How to Place AdSense Ads for Optimum Earnings

AdSense is one of the top advertising programs that bloggers use to make money on their blogs. Powered by Google, AdSense features advertising from millions of sites around the web that are related to your content. You get paid every time a visitor clicks on the ad from your site -- anywhere from 1 cent to several dollars. The more traffic your site has, the more clicks you are likely to get, and the more money you can make.

However, having a lot of traffic on your site is not the only trick to making a lot of money with AdSense. Where you place the ads on your site can have a big impact on how many clicks the ads get and how much money you can make. Here are a few places you should put AdSense ads on your site for maximum click-through rates and earnings:

Above the Fold

When visitors come to your site, you only have a few seconds to catch their attention and convince them to stay and explore your site. Chances are high that they will never scroll down the page or click to another part of your site to find your content. Therefore, you need to put the things you want them to see at the top of the fold -- or the part of your site that they can see without having to scroll.

Your header, the top of your sidebar, and the beginning of your blog posts are great places to insert your AdSense ads.

Next To or Below Content

The Google Panda update penalized sites with aggressive ad placement. Sites who featured ads more prominently than their content lost ranking in search results. Therefore, it is important to make sure that any ads you place on your site don't push your content below the fold.

 

Opt to place your ads near the top of your page right next to your content -- with text wrapped around it -- or just below the first or second paragraph. That way your ads still get prime placement, but they don't displace your content.

At the End of Posts

Though it's not above the fold, one of the best places to include AdSense ads to increase click-through rates is at the end of your posts. When your readers get to the end of your posts, it is the perfect time for them to act on what they have read. Ads that are related to your content have a good chance of being clicked on when they come at the end of your content.

High in the Sidebar

The sidebar is a great place to include advertising since it appears on every page of your blog. Ads that are placed high in the sidebar have a high click-through rate as they are featured above the fold and on every page of your blog. In addition, ads in the sidebar have no chance of displacing your content, so you won't risk the wrath of Google.

Proper AdSense placement can make all the difference to the success of your advertising revenue and the long-term success of your blog. Use these tips to maximize click-through rates and income potential so that you can create a passive income while doing what you love.

What other strategies have been successful for you in AdSense placement? Share your tips for success in the comments!