Better Placement of Google Adsense in Blogger

By: ADMIN on 03:21:00

To increase the performance of Google Adsense on your Blogger Blogspot blog you can extend the choice of placement options of your Google ads with some simple tweaks. This involves making a few minor adjustments to your Blogger template to increase where widgets can be created and how many widgets can be placed in your template.

In this second tutorial of the series on placement of Google Adsensein a Blogger Blog you will learn how to place Google Adsense between the header and the first post. This will allow for a variety of Google Adsense ads to be added of which the 728x90 leaderboard is probably the most suitable. This tutorial assumes no particular technical knowledge of Blogger and is suitable for bloggers of all technical abilities as it gives step by step instructions to implement the changes.


How to Add Google Adsense Between the Header and First Post
If you want to increase your earnings from your blog you may decide you would like to have a full length advertising banner between the header and the first post. For instance it can be very effective to have a 728x90 leaderboard in this prime position. To add a Google Adsense unit to this position take the following steps:

1. Navigate to Layout > Edit HTML

2. Back up Template as a Precaution

3. Check Expand Widget Templates box

4. Find the following code:

<div id='crosscol-wrapper' style='text-align:center'>
<b:section class='crosscol' id='crosscol' showaddelement='no'/>
</div>

5. Replace

showaddelement='no'

with

showaddelement='yes'

6, Save Template

7. Navigate to Layout > Page Elements

8. Click on new Add a Gadget option that will now have appeared between Blog Posts and the Header. 



9. Choose Google Adsense and Add Leaderboard 728x90. Save



9. View new Google Adsense Unit appearing between header and first post

Here is an example of a 728x90 Leaderboard between the header and the first post and the top of the sidebar.



In this tutorial which is part of a series on placement of Google Adsense in Blogger Blogspot blogs you have learnt how to add Google Adsense between the header and the first post section. As this is a prime position for a 728x90 leaderboard ad unit I have concentrated on showing you how to add this Google Adsense ad unit to your blog. For more tutorials on Google Adsense please refer to the related posts as the bottom of this article. 

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Google Adsense Tips for a Blogger Blog

By: ADMIN on 03:21:00

As the Blogger platform is owned by Google it is not surprising that Blogger makes it very easy to add Google Adsense to your Blogger Blogspot blog. In this tutorial you will learn about different ways to add Google Adsense to your blog. Along the way I will be offerring a few tips about best placement of Google Adsense units. I have aimed this Blogger tutorial at new bloggers and beginners and assumes no prior knowledge of Google Adsense. Bear in mind that before you can start to add Google Adsense to your Blogger blog you will need to have created an Adsense account.

3 Ways to Add Google Adsense to Blogger
There are two main ways to add Google Adsense to Blogger: one is to use a Google Adsense widget and the other is to use aHTML/Javascript widget. There is also a third way, which is outside the scope of this article, which is to hard code the Adsense code directly into the template.

Adding a Google Adsense Widget to Blogger 
An Adsense widget is a container for the Google Adsense code. Once created it is easy with Blogger's powerful interface to drag and drop widgets into different positions within your template. Google Adsense widgets can be added to the header, sidebar, footer, or body of your blog. A Google Adsense widget is created when you click on an Add a Gadget button in the Layout > Page Elements menu and then select Adsense.

How to Add a Google Adsense Widget to the Sidebar
The simplest way to add Google Adsense is to select Adsense from the range of gadgets offered in the Layout > Page Elements page. Assuming you are using one of Blogger's standard templates you will more than likely be adding a skyscraper unit 160x600 or similar to the sidebar.

Google will work out the color scheme of the ad unit for you according to your template. You can override these settings if need be and configure the colors manually but stick with the default unless you have good reason not to. Another decision you will need to make is about the format of the ad unit. You can choose between text only and text and image. Personally I prefer text units for sidebars as you get more bites of the cherry than with an image unit. Images only advertise one thing while text units may provide up to 5 different links. However if you need a particular look you might still need to go for the image unit which is why Google offer this flexibility in the first place. Bear in mind that the combined text and image units are considered to be the highest earners.



