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Tag: Google Adsense

  • Google Tries to Boost AdSense Revenue, Lifts Ban on 300×250 Above-the-Fold Ads

    Google Tries to Boost AdSense Revenue, Lifts Ban on 300×250 Above-the-Fold Ads

    Internet search giant Google on Tuesday modified its AdSense policy regarding 300×250 above-the-fold ads, which it said will be a boon to publishers and advertisers in managing their mobile websites.

    In a blog post by John Brown, head of Publisher Policy Communications at Google AdSense, he explained that the change is part of their goal to look for ways to help everyone improve their mobile experience.

    After careful review, they’ve determined that 300×250 above-the-fold ads implemented in a user-friendly manner “do not annoy, distract, or result in ad performance issues.”

    He was quick to add, however, that with the removal of the restriction, site owners “must be vigilant to ensure that their mobile site layouts do not cause ads to push the page content below the fold in such a way that may lead to accidental clicks.”

    This change wouldn’t have been possible back when Google AdSense was started in 2003. But the current demand by consumers for bigger mobile phone screens may have prompted Google to change its policy regarding the size of ads on mobile sites. With a bigger display, the ads can be shown without necessarily filling up all the space.

    But critics pointed out that the new policy doesn’t make sense because size restriction was primarily imposed due to huge ads pushing the content down, leading to users accidentally clicking on them. These run in contrast to Google’s advocacy of providing a user-friendly mobile experience.

    Google seems to have changed this policy after recognizing that a 300×250 ad yields higher revenue per 1,000 impressions (RPM) and viewability rate (refers to the percentage of the ad that is actually viewed by the user). Page revenue per 1,000 impressions represents the accumulated earnings the website gets for every 1,000 impressions.

    Placing the 300×250 ad above the fold is strategic since, based on Google AdSense study, these types of ads scored the lowest viewability rate if placed elsewhere on the website. Changing the placement bumps the viewability rate to as high as 70%. With higher RPM, Google stands to earn more.

    More than the ad placement, however, Brown said that focusing on a mobile-friendly site through efficient design and substantive content will eventually boost user engagement. “In turn, this could lead to an increase in your mobile ad revenue in the long-term,” he added.

  • New Google Publisher Toolbar Allows You to Block Ads

    At the beginning of the year, Google introduced the AdSense Publisher Toolbar to help us monitor account performance. Recently, they changed the name to the Google Publisher Toolbar.

    On top of now being able to support DoubleClick for Publishers, they have added a new feature which allows us to block ads while we view our site. If you see an ad that doesn’t suit your site, there’s no need to search around for URLs, just simply block the ad.

    Google comments on how the ad blocker works with the upgraded Publisher Toolbar:

    Here’s how it works, once you’ve installed the toolbar: Just as before, you can view account performance in a widget in the corner of your Chrome window, as well as ad overlays on the page itself. Clicking on one of the ad overlays will now bring up additional information about that ad unit, including the name of the ad slot, performance metrics, the destination and display URL of the ad, and a preview of the ad. Below the ad preview, you can take action on either the ad or the URL: If you are using the Ad Review Center, you can choose to block the ad directly and your action will be reflected the next time you visit the Ad Review Center. If you block a URL, it’ll be added to your URL filter list.

    Please be assured that clicking the ad overlays generated by the toolbar is permitted, and won’t generate any invalid clicks. Also, keep in mind that blocking any ad will lower your potential earnings, as it reduces competition for your ad space by removing advertiser bids from the auction. It’s a myth that filtering ads can prevent ‘low-paying ads’ from appearing, so as always, we recommend blocking only those ads that you feel are unsuitable for your users.

    If you use Google Publishing, these are some great enhancements. Blocking ads has never been so easy. Also, it works with DoubleClick for Publishing now too. If you’re already using the toolbar, it will update automatically. If you want to download the Toolbar, follow this link. Enjoy.

  • Google Makes Some Refinements to AdSense Reporting

    Google has made some well-needed upgrades to their AdSense reporting feature that a lot of users have been asking for for awhile. Number one, they have brought back the “all time” button for your reports. If you have used the previous version of AdSense, you’ll remember this feature which will bring up all earnings, impressions, and clicks accrued since your first impression.

    Next, they’ve added a quick link to your ads under the “My Ads” tab. This way you won’t have to search for ad units or channels in the reports you’ve already created. While viewing, just click “view report” below the line item and you’ll be able to see all the performance data. This one is a real time saver especially if looking for channel data that has no link to ad units in the interface.

    The next one has to do with downloading CSV’s into the appropriate local format and can be a little complicated to explain, but it certainly will com in handy. Here’s how Google explains it:

    Just as the placement of commas and periods can change the meaning of sentences, the same is true when it comes to numbers and figures. As you may know, an amount written as $1,000.00 in the US or UK would be written as $1.000,00 in most of Europe and South America. Previously, only the $1,000.00 format was available for downloadable reports, which created difficulties for a number of international publishers trying to export CSVs to analyze the data. Now, based on your language preference, you can export CSVs with figures in the relevant format.

    If your a fan of AdSense these upgrades should make using it a little more intuitive and save some time in the process. Comments about the changes and issues you’d like to see addressed can be posted on the AdSense + page.

  • Google Introduces Affiliate Ads for Blogger

    Google has introduced a new way for bloggers to monetize their content, by launching Affiliate Ads for Blogger.

    Bloggers who seek to monetize will first need a Google AdSense account. After posting a new blog, a new ‘Advertise Products’ tab will pop up in the ‘post settings’ panel. Users who blog about a product made by an affiliate advertiser will be automatically assisted by the Google Affiliate Ads gadget to help display the correct ad on the blog – this system is presently only available for bloggers in the U.S. From there, users are able to pick what type of ad they’d like to display – simple text, an image, or a full banner – and post the ad to their page. If a follower of the blog clicks the ad and goes on to make a purchase, the owner of the blog can in turn make a commission.

    google blogger ads

    Finally, bloggers can be paid via their AdSense accounts, and Google states that bloggers don’t have to run AdSense Ads to make money off of Google Affiliate Ads – which keeps ad content within blogs at least relevant to the writing.

    Regarding Blogger, Google has also recently released two other gadgets to better integrate a Blogger account with Google+. The updates includes a Google+ badge for blog pages, as well as a simple “+1” button to add to posts, for readers to share.