Thanks to everyone who submitted a reply to my last post where I asked about your best performing AdSense unit.

The clear winners are the larger units. The 300×250 and 336×280 were the most popular answers.

Monitors are getting wider and so are websites.  So the larger units tend to work well on sites with wider content areas.  Also, the 300 pixel units fit very nicely within many blog sidebars.

I noticed many of you like to float the 300 pixel square units in the middle of your content pages.  Perhaps you’ve discovered this yields a higher click-thru ratio, but I think the square units look best in sidebars or when they flow alongside a block of content or video.

(See an example on 2CreateAWebSite.com.)

A few mentioned that blending the background works best.  I totally agree.  When you make the background a different color, it does make the ad stand out, but it also screams, “Hey, this is an ad!”

I like to match the unit background with my site and use a different color for the URL at the bottom of the ad to make the unit pop just a bit.

There were no votes for the link units.  I don’t care for them.  Even though they fit nicely in narrow spaces, the visitor has to click twice for you to earn a commission.

Plus, the idea that your visitor has to click a category of ads just to view more ads just seems odd to me.  I’ll pass.

Obviously my little survey was very unscientific and not meant to represent the entire AdSense population.  I just wanted to open up a discussion about your experimentation with the AdSense units.

So thanks.  I appreciate the feedback.  Keep testing!  That’s really the only way to know what works best for YOUR site.

How well an AdSense unit performs on a site depends on several different factors…

1) The page the unit is on
2) Ad relevancy
3) Amount and quality of traffic to the site/page
4) Placement of unit

So I am by no means about to suggest that one size fits all in regards to the units. However, I would like to open up a discussion on what you’ve learned about placement.

I recently tweeted that I am having great success using the 300×250 Medium Rectangle unit alongside my YouTube videos. On certain pages, my click-thru rate has quadrupled.

I actually got this idea from Google. One of their optimization experts suggested this on my site over a year ago.  Not sure what took me so long, but I am now implementing this on more pages and the results have been fab.

Let’s talk about what you’ve learned about placement and/or color experimentation.  Done anything different to give your earnings a boost?  Please share!

A CopyBlogger post titled, “How to Do 500 Times Better Than AdSense” really caught my attention last week.

It was written by Johnny B. Truant, a blogger who made the decision to stop using AdSense.

His strategy was like many others…

Johnny created several anonymous sites with loads of search-engine-optimized content.

Next, he submitted his sites to various directories and social networking websites to generate traffic.

After about 9 months of nonstop hard work, he received his first AdSense check for $111.  If you do the math, that’s about $12/month.

Meanwhile, he created another blog on a subject that he is more passionate about (technology services).  By his 9th month he was pulling in five figures per month from his not-so-anonymous business blog without AdSense ads.

Johnny then made the decision to drop AdSense.

Where I Disagree With Johnny

In the CopyBlogger article, Johnny states a few reasons why he doesn’t like AdSense. He made some valid points, but one reason he gave was the anonymity factor.

He seems to suggest you have to be anonymous to do well with AdSense, and my earnings are proof that is not true.

You don’t have to be anonymous, it’s just that many people choose that route because they are trying to build a quick business instead of taking the time to build a trusted brand with one website.

There are a lot of people making good money with the anonymous, multi-site model, but that’s just not for me.

My method of building an individual brand through content takes much longer to build up, but the long-term rewards are worth it — both from an AdSense and affiliate marketing standpoint.

AdSense – Good or Bad?

Whether or not AdSense is the best model is certainly debatable.  Of course, there is the potential that the ads will distract from your content, the confusion they can cause among visitors, the potential loss of traffic and more.

So I definitely understand the argument that it may not be the best solution for everyone.  As a site owner, you should weigh the pros and cons and decide if it makes sense with your strategy.

I’ve also never been a fan of AdSense-only websites.  You need to diversify your monetization portfolio.  Ask yourself.  If AdSense shut down today where would your income come from?

Even though I make between $6K and $8K per month with AdSense, my business would not die without it.  You should never put all your eggs in one basket.  AdSense can be PART of your model, but it shouldn’t BE your model.

I really hope you take the time to read Johnny’s article.  I love posts like this because they spark discussion.

While I think Johnny made some valid points, I certainly don’t agree with them all.  Maybe I’ve been blinded by my earnings, but I plan to stay put.

Nevertheless, I respect his decision to discontinue with AdSense. It’s certainly not for everyone.

