In my last post I talked about 4 Widget Ad options that bloggers should test in the lead up to Christmas – in this post I want to give a few quick tips for beginners to keep in mind as they test and optimize these types of ads.
1. Keep Ads Relevant to Content
To make any kind of product ad or affiliate program work the product that you advertise needs to match what you’re writing about as closely as possible.
Most of the widget ad units mentioned in the last post allow you to choose what product (or at least category of product) that will be featured in the ad – so make sure you choose products carefully to match your blog (and individuals posts) topics.
2. Position Prominently
These Widget Ads work best when your readers see them. Now there’s an obvious statement if I ever heard one – yet I see so many ads on blogs that are likely to go unseen. Make sure your ads are in a part of your blog that will be seen by readers.
This means putting them above the fold, as close to content as possible or perhaps even underneath posts (people pause at the end of a post and look for something to do – an ad can work well there despite it being low on the page).
Avoid putting them in sidebars unless you have no other option to do that.
3. Multiple Ad Units Per Page
A logical way to increase the earnings of these types of ads is to show more than one per page. If you have one high on the page include a second one lower on the page also.
Don’t fall into the trap of stuffing your blog with too many ads – but don’t be afraid to have more than one on a page.
4. Blend Your Ad Units
Each of the widget ads can be customized in terms of size and design so don’t just let the ads sit on your page in their default appearance.
I find that ads that blend into your blog’s design a little work best. Try making the colors of links in ads the same color as links on your blog, remove borders (or at least make them the same color as your blog background) and where given the choice use fonts for the ads that don’t clash too much with your blogs font.
5. Track Your Results
Most of the widget units mentioned in the previous post have the ability to be tracked in one way or another. Utilize this and work out what works best for your blog. You will find that some ad positions, design and products will work better than others – once you work out what works best stick to it.
What tips would you ad? What have you found works best with Widget Ad Units on Blogs?
