Im always talking about the different strategies that publishers can use to get more people to click their ads. And Im always saying that theres one bottom line to all of those strategies: blending the ads into the page so that they look like part of the content... and not something served by some outside advertiser that the reader doesnt give two hoots about.
There are lots of different ways to do that. You can match the colors of the ad to the colors on your site. You can match the fonts used in the ad to the fonts on the site. You can take out the borders so that its less clear where the content ends and the ad begins. And you can put the ads where people are going to be looking anyway. Thats just to name a few.
All of those things help. But none of them will help if the users dont trust the content in the first place.
Everything we do to boost our income can really be summed up as saying to the user: Click here. Youll love it. Trust me. We cant say that straight out so we have to make sure that when a user sees a link on our websites, they understand automatically that that link comes recommended.
That understanding can only come with trust.
I think there are two sides to building that trust.
The first is to always give the reader exactly the sort of content hes looking for. When a user enters a keyword in a search engine, spots your site on the results page and clicks, you have to give him content related to the keyword. And not just any old content -- good content. Ive lost count of the number of times Ive clicked on a good-looking link on Google only to find a page full of keywords and ads. You can bet I didnt click the ads to get out of there.
The other side to building trust though is to make sure that the links on the page are good too. Users who come to the site should feel that when you offer a link, its going to take them somewhere interesting. A user who clicks a link on your page and regrets it is going to think twice before he does it again -- and that includes clicking the links in the ads.
Its one thing to blend ads into the page but if that page doesnt have good content and reliable links then what are you blending them into
Joel Comm is The Internet Revenue Expert. Online for over 20 years, Joel teaches people how to make money in the digital age. The recognized authority on Google AdSense, Joel teaches how to multiply your AdSense income at The AdSense Code. To ask Joel Comm a question about making money online, visit Joel invites you to download a free copy of The Internet Money Tree at
Do you remember when you first heard about Google There was no giant marketing campaign, no big media blitz to celebrate the launch. Just lots of word of mouth from people who knew about the site, had tried it and had been blown away by its ability to bring up accurate search results.
Out went Lycos and Infoseek, and all of a sudden everyone who was anyone online was using Google to find the information they were looking for.
I have to admit, these days I use Googles home page a lot less. That doesnt mean I dont use Google at all. I still use it when Im still looking for something new but today, for the most part, I know which sites I like. Probably about ninety percent of my time online is spent at the sites Ive already visited, respect and trust to give me the content I want.
There are a couple of lessons there, I think. The first is that its important to pay plenty of attention to returning visitors. Sure, you need to advertise and market yourself across the Web but its the loyal fans who are going to spread your name, visit for free -- and are likely to click on your ads. Theyre the ones who trust you the most and are most interested in your content.
The other lesson is that those sites that you like best are doing well for a reason: theyre doing something right. When youre wondering how you can improve your traffic, get more repeat visitors or earn more clicks, theyre the first places you should look for inspiration.
Obviously, you dont want to copy them. You still want to be unique and appeal in your own way. But a site that you find interesting and enjoyable is likely to be attractive to your readers the people who like the things you like.
Take a look at the layout of the sites in your favorites list. Check out the sort of content they like to publish, how they arrange it and how often its updated. Try to see whether you think their ads are in the best places or how they could be improved.
When youre looking for case studies and examples of what to do right online, start with the sites you like. Use those sites as a guide and your users should like you even more.
Joel Comm is The Internet Revenue Expert. Online for over 20 years, Joel teaches people how to make money in the digital age. The recognized authority on Google AdSense, Joel teaches how to multiply your AdSense income at The AdSense Code. To ask Joel Comm a question about making money online, visit Joel invites you to download a free copy of The Internet Money Tree at