Adsense Warfare

Using graphics design to increase earnings

So you’ve got your web site up and running with Google Adsense advertisements, but you not getting the click-thru rate you expected? Well this article hopes to share some of my experiences and other examples of how to position your forces and strategically draw your web sites users in and get them clicking that little bit more.

Now I don't personally claim to be earning huge amounts of money with Adsense but after integrating the techniques shown below into my sites, my click-thru rates have more than doubled in the past month, therefore I have doubled my Adsense income!

Using Images and Icons

Here s a great technique for drawing users eyes towards your adverts, it involves using eye-catching but non-influential images above/below or to the side of an ad placement. Non-influential meaning that if you use anything that directly entices users to click on an advert such as an arrow or flashing text telling people to click the advertsrt you will get banned from Adsense.

Be careful with this one though as Google's program policies state the following that you "May not place misleading images alongside individual ads" So in order not to get caught out with this one I would recommend using subtle images relating to your content or that merge well with your sites layout.

You can find a great selection of universal symbols and shapes in Adobe Photoshop using the "Custom Shape Tool". Below are some subtle examples of how they can be used to make your adverts stand out that little bit more.

Integrate them into your navigation

Of course common sense comes into this one a bit because slapping on advertisements that look nothing like your sites content with completely unrelated colours can make them stick out like a sore thumb, but in a bad way. I guess the true art of integrating them into your layout designs is to place them near your actual navigation links.

If you look at the example below, as your eyes pass over the top navigation you often can’t help but almost click the advertisements below, I guess this is because they have chosen a colour that both relates to their colour scheme but one that is slightly more intense than the navigation itself.

Below also has some great examples of using a link unit adverts in the same colours as your navigation, meaning that when users eyes gaze over your content they may treat these as further content links rather than invading advertisements.

Think Neon

Now as you might have noticed this web site has some Google adverts of its own, located at the top and left hand side of the page you can see that I have chosen a slightly strange combination of colours.

My reason for adding this kind of effect to my advertisements came when I visited a random web site a few months back and was instantly attracted but this bright green text on the right, just as I was about to click on it I realized “oh this is an ad” then bang it hit me I just had to do this. A month later I have to say this was one of my best Adsense moves and has instantly boosted my click-thru rate.

All I can grasp from this is that users tend to like the use of bright colours on darker backgrounds, I guess this is common sense to most web designers, in order to make sure links are always visible, but obviously some colours like the above seem more visible and enticing than others.

Do you remember the old "Neon Nerds" sweets as a kid? With thier bright packing simular to the above, well now I come to think of it maybe that had the same effect on me and my pocket money back in the day :) anyway thats all from me ;)

More great Adsense related articles

Expert Adsense tips from Pro Blogger Darren Rowse

Good Forum post showing how hard work pays off!

How to get traffic to your new site, Dan Richard's Blog