I’d love to know your thoughts on this.  Let’s discuss!

In August, I wrote about the addition of third party network advertisers to the AdSense program.

For AdSense publishers this just means there are more advertisers who can compete for ad space on your site.

So the ads displayed are not just from the AdWords program anymore.  They can also come from pre-approved, certified networks that are working with Google.

If you have a website that advertisers want to appear on, this can work to your advantage as they outbid each other for real estate on your site.

You can watch the video about this below. (Can’t see the video in your e-mail or RSS reader? Visit my blog to watch it.)

Ever since Google announced this change, my earnings have skyrocketed.  I published a video about my record earnings in July, and October looks to shatter that record by a mile.

Can I be sure this spike is due to the addition of the third party ad networks?

Not really.

Since I have no way of knowing the source of my ads (AdWords or a third party network) and which ads get clicked, of course I cannot confirm that my spike is from this change.  However, it’s hard not to assume this has something to do with it.

The Stats

In my six years as an AdSense publisher, I’ve never experienced an earnings spike like the one I’m having now.   Also, this spike was very sudden. In the past, any upward trend was very gradual.

September’s earnings were up nearly 20% over August, and if my earnings keep this current pace in October, this month will beat September by 5-10%.

Here’s another point I want to make…

In the last two months, both my traffic and click-thru percentage (CTR) have remained the same.  However, my eCPM has gone way up since Google’s announcement.  To put it simply, that just means I am earning more for my traffic (clicks, impressions, etc.)

And if my speculation about the third party networks coming into play is right, it all adds up. (Pardon the pun.)  If there are more advertisers bidding for space, that will drive up the average cost per click (CPC) of the ads and increase the amount you can earn per click.

Of course, I’m doing a lot of speculating here, and perhaps this post is premature.  But my increase in earnings over the last two months cannot be ignored — especially since my earnings trend was pretty flat during the first half of the year.

So now I’m curious.  Have you noticed an increase in your earnings since Google started allowing third party networks to advertise on your site?

On August 25th, Google announced there will be more revenue earning opportunities for AdSense publishers.

In the coming months, you’ll be able to display ads from additional networks.

Google ensures this will give you, the publisher, the chance to maximize profits from AdWords and ads sponsored by 3rd parties.

Some AdSense publishers often complain of poorly targeted ads on certain pages.  Many times it’s because there aren’t many relevant ads to show for certain content.

This new development may alleviate some of those issues and offer more relevant ad possibilities.

Not interested in this option?  No problem.  If you don’t want to show ads from 3rd party networks, you can continue to show AdWords ads only.  You’ll be able to configure your settings in the My Account tab.

This is one of several changes/updates in Google’s ad program this year.  In March, Google introduced interest-based advertising.  This is where your visitors may see ads based on websites they frequent instead of ads related to your page content.

So if your site is about tennis, a visitor may see a Google ad about video games based on their browsing history. And just like the 3rd party networks, you may opt out of this by going to the Account Settings section under the My Account tab.

One of my favorite new features of 2009 is the ability to block certain ad categories.  In case you didn’t know, you can go to the Ad Review Center (under Adsense Settings) and choose up to 5 categories to filter.

Google will even tell you which categories earn you the most (by percentage) to help you determine which categories to block.

Lots of changes for Google’s ad program this year.  Overall, I think it’s a good thing for the publishers and advertisers.

What are your thoughts on the new changes?  Do you ever make changes to the default ad settings in your AdSense account?  If so, how has it helped you?

I’ve been testing Chitika on two of my sites for the past two weeks.

So far so good.  It’s a great compliment or alternative to using contextual ad programs like AdSense, Kontera, Infolinks, etc.

Here’s a video with an overview of how it works…

Note: Using Chitika and AdSense on the same site/page does not violate the AdSense terms.  It is perfectly OK to use both.

If you are already an AdSense member, you may not know that Google recently tightened up their acceptance policies for their popular AdSense program.

Gone are the days where you can throw up a quick Blogger blog today and get accepted into the AdSense program by tomorrow.

According to their policies, you must adhere to the following guidelines…

1)  Your website must sit on a top-level domain (yoursite.com not yoursite.host.com).

2) Your domain must be active for at least 6 months

3) Your AdSense application info must match your domain records

Due to the fact I am already a member, I was not aware of some of these policies until I began getting more emails from people who were getting rejected because their site didn’t adhere to one or more of the guidelines.

