Got Web Ideas? Fishing for the Answers?
Think Outside The Code First!
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Facts, Thoughts, and Opinions About Web Development and Business Strategy
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AJAX, when implemented effectively, is going to make Websites more like desktop
applications. Scrolling and page refreshing will be seen less and less in the coming years as
Websites are built to interact with databases without refreshing the screen.
What does this mean for Google AdSense and the people who use it?
Ponder the polarity of the following:
+ Refreshing the screen means a fresh set of ads are served each time.
- Refreshing the screen also reduces CTR (Click Through Rate) average.
+ Google pays more money per click for more clicks with less ads. Reducing
page refreshes isn't a bad thing.
- The user may not have liked the ads on the page before and if we do not
refresh the ads then maybe they will not click on anything.
It is not easy to get people to click on Google Ads. Most Internet users
know what they are and I am sure a lot of Website visitors do not even look
at them. I know I don't in most cases.
Is displaying the same ads for a longer period of time such a bad thing?
Lets say we AJAX enable a Website to stop page refreshing. Now lets say we
take that a step further and build AJAX features right next to ads that
leave users sitting right next to our ads for several seconds (if not minutes).
Is that better than constantly refreshing the ads and decreasing our CTR?
Will it result in less clicks? We'll soon find out.
I can tell you this much. It has not hurt my
EmpireHunting.com Website one bit
since I went with AJAX for the news feed on the home page and a few secondary pages.
And guess what? The CTR has never been higher. People still click on as many ads
despite the fact that they are not refreshing constantly.
The truth of the matter is I had to remove the constant page refreshing on the
news feed. With that Website, the more ads I show, the better I do. I have owned it
for 4 years. Trust me, I know. However, during peak traffic times, my ads would stop
appearing on the home page with the built-in paging option.
After much testing, I finally determined that if I showed less ads then it would
stop happening.
My speculation (cannot confirm it) as to why is this -
there just are not that many
hunting ads in the Google system. In fact, there are very few targeted to New York.
Heavy page views during peak times may have led
to the same ads being shown too often. Hence, Google stopped them for a while.
This is totally speculation but reducing load on the home page stopped the problem.
So, lets take a short good long look at what this could mean for Google AdSense.
How will Google react if people can utilize AJAX applications to get the same
or increased number of clicks while displaying less ads? Will they reduce the price per click if AJAX
becomes the premier programming methodology behind a Google AdSense campaign?
Will they start reducing the price per click if they detect your Web page is
using AJAX?
Here is something else to consider. You know how Google puts that Google Ads
logo under their Ads? If you properly
position an AJAX feature on a Website so that it is half way down the side of a
120 x 600 Ad unit then the user is not going to see that logo.
The Google AdSense program is built around an Internet where we scroll and refresh.
While Google wants people to click on the ads they serve, their business model is
built around making killer profits doing so. If AJAX enabled Websites that utilize
Google Ads go over well and the CTR% increases with far less ads being served then
it is hard not to imagine that Google will alter things in the near future.
I have seen some argue that AJAX hurts the publisher because they will be showing
less ads. It is too early to tell if less ads will mean less clicks. If it ends
up being the reverse then it is Google that this will actually hurt. In order for
vendors to get their worth out of AdSense, the ads must appear several times
per day.
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| More |
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• Utilizing AJAX to Display Imagery Near AdSense Ads
Monday, July 28, 2008
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• HTML Validation Seemed to Solve the Problem of Ads Not Appearing
Monday, July 28, 2008
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• Validating HTML to Solve AdSense Ad Problems and Increase Search Engine Ranking
Sunday, July 27, 2008
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• AdSense Ads Disappear/Re-appear
Friday, July 25, 2008
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• A Campaign of Google AdSense Posts
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
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• Google Adsense in Niche Markets
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
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