Contextual Advertising is no doubt the hottest thing going these days. Everyone is talking about it and it seems almost everyone is using some sort of contextual advertising, whether it be Yahoo Publisher, Google Adsense, or some other program. There are new companies cropping up all over the web offering to provide contextual advertising, so who knows which one will be the biggest or the best. And who knows what will be the next hot thing. In this article, though, we are going to focus on placement of ads on the page. We are going to assume Google Adsense for our examples here. With me on the phone as I write this article is Chuck Crawford, who has built thousands of webpages that utilize Google Adsense. Robin: Can you really make any money with Google Adsense or other contextual advertising or is it that a few websites who already had lots of traffic got lucky and everyone heard about it? Chuck: Yes and yes. That's a trick question. Many companies with existing traffic have made and will continue to make money from Google Adsense, however Google Adsense has also become an excellent avenue for the would-be entrepreneur. Robin: Do you prefer Google Adsense over Yahoo Publisher and others? And if you do, why? Chuck: Yes and no. Google Adsense seems to be more contextually targeted than Yahoo Publisher at this time according to tests I have run on my own websites. Different programs will do better depending on the type of traffic your website has. Robin: Chuck, how important is where I place my ads? Chuck: I would say ad placement can absolutely make or break a webpage's performance. Robin: Should I have more than one table with Google Adsense ads in them on a single webpage? Chuck: It depends on the page itself. If the page is large, with a lot of content, you may want to consider multiple Adsense panels. If the page is small, I would suggest sticking to just one Google Adsense panel in the most prominent position. Robin: Can I place the Google Adsense ads on the same page with my other contextual advertising? Chuck: No. Even though many websites do, if you read the Google Adsense terms of service, you will find that this is not allowed. Having your account canceled is not worth it. Every webmaster that uses Google Adsense should know the terms of service backwards and forwards. Robin: Why is one location for the ads better than others? Chuck: Many studies suggest that the upper left-hand corner of the webpage is where the visitors eyes scan first. However, I have a different opinion. Each page is unique in its design, and when designing each page, you should look at the page and ask yourself, What area of the page did you look at first?" What links did you look at first?" That is where you should place ads that pay you money. Robin: Should you treat the Google Adsense ads as if they were links into your own website content? Chuck: Yes. Blending the Google Adsense links with other links in your website will produce a higher click-through ratio for most webpages. Use color and size, which is allowed by the Google Adsense terms of service, to make the links similar to your other links. Robin: What are some of the worst examples of the use of Google Adsense you can think of? Chuck: The link farms and link dumps and common pages like your email has been sent" have no value where Google Adsense is concerned and in some cases may breach the Google Adsense terms of service. Robin: What are some of the best examples of how to use Google Adsense you know of? Chuck: Of course the pages I have built for my customers and myself! No, seriously, content-specific websites focused on providing excellent information and a benefit to both the user and the website owner. It makes money for you as a website owner, it's useful to the visitor, productive for the Adwords clients and Google. Everyone wins. Robin: What would you tell those out there who have websites with Google Adsense installed that are not making any money? Chuck: Promotion is the key. A website with no traffic makes zero money. You must use many methods of traffic generation to get the surfers to your site in order for links to be clicked. It sounds like a no-brainer, but many webmasters spend weeks, months, or even years tweaking their website, changing their code, listening to SEO gurus, etc., when that time could have been spent better working on traffic development. Contrary to popular belief less time should be spent building and optimizing the website and more time should be spent promoting the website and generating traffic. Thank you Chuck. Chuck Crawford is one of the leading experts on Google Adsense and how to maximize your profits from it. I appreciate his participation in the article and sincerely hope this article helps you who are reading this.
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