One blogger was quite upset, saying he believed his Blogger blog had very well written content that was unique. Another lady complained that the guidelines were just too strict and should be relaxed.

Take note that both of these blogs were created with the free Blogger service and neither had their own domain name to redirect to their blogs.

Here’s My Take…

If you want to make money online, understand that you are setting up a business.  Businesses require investments and work.  If you are not prepared to fork over $3-$10/month for hosting then maybe this is not for you right now.

I personally don’t think the criteria is overly strict, and it will eliminate many of the low-quality sites throughout the network.  If you ask me, this is long overdue.

What people need to understand is that Google must protect their advertisers — the lifeblood of their business.  And because Google started out with such a relaxed acceptance policy, things got out of hand.

Worthless blogs and websites with plagiarized content were going up left and right.   Numerous people tried to cheat the system by inviting friends to click their ads or using other computers to click their own ads.

Instead of treating AdSense as a monetization model for their business, people behaved as if this was some way to get-rich quickly with Google ads.

What Publishers Should Know

If you’re an AdSense publisher, understand that being a member is a privilege, not a right.  Some webmasters seem to feel they are entitled to get paid by Google because they have a website, but as I stated earlier, Google’s top priority is the AdWords advertisers.

We the publishers are helping Google advertise and Google is paying us a percentage of what they earn.  If the advertisers complain about the quality of the sites or click fraud, then it’s in Google’s best interest to rectify the situation.

Now of course, the AdWords advertisers can choose NOT to display their ads on the publisher websites, but that’s not the point.  Publishers need to respect and understand how the AdWords and AdSense relationship works.

I applaud Google for their policies.  If you think about it, everyone wins in the end.  If the overall quality of the publisher sites improve, more AdWords advertisers may opt in to display their ads on our sites, thus giving us publishers the opportunity to earn more.

In the last two months my AdSense earnings are up quite a bit.  Some analysts speculate Google’s cleanup and stricter policies are causing more AdWords advertisers to opt into advertising on the publisher sites.

There’s no way I can know this for sure, but I wouldn’t doubt this has an impact.

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Note:  After this post was published, I was informed that people are still able to get accepted prior to owning their domain for six months.   So it appears that Google may take the quality of your content into consideration.  Nevertheless, it can’t hurt to wait.  You aren’t going to make much with AdSense unless you have the traffic anyway.

Mel Ann and Tim of the Australian AdSense team put together a nice video (below) to help you optimize your AdSense earnings.

While some of the information in the video is common knowledge to most publishers, there are also some very useful tips.

Create Channels

Pay close attention to the part about creating channels so you can track and compare different ad units.

Most people don’t do this. They just create different sized ad units and slap them all over their pages, then focus on their overall earnings without tracking the results of each unit.

However, when you learn which ad units perform the best, you can maximize your earnings from the program.

Blend, Blend, Blend

I was also glad they pointed out that blending the ad background with your site’s background has proven to generate higher click-thru rates.

Many people still think it’s best to make the ads stand out by using outlandish or contrasting backgrounds. Mel Ann and Tim explain that it’s best to make the ads look as if they are part of your content.

So without further ado, watch the video below to learn how to maximize your earnings from AdSense…

My last post on my top 7 money making programs generated some questions about AdBrite.

Some people wanted to know if it’s legal to use with AdSense. Others were curious if it pays well.

First of all, yes, it’s OK to use AdBrite in conjunction with AdSense. It does not violate Google’s Terms of Service if you want to use both programs on your site or blog.

As far as earning potential goes, you’ll get the same answer as you would for any contextual advertising system. A lot will depend on your traffic, niche, and ad targeting.

A Few Kinks

Unlike Google, AdBrite has got lots of work to do in the targeting department.

In fact, the network ads were so unrelated I had to turn off the “auto approve” feature because I had ads for cars and jewelry showing up on my site about web development. Yikes!

I guess AdBrite must realize this is a problem because they give you the option to approve the ads before they show up on your site.

This can be a pain because it requires you to login to your account and manually review each new ad. However, if showing targeted ads on your site is a priority (and it should be), then this step is a must.

As I mentioned in my last post, I didn’t join AdBrite for their CPC (cost per click) program. I personally think AdSense is the best program for that.

I use AdBrite to sell ad space to 3rd parties. So the only time the network (CPC) ads appear on my pages is when I have not sold all my flat rate ad spaces.