Add an Adsense Widget to the Footer
Another not so widely used place for a Google Adsense unit is in the footer of your blog. If your template has a footer (eg Blogger standard templates like Minima and Rounders both have footer sections) you can add a Google ad unit to this area too. Footers are becoming increasingly popular places to add information like Archives and Follower widgets so visitors are getting used to the idea of scrolling down to the bottom of the page to check out the footer.

A linked 728x15 ad is a good choice for a footer position especially if you have a Followers widget enabled in the footer. I place thislinked ad unit directly above the Followers widget. I suggest you make use of linked units if you can - you are allowed up to 3 linked units per page. Linked ad units can earn revenue if strategically placed on your blog. Do keep in mind though that Google Adsense units nearer the top and middle of the page are more visible and are likely to be your top performers.



HTML/Javascript Widget
The second way to add Google Adsense to your blog is to use aHTML/Javascript widget. Make use of these if you want to have more control over your advertising and track your Google ad units. To get the code in the first place you will need to login to Google Adsense and create each ad unit in the size of your choice from theAds for Content menu. This will allow you to set up a unique channel for each ad unit you create so that you can identify which are your top performing units. For every new ad unit generated Google Adsense provides the code which you will need to copy and paste into a HTML/Javascript widget positioned in either the sidebar or the footer position.

How to Add Google Adsense Between Posts
Blogger is such a powerful Blogging platform with so many great features. One of these features is the facility to set Adsense to appear between blog posts. All that is needed is to navigate to Layout > Page Elements. Click on the edit Blog Posts link and check Show Ads Between Posts (last in the list)from the Select Items menu. I usually select 336x280 ad unit size as this gives a good ratio of links for the size. I also prefer text units for this position too as again you are more likely to have a visitor click on a link if they are presented with quite a few. Save and view your blog. Blogger automatically places one of three Google Adsense ads directly below each of the first three posts. If you want to space the ads further apart you can do so though in my experience there really is no advantage in doing this.

Remember that you can have up to three ad units and up to three linked ad units displayed at any one time. If you have ads in another part of your blog for instance Blogger will automatically recognise this and only display 2 other ad units. Sometimes I notice there is a bit of a glitch with Blogger and it may not display sidebar ads in favour of 3 ads in between posts so you might have to play around with this a little to get the positioning you want.



Note: To Center the Google Adsense Ad Unit

1. Go to Layout > Edit HTML
2. Check the Expand Widget Templates box
3. Make sure you back up your template before proceeding
4. Find the code block beginning with this line:
   

   <data:defaultAdStart/>

   
   
5. Scroll down until you find these lines:
   

   <div class='inline-ad'>
   <data:adCode/>

   
   
6. Change these lines to the following:

   <div class='inline-ad'>
   <P ALIGN='center'><data:adCode/></P>

   
   
7. Save template

In my next couple of articles about Google Adsense I will be discussing how to add Google Adsense to other parts of your Blogger template including in the header, before the first post, after the last post, and in the middle of posts. This article has covered the basics of placement of Google Adsense for Blogger and offerred some suggestions about best placement of Google Adsense ad units.

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Bloggers Guide to Google Adsense Myths

By: ADMIN on 03:20:00

I get a lot of interest in my articles about Google Adsense on Blogger Blogspot blogs. In this article I discuss 6 common myths about Google Adsense that will help you get real about placing Adsense on your Blogger blog.

