Increasing Your Google Adsense CTR

The most common mistake that many people make with Google Adsense is to assume that all they need to do is copy and paste the Google Adsense code into their website, and the money will come rolling in. And then they are disappointed when the money machine doesn’t kick in as expected.

It is not enough to download the Google Adsense code and plunk it on your website; like any good design element, it must be optimized or enhanced so as to have the maximum possible impact on your website visitors – which will lead them to click on these ads. How?

Relevant Ads

First, make sure that the ads that appear on your site are closely related to your content. The plain truth is that if your ads are not relevant, most people will not click them. They went to your site with a specific purpose in mind – their focus will be on that purpose (which your site’s content aims to satisfy) and would not be bothered with anything else.

So, how do you ensure the relevance of your content and the ads that AdSense generates? A few suggestions:

– Keyword-rich Content. One way of doing this is to create one topic per page.
– Mark some keywords as bold or italic. Even if your content is already keyword-rich, it wouldn’t harm it to emphasize some words. Don’t overdo it, however, else Google will assume that you are spamming.
– Place your keyword in the page title.
– For your content title, use HTML Tag 1 and place your keyword in it. Place this tag at the beginning of your content.

If these do not work, check the possibility that there are no ads that match your keyword. One way of doing this is by using the Google Adsense Sandbox, an amazing tool from the Digital Point Website. The program will request for your selected keyword, and display every Adsense ad that is connected with that keyword. If, as you suspected, there are no ads related to your keyword – change your keyword! It shouldn’t be that difficult – and it does happen.

Wide Ads

Second, use wide ads (250×250, 336×280, 300×250). Experience has shown that wider ads (which easily call attention to themselves) are the best performing ads.
In-Synch Ads

Third, blend your ads with your website themes. If your background color is white, make your ad’s border and background white as well. If the background color is dark (i.e., black), use bright colors such as yellow as the link color – which would help reduce user ad-blindness.

Well-Positioned Ads

Fourth, placement is important. Consider placing your Google Adsense in these positions:

– Above the fold, or the portion of the webpage that’s visible without having to scroll down. It is one of the best locations on a page because it is something easy to spot and (if you have ensured the ads are relevant to your content), would easily grab interest from your visitor.

– In the middle of an article or page. If your article is more than 500 words, people tend to stop for a moment to ‘rest’ by looking for something different while they read.

– At the end of an article. The natural tendency of people when they’ve finished an interesting article is to think, “Okay, what’s next?” The answer would be right there – in the Google Adsense ads that may provide them with just the answer they need.

A Closer Look at Adsense and Chitika

Adsense, as you knew it, is a medium for you to earn money from your site through the ads that you have linked to your page. As expected, when one thing is doing well in the market, a “competitor” will emerge to give the existing business fair competition. Thus, came Chitika. Though they both have the same purpose, there are still differences in their functions and features as no two programs can be exactly the same in features and services. To give you an overview of its differences, here is an outline highlighting the similarities and differences between the two programs:

Chitika Adsense
Period of program • Few months in the business • Few years in the business
Number of Clients • Has only few publishers now, but is continuously growing
• Has the largest number of publishers competing for the ads

Ads Presentation • Ads are in standard sizes.
• Ads are composed of a combination of image and text promoting only 1 product.
• Ads are interactive. There are provisions in the ad that change its color and font.
• Primarily text ads wherein advertisers can choose from the 10 standard sizes
• Image ads are limited. Images to be uploaded in the ads are subject to approval of Google
• Ads are limited to not more than three blocks per page.

Conditions of Service
• Bound by restrictions
• Bound by restrictions. Every time they modify, the more limitations they impose.

Features• Specific advertiser can be targeted in the search through Ad Block.
• Keywords rotate every certain day of the week or every time you refresh your search
• Font & color changes
• Background of ads can be enabled or disabled
• Search functions within ads can be enabled and disabled
• You’ll be able to identify high earners through a special feature called Channel
• Publishers can secure statistical data and analysis for the traffic logs
• Adlinks
• Colour change

Contextual Serving
• Contextual serving can be enabled or disabled depending on the preference of the advertiser
• Ads are based on the perspective of the page

Special Incentive Program• You can earn 10% of your referral’s earnings for 12 months.
• You will receive an amount of $100 on the condition that your referral will also earn the same.

Generally, based on the described features of the two programs, Chitika can be more profitable but if you prefer, you can use both in your site. Just make sure to turn off the contextual engine of the Chitika so your Adsense won’t be affected. Be cautious of the limitations of each program to avoid future problems.



Now that you have a good comparison between the two affiliate programs, it’s up to you to decide whether you’d go for the veteran in contextual advertising or the neophyte program. However, neophytes in the industry can become as good as the veteran or could even make it better in the services and features they offer. Good luck in your quest for a higher income using either Adsense or Chitika or even both programs but as you know i got rejected by Chitika