Maximize Advertising Revenue by Testing

If you are trying to make money by publishing a blog or other information website, a popular revenue stream is to display advertising. In order to maximize the advertising revenue your blog generates, it requires patient and diligent testing of your many options. Here are a few tips for effective testing.


1. Diversify Your Lineup
Try a combination of different advertising types to maximize earning potential. For example, contextual pay-per-click ads convert well from search users (ie., first time readers looking for specific answers), but may not work as well in your feed or newsletter because regular readers learn to ignore ads.
2. Move Them Around
Play around with your layout to give different ads more or less exposure. Placement of ads is especially important around "the fold", or the top 768 pixels of a Web page. That is the portion of a web page that nearly all visitors can see without scrolling. Moving an ad block a few pixels up so it's above the fold for more visitors may result in a significant bump in revenue. You can also try moving advertising closer to content or near navigation elements.
3. Try Different Colors
Most text link ads work well when blended to be the same color as the content, but on some sites, it might work better when the ads contrast the content colors and really stands out on the page. Without trying both ways, you won't know what works better for your unique audience.
4. Less is Sometimes More
In an effort to maximize revenue, many bloggers throw ever more ad blocks into their sidebars. Be careful of making your site too ad heavy. Readers come to your blog to read content, not click ads.
5. Explore the Possibilities
Make sure you are being paid accurately and in a timely manner. Monitor your performance and if you are not happy with the service or results, try another company. There are so many options, you don't have to live with an ad program that's not a good fit for your site. Don't be afraid to check out what's new.