under the main content on each page... they moved one of the 300x250 Rectangles from the top of their page to a location more embedded in their content. After that, earnings went to over $1,700 per day!
Malarkey. I'm keeping my AS ad blocks hidden -- that way, I don't have to worry about clicking on my own ads.
- Y! MyWeb
Traffic
Without knowing how much traffic the site got daily it's a meaningless number for comparison to other sites.
so true
Bill's right on here. If it was all SE traffic and untargeted maybe. But then if it was, the reasons it was getting the referrals *should* be burned away over time as those AdSense ads draw traffic away, diminish link pop, shorten toolbar-monitored site visits, increase click backs to SERPs, and obfuscate any core content that earned the rank.
If that doesn't happen, somebody over at the plex is full of lunchean meat and spam pays and those things don't matter.
If it was not SE referred traffic, then the site will suffer similar long term value decline as ads front-and-center diminish the perceived value to visitors (if it didn't, would they be clicking?)
But then there is one more explanation. AdSense is *perfect* and inserts ads that are so good, so complimentary, that users appreciate them as adding value to an already valuable resource, *and* like the ads enough to click them and come back for another visit.
Yeah.. maybe that's it.
John john john...
You can't lump all sites with ads into the same heap as there are many sites where the ads are almost as valuable as the content and those sites won't suffer from the fate you describe.
The best analogy I can make is when people want to buy a car they get a Sunday paper with all the car sale ads or looking for a new house of apartment the real estate section. Likewise, if you go to a site about new or used cars you expect ads as you're looking for cars, or a site about plumbing with plumber ads, they convert and continue to be popular.
Other sites like a JOKE site stuffed full of mesothelioma ads will either drive people away or just never get a click in the first place and go belly up.
It's all about knowing your audience.
My point was the dollar volumes per day from $10 to $1700 is a HUGE difference but how much traffic did that take per day? 5K, 10K, 15K visitors?
I wish I thought of that
I wish I thought of that bullshit story.
ad sites...
Hmmm... ads on ad sites. Interesting thought.
Not ad sites
Nobody said it was an ad site, just an appropriate topic that attracts people in a product research/buying mood, such as product review sites, where ads work best
There are many sites where monetization works against the site such as photo galleries, genealogy site, humor sites, personal blogs about BS topics, many forums, etc. and you read about people bitching they can't make any money with ads on those sites - well duh.