Their 3rd party ad management is pretty good. You have complete control over how your customer’s ads will appear. You can change the font style, text size, etc. and choose either a horizontal or vertical layout.

Is AdBrite Worth It?

That’s one of those things you’ll have to test for yourself. I certainly like them better than programs like Kontera where they underline your text and display the ad when the person hovers over the hyperlink.

I don’t know why, but I find those kinds of ads to be terribly annoying and distracting. Yet, others may say the same thing about AdSense, AdBrite and the likes. So, to each their own, right?

Even though AdBrite’s targeting needs work, they’ve certainly gotten better over the past six months. And the good thing is, it’s not going to cost you a thing to try them out.

For me, they are worth it because I like having a 3rd party manage my flat-rate ads. So if you’re looking to sell ad space from your site, you may want to look into AdBrite.

And if you’re searching for a new monetization option or perhaps you’ve been booted from AdSense and you’re looking for other CPC programs — give AdBrite a try to see how it works with your site or blog.

In my opinion, it doesn’t hold a candle to AdSense in terms of earnings for CPC, but depending on your niche, you may find that certain ads perform very well on your site.

It’s a fear many Webmasters have — getting pulled from AdSense for fraudulent clicks or other activity deemed “against AdSense TOCs”.

The fear is pretty valid. I’ve heard of people getting pulled from the program for “no apparent reason” (according to them).

Of course there are two sides to every story, but it reinforces that Google’s #1 interest is protecting their advertisers, not you, the publisher.

And rightfully so.

Google watches AdSense accounts like a hawk, especially if you’re a new member.

They track IP addresses and monitor for fraudulent clicks on a regular basis. A friend of mine clicked her own ads and was removed from the program within 2 days of joining.

While I have no fool-proof way to ensure your account won’t get dinged, here are some tips to keep you in good graces with Google.

1. Report Accidental Clicks

If you accidentally click on your own ads (and people have done this), the best thing to do is report it to Google immediately. In fact, Google even advises you to do this.

If you’re honest and upfront about it, Google probably won’t remove you from the program. Your account may get flagged temporarily and/or you may lose some revenue, but it’s better you report it than having them find out about it.

Just make sure this doesn’t become a habit.

2. Stop Telling Your Friends & Family to Click on Your Ads

Some people join Adsense with the intent of getting rich by having their friends and family click on their ads. While you may think this is pretty fool-proof idea, it’s not very smart or ethical.

First of all, advertisers pay for those ads through the AdWords program. So when you tell people to randomly click the ads, you are throwing their hard-earned money down the toilet. In a way, it’s stealing.

Second, what if Google notices the multiple clicks from the same IP address. Yes, maybe it’s not your IP address, but is it really worth the risk? Plus, I would imagine Google would eventually ignore those clicks anyway.

3. When Google Calls…. Answer… And Keep Your Records

Some thieves are not too bright. Once I caught someone who literally ripped off my entire site. Not only did they forget to remove my AdSense code, but they violated the AdSense T&C’s by calling attention to the ads.

Google discovered this site, and because the person was using my AdSense code, they contacted me because they thought it was my site. I explained to them what happened.

After I replied, I didn’t hear back from Google and that made me a little nervous. So I contacted them again and included the previous correspondence.

This time I received an answer and Google told me they added a note to my file that said I was not the owner of the domain that violated the T&C’s. More importantly, I saved this reply for my own records just in case.

4. Obey The Rules

Even though Google doesn’t seem to be enforcing this much, they recently added a section to their T&C’s that require any site that uses AdSense to have a Privacy Policy. See the end of Section 1 of their terms and conditions.

Many Webmasters aren’t taking this too seriously, but if it’s in their T&C’s then why not take 10 minutes to set it up?

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A lot of people feel Google owes them something or they are doing Google a big favor by being an AdSense publisher.

I have no way of knowing how AdSense affects Google’s bottom line, but I can tell you this. Thousands of advertisers are paying to advertise with Google through AdWords, and we know that’s where Google is making its money.

AdWords advertisers funnel thousands of dollars into Google everyday and indirectly earning you money from AdSense. Google’s best interest is keeping them happy, not the publishers. Remember, AdSense publishers aren’t paying Google a cent.

So the next time you try to sneak a click or encourage your visitors to click an ad or two, ask yourself if the 12 cents you’ll gain is worth losing your account for good.