Google Adsense Myths Every Blogspot Bloggers Needs to Know
There are a number of myths about Google Adsense which can lead new bloggers in particular into believing that they need only slap a few Google Ad units on their blog and they will become instant millionaires. The reality can be a lot different especially when you consider that 95% of all blogs receive less than 100 visitors per day. Adding Google Adsense to your blog can generate some income but there is a need to be realistic. Here are 6 myths about Google Adsense that every blogger needs to know:

Myth 1. Google Adsense is a Get Rich Quick Scheme
False. Only a small percentage of bloggers actually make a living from their blog. It is definitely possible to make some money from Google Adsense Ad units but bear in mind that making money from your blog is commensurate with many factors such as types of advertising, placement of advertising, quality of your content, regular posting, number of articles, SEO, backlinks to your site, number of visitors to your blog to name just a few. The more articles you write, the more posts indexed in search engines like Google and Yahoo which may lead to increased traffic but not necessarily. The bottom line is that for your ads to be effective your blog needs to receive traffic so concentrate your efforts in this area and make sure that your blog is worth visiting once your visitors get there.

Do Your Sums
As Google Adsense itself says it is difficult to predict earnings however there are some general pointers to guide you. For instance if your blog receives 100 visits per day your likely revenue from Google is probably about 10 cents per day assuming that 1 in 100 people click on some form of Google advertising on your site and the page CTR is about 0.20%. Over a year that equates to about $36.50. Not a fortune in anyone's book. Likewise if your blog is fortunate enough to receive 1000 visitors per day you are looking at an annual income from Google Adsense of $365.00.

100 Visitors per day = Earnings $36.50 per year

1000 Visitors per day = Earnings $365.00 per year

5000 Visitors per day = Earnings $1825.00 per year

10000 Visitors per day = Earnings $3650.00 per year

The above figures are an optimistic view. I have not allowed for the fact that many of your visitors will be repeats so the likelihood of a repeat visitor clicking on an ad unit is less than for that of a new visitor. On this basis your earnings could be much less.

Google Adsense and Affiliate Marketing
About 95% of Bloggers would have less than 100 visitors to their blog a day. If your blog is in this category then Google Adsense alone will not allow you to quit your job and become a full-time blogger. You will need to display other forms of advertising on your blog as well before your blog will start to pay. Check out my article on other forms of advertising that may be suitable for your Blogger blog including displaying Affiliate Marketing banners.

Affiliate marketing banners can work as a form of advertising. Consider that if 1 site visitor in 100 actually buys something worth $50.00 you will immediately earn $5.00 assuming you receive 10% of the sale as a commission. Even if only one in 500 clicks through to the merchant and buys something you will still be ahead of the revenue earned from Google ads for the same number of visitors. $5.00 from Affiliate Marketing versus 50 cents from Google Adsense. In many ways Affiliate Marketing is a more profitable marketing strategy than having heaps of Google ads on your blog. However, in my experience a good mix of both is the way to go


Myth 2. Displaying More Ads on My Blog Will Earn More Money
False. Some bloggers mistakenly believe that placing more Google Adsense units on their blog will yield higher earnings. Sadly this isn't the case at all. By putting more Ad units on your blog you may actually reduce your earnings. There is a risk that the highest performing Ad units will shift to positions that are less frequently clicked on. For instance while the top right hand corner is a prime place for an advertising banner because it gets viewed by the most eyeballs it is also a spot that tends to get disregarded by savvy visitors who recognise it as an advertising zone and avoid it. At the same time a 336x280 Ad unit with a higher CTR is likely to display Google Ad units which pay less because the highest CTR has been transferred to the 468x60 Ad unit.

Myth 3. More Traffic Equates to Higher Google Adsense Earnings 
Not necessarily. Depending on your blog's content it might not always be possible to drive a lot of new visitors to your blog and you rely more heavily on your repeat traffic. However, due to the familiarity of the ad placement on your blog repeat visitors are less likely to click on your Ad units than new visitors. While you can expect more clicks on your ad units as traffic increases there is no guarantee that Google Adsense on your blog will deliver the kind of earnings you might expect.

Myth 4. The Ad Format of Google Adsense Ads is Not Important
False. The ad format you display on your blog is very important. You can earn more from some ad formats than others. For instance it is generally considered that the wide Google Adsense ads (336x280, 300x250 or 250x250) perform best. I like to position one of these directly above my first post.

