Although my Google Adsense income doubled almost as soon I changed the theme of my Detox Blog to the Heat Map WordPress Theme last July I have recently decided to remove most of them.
Now, I know that this might sound like the actions of a mad woman but let me explain what triggered it and why I believe it was the right thing to do.
Last month I had a very enlightening 30 minute coaching session for eBook authors with social media expert Tara Alemany that she was offering in the recent Self Improvements Giveaway Event.
She gave me a lot of ideas about promoting my Detox eBook but one of the things she pointed out about my blog was that the top of my blog was nearly 3/4 adverts and that it should be 3/4 my own content instead.
When a good internet marketing friend of mine suggested last year that I could double my adsense income by using Heat Map and placing a large Google ad at the top left of my blog just above the optin form for my free report I did it.
Then, I had a notifcation from Google Adsense that I could also increase my income further by placing a banner ad under my posts and I decided to do that as well.
I can’t say I liked the look of my blog with all these ads. Quite frankly it looked a mess but when I saw that my Adsense income had doubled in the space of a month I didn’t worry too much about it.
Tara pointed out that my Lead Magnet (Free Report) optin form was no longer in a prominant position if I wanted to encourage people to optin to my list.
I was not too worried about that as I had also recently installed Popup Domination on my blog which was getting me sign ups.
It was a way of making money on the internet but at what cost?
The whole idea of having my detox blog was to show that I was an expert and authority on detox and to ultimately promote my Detox eBook.
I was not able to do this if my traffic didn’t stay long enough to read my carefully crafted posts!
I had to make a decision and my gut feeling was that Tara was right. My blog looked like one big advert so I took the large ad and banner ads at the bottom of my posts off and just left a small block of ads on the right side of my posts.
Have I done the right thing?
Yes, I believe I have because I discovered that in January Google announced the launch of an algorithm change that looks at the layout of a webpage and the amount of content you see on the page once you click on a result.
Google heard that userers were complaining that if they click on a result and it’s difficult to find the actual content, they aren’t happy with the experience.
This is what they said:
This algorithmic change does not affect sites who place ads above-the-fold to a normal degree, but affects sites that go much further to load the top of the page with ads to an excessive degree or that make it hard to find the actual original content on the page.
I think my blog fell into the excessive degree category and my ranking in the search results would be harmed as a result.
I think that at the end of they day you have to decide what you are going to use your blog for.
There is no doubt that internet marketers start niche blogs and put Google adsense ads on them as a way to make money online purely from the ads.
But. if you are using your blog to brand yourself and promote your own products or affiliate products then if you want your site to be ranked in the search engines it’s better to go easy on the ads.
I feel much happier with the way my blog looks now I have reduced the ads. I believe that it will payoff in the end.
I have not put any Google ads on this blog at all. That was a conscious desicion too but I will go into the reasons for that another time.
What do you think about putting Google ads on a blog? Are you using Google adsense as a way of making money on the internet?
Hi Sandy,
I must admit that I am not very familiar with Google ads/adsense. So to answer your question, no I don’t have these on my blog.
This is your blog and you must be happy with the way it looks. So it was good that you took Tara’s advice. If you are trying to position yourself as a detox expert, then that should be the focus of your blog, not adsense.
Good luck!
Hey, Sandy! I think you took a smart step: is not about the amount of ads as much as it’s about their position on a blog that brings money.
Yes you are right Tony. The heat map I changed to is exactly for that purpose. If the blog was for Google adsense income only then the ad I had at the top of my blog was in exactly the right place.
Sandy
Well, I don’t even have Adsense blocks on my blog and I try to keep people stay around longer.
Most of time, I have 3 Ads blocks on my Adsense Niche sites and have a decent CTR.
Adsense is a great way to make “passive” income online. I’m planning to build many new ones on monthly basis in my Case Study.
Yes, Kent, there is no doubt that money can still be made with Adsense Niche sites. There has been an increase in marketers setting up blogs for places purely for adsense income.
Sandy
Hey Sandy,
I don’t use Adsense at all on my site mainly because I want to keep people on my site, not clicking on links to get out of it.
I do believe that Adsense can be a very good source of income if done properly though.
If I was to use them, I’d only limit them to niche based sites designed to have lots of traffic but definitely not on my own marketing blog nor on personal blogs either.
I think you did the right thing with your informed decisions and I’m sure it will pay off a lot more in the long run.
Great article Sandy, speak soon! 😉
Sergio
I think you are absolutely right Sergio. When I started my Detox Blog it was accepted that you put ads on your blog and I never questioned it then. But what with the Google algorithm changes and what I now know it was not perhaps a smart move. I will see how it goes now I have reduced them.
Sandy
Thanks for the info sandy. I just recently updated my blog and I actually added a few more adsense adds within my posts. I may rethink this now…
Hey Chris, It’s like everything else you have to test, test, test but it pays not to have too many at the top of your blog.
Let us know what you decide.
Sandy
Hi Sandy,
I think like you say there is no real solution to making our blogs rank well but testing is the key. I do not think these ads help at the top of the blog and the more content you can have obviously the better it will be as unique content is key and lots of it. However in my opinion i doubt the ads make too much of an impact, minimal at most.
Hi Scott,
The longer you can engage your reader the better in Google’s eyes if you want your site to rank well.
So, as you say unique content is key.
Sandy
hi Sandy!
That was a smart and a bold move! Well google always change the algorithm and we can’t do about it but abide lol! Great move Sandy I think I will do the same thing.
Hey Carol,
I will be interested to hear how you get on if you do.
Sandy
Thanks Sandy
I didn’t know that 🙂 I will certainly be more careful in future.
Some of my sites are earning nothing but Adsense income, so perhaps it’s time to review their layout! What I have tended to do is try a site out conventionally, and if it didn’t make much money without ads I just put adsense on instead. Perhaps I should persevere longer now I have learnt a lot more.
I think I had vaguely assumed (dangerous, I know) that Google might pay more attention to my sites if they had Adsense on!
Hi Joy,
You would think that. Google encourage you to use more of their ads on the one hand but penalize you on the other hand if you have too many or in the wrong place.
Many marketers have put up blogs purely for income from Google Adsense so I think it really depends on the purpose of your blog
Sandy
I’ve always been big on the aesthetics of my websites, so too many ads is a big no no for me. Of course the point of my sites is to make money, and I can’t do that without people clicking on advertisements, so some ads are necessary. It’s always a balancing act with placing enough ads to get clicks, but make the user still have a positive experience with my site. Nobody really likes advertisements, and if your website looks like a big advertisement, nobody will like your site either.
I heard many positive reviews on google adsense but I myself not much familiar with the use of it.You did right to listen Tara’s advice. Too many ads on a blog look like a advertisement blog or website rather than informative one.