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Gabe Young scores again with solid information about monetizing your blog with Adsense. Gabe is a true businessman at heart, as well as being an excellent communicator. Visit Gabe at Free Blog Help.
Google AdSense: text vs. image ads, which is best?
-by Gabe Young
Those of you who have tried Google AdSense (let’s face it, who hasn’t?) had to make an important decision at one point — “Should I go with an all text ad or an image ad?” Ironically, many people start by letting Google choose by simply selecting the ‘Text and image ads’, which is the default setting. Is that bad?
Well, yes and no. I get asked that question from time to time and it really all depends. If you do a little research on what has been successful for others, you’ll find a mixed bag. For instance, some say that text ads are more effective because they blend into the rest of the site. Conversely, others claim that image ads bring in more revenue since they are more visually appealing.
Let’s look at some of the pros and cons of Adsense text and image ads.
Adsense text ads
Pros
- Can be configured to blend in with the site content
- Almost all advertisers have text ads available
- Take up minimal space per advertiser, leading to more per ad block
Cons
Looks very bland and generic
Adsense image ads
Pros
- Can be visually attractive
- Are larger and easier to see
- Can tell a story through basic animation
Cons
- Fewer advertisers can be displayed since one image could replace up to five text ads
- Some visitors are “blind” to image ads (they have been conditioned to ignore banners)
- Can limit the number of advertisers since not everyone has an image ad
One way to determine whether text or image ads would be better is simply looking at your market. Niches in glamorous industries would benefit from sexier ads, where image ads excel. Conversely, blogs that focus on topics that visitors just want to read through quickly, text ads are probably more appropriate. Below are some examples of categories where one type of ad may have an advantage over the other type are:
- Text Ads: Business, Science, Careers, Politics, Self-Help, Making Money, Health, Educational
- Image Ads: Gaming, Sports and Fitness, Music, Movies, TV, Fashion, Arts, Celebrity News
- Text and/or Image Ads: Technology, Auto, Pets, Food and Drink
By no means are the aforementioned gospel but it gives you a starting point. You may have a micro-niche that bucks the trend.
In short, the question of text vs. image doesn’t have a clear cut answer. It really depends on what type of site you have, what you’re trying to accomplish with the ads, and who your audience is. Personally, for Google AdSense, I prefer text ads because I already have sponsors with image links throughout the page. I choose to display text ads with a look and feel that’s similar to the rest of the site. Although that has worked well for me, I may still use an image ad from time to time, just to test its effectiveness. Like all other moneymaking tactics, a lot of trial and error is involved. Experiment to see which works better for you.
Gabe Young is a business professional with an entrepreneurial spirit. Gabe has an MBA and managed IT departments in the Fortune 500, creating strategies and tactics for some of the most popular websites. Visit Gabe at Free Blog Help.
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{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
I used to put text/image ads. But try text ads only this month. Earning is about the same.
Jayce´s last blog ..How to hack Facebook account profile
Since you have a technology site, you could definitely work with both. In the long run, experimenting with all text or all image for periods at a time may be interesting.
Gabe | freebloghelp.com´s last blog ..Factors contributing to blog success
base my own experience it my telecommunication blog, text ads give more earning if compare with image ads. I use both of it in separate channel in my telecommunication blog.
Dana @ Blogging Update´s last blog ..How To Get Google AdSense Code
Thanks for the input. It’s always interesting to hear about others’ ad outcomes.
Gabe | freebloghelp.com´s last blog ..Factors contributing to blog success
I’m guilty of having used the default text/image ads on one site of mine. Hey, I’m newbie and I always thought the default setting is the safest and best.
I’m gradually leaning towards using only text links as this one seems to work in my test site.
James Moralde´s last blog ..Smooth Link Scrolling
The majority of people start off with the default setting.
When deciding between image or text, placement also plays a big factor. For example, it’s been well documented that text ads work great when used within the body of an article.
Gabe | freebloghelp.com´s last blog ..Factors contributing to blog success
I think it depends a lot on your content, i seem to have better results with image ads when the post is about gaming or films and better results with text ads on other posts.
David Hobson´s last blog ..How to Make Money Online With Twitter
No doubt, entertainment content is a good candidate for image ads.
Gabe | freebloghelp.com´s last blog ..Factors contributing to blog success
Hey folks, great discussion going on here. Just got back from the beach. Too tired to see straight!
Dr Wordpress!´s last blog ..Defining Static vs. Dynamic Information on Your Website
Great post Gabe! I really enjoyed your breakdown of which ads work best for specific niches. In my experience, my niche websites that revolve around beauty products and/or tools like flat iron reviews, etc do well with image ads, however, I can’t pull that off on one of my niche websites geared towards teachers.
Makes total sense that image ads work well for pages involving beauty products.
As for one with teachers, I’ll be curious if there are spots that might work well. I guess it all depends on what you’re promoting within that arena.
Gabe | freebloghelp.com´s last blog ..Factors contributing to blog success
Gabe, i will have to say text. I have experimented with both and text wins in two ways: first, you get more clicks; second, image ads seems to pay less. However, image ads at the bottom of a page or on fashion magazines sites does look good
It looks like you have a nice blend of ads on your site. Good to hear that you’re monitoring the results!
Text ads have been better for me as well. In fact, I don’t even have any AdSense image ads on any of my sites at all.
Gabe | freebloghelp.com´s last blog ..A new year, a new Google PageRank
ppo, I deliinked you because your email bounced when I tried to send you a thank you for commenting.
Dr Wordpress!´s last blog ..As The Internet Evolves – Anonymity Go Bye Bye
Hmm… I’ve been wondering about this myself. I wonder what your opinion on the travel market would be?
Image ads are great at showing beautiful travel destinations and some of the big companies. But, text ads highlight smaller advertisers who generally offer better deals which is generally what travelers are looking for.
So far from my (very limited) experience, text ads are more likely to get more clicks. One person went so far as to thank me for an ad because she found a great deal on a flight from it.
Adam´s last blog ..Confession: I Take Too Many Photos
Adam, that’s pretty cool to have someone thank you for an ad!
Dr Wordpress!´s last blog ..Where Good Design Begins: Getting to know your customer
I know, right? Especially considering I actually had very little to do with getting the ad on the page – just a bit of code and crossing my fingers!
Adam´s last blog ..Confession: I Take Too Many Photos
I never had anyone thank me for an ad either!
Anyway, travel isn’t my specialty but if I had to guess, I’d say a blend would be perfect since your audience is so broad.
If it was my site, I would probably use image ads on banner blocks and use text ads within the post. Of course, there would be a lot of monitoring involved but that’s where I would start.
Looks like what you’re doing is working well for you though.
Gabe | freebloghelp.com´s last blog ..Get the most out of your time with The Value-Driven Commenting System
thanks for the tips, still not sure which ads seem to work better they seem to change one week more image ads get clicked the next the image ads. thanks for the tips
James´s last blog ..Steroids and There Side Effects
If you get any definitive results and
would like to share, let me know.
Thanks for stopping by,
Dave Doolin´s last blog ..How Julie Became Successful Without Even Trying