If you are making a bit of money from AdSense but know you could be getting even higher CPMs (cost per thousand), then read this post carefully. You are about to learn a handful of powerful, proven tips and tactics for improving your AdSense CPMs.
Try Saying Sponsored Links
AdSense doesn’t allow you to tell users to click on advertising or to disguise advertising as non-advertising. However, AdSense does specifically allow you to place the text “Advertising” or “Sponsored Links” above an AdSense box. As counter-intuitive as it may seem, a normal-sized sentence, bolded that says “Our Sponsors:” can often increase conversions. Test it out in your market.
Match or Contrast
There are two ways main ways to get high conversions in AdSense. The first and most common is to make your AdSense format match as closely to your website as possible. The text color, font, font size, link color and AdSense borders should all match the layout of your site. When you do this, it is much more likely that someone will think the ads are part of your website or endorsed by your site and click on a link.
On the other hand, one less used but also successful tactic is to do just the opposite. Use contrasting colors or designs to deliberately make the ads stand out. Design the ad boxes in such a way that they literally pop out of the screen, drawing attention and possibly clicks.
Experiment with both methods to see how they work for you.
Always Split Test
Learn to use channels. Channels are somewhat confusing at first, but once you get the hang of them they are extremely powerful tracking tools. When combined with Google Website Optimizer, you can test a wide range of variables at the same time to figure out the best way to make the most money from your traffic. Test everything you can think of. Colors, placements, ad sizes, number of ad units – everything. You never know what will work until you try.
Placement Tips
In general, you will get a higher click-through rate by having your ads above the fold than below the fold. A classical location is the large square ad in the upper left corner of a post. Navigation bar ads are also another popular and successful option. Be sure to customize the settings so the navigation bar units look as similar to your actual navigation as possible. Finally, placement near images or other eye-catching elements on your website tends to work very well. Make sure not to misrepresent the ad as being related to the image, or you will violate the terms of service.
These are a handful of proven strategies, distilled from the experience of many marketers. You will rarely have a very high CPM when you are just getting started; however, over time, with consistent testing, you will find your CPMs rising higher and higher.