Link units can be profitable too if strategically placed. One of the best locations for link units is in or just below your blog header as many people are used to looking there for a navigation menu. A 728x15 linked ad unit just below your horizontal navigation menu will very likely yield good results.

Myth 5. Placement of Google Adsense Ad Units Doesn't Matter
On the contrary where you place Google Adsense can be critical to earning revenue from your blog. One of the best places to position Adsense is above what's known as the fold. The fold is the top area of your blog visible to your visitors without them having to scroll down. A 336x280 ad unit in this space works well because on arrival at your blog the visitor sees what they are looking for and clicks on it. For instance if your blog is about mountain biking then Google Adsense will very likely serve up ads about cycling equipment, cycling tours etc. For the visitor seeing exactly what they are interested in on arrival is a definite bonus which may lead them to click on your Ad unit.

Myth 6. To Make Money from My Blog I Need to Add Google Adsense 
False. While Google Adsense is by far the most popular Advertising Network it is not the only advertising option. There are some good alternatives like AdBrite and Chitika. Let the type of blog you have govern your decisions around which advertising mix you employ rather than just going for Google Adsense because its the easiest.

In this article I have explored 6 common myths about Google Adsense that every Blogger Blogspot blogger needs to be aware of when placing Google Adsense on their blog. This article will hopefully help you do a reality check and help you recognise that while you may be one of the 5% of bloggers sitting on a goldmine Google Adsense won't transform you into a millionaire overnight.

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Add Google Adsense to Blogger Header

By: ADMIN on 03:20:00

In this Blogger tutorial you will learn how to add Google Adsense to the header of your Blogger blog. This article assumes no knowledge of Blogger and provides a walkthrough of the steps involved to add Google Adsense to the header of your blog.

This is the third Blogger tutorial in a series on adding Google Adsense to a Blogger blog (Blogspot blog).

Place Google Adsense Below Post Title in Blogger
Better Placement of Google Adsense on a Blogger Blog

1. How To Add Google Adsense to the Header (Above the Title)
   If you want to add Google Adsense to your header for instance above the title you can by adjusting your template to give you the option of adding more than one widget to the header area.
   1. Login to Blogger and navigate to Design > Edit HTML
   2. Back up your template as a precaution by downloading the full template to your computer
   3. Using CTRL + F to bring up the search box find the following line of code. For default Blogger templates - Layout (2006) such as Minima, Thisaway and Sand Dollar and for many custom templates find <div id='header-wrapper'>
      
      For new Blogger templates such as Simple and Awesome Inc find this line <div class='region-inner header-inner'>
   4. Replace the following code in red: 

      <div id='header-wrapper'>
<b:section class='header' id='header' maxwidgets='1' showaddelement='no'>

      
      with

      <div id='header-wrapper'>
<b:section class='header' id='header' maxwidgets='3' showaddelement='yes'>

      
      
   5. Save Template
   6. Navigate to Design > Page Elements (previously Layout > Page Elements) and view the new option to add a gadget to the header area
      
      
   7. Click on Add a Gadget and select the Google Adsense gadget.
   8. Choose the type of ad unit you want. For this example I chose a new linked 728x15 ad unit from the dropdown format menu for an Adsense ad that would sit above the blog title. Configure colors if necessary. Color blending is usually done automatically by Blogger according to the color schema of your template.
   9. Click Save
   10. Click View Blog to see your new Google Adsense unit in place. All going well your new ad unit should appear look something like the image below
       
       
   
   
2. How to Add Google Adsense to the Header (Below the Title)
   To have your new Google Adsense linked unit appear below the title the steps are the same as above. The difference is that you will need to shift the ad unit into position by using the drag and drop feature to move the widget below the header title in the Design > Page Elements page.
   
   
   

Tips and Troubleshooting
By default Blogger will left align these ads so if you want to center the Adsense unit then use the <div align='center'>

How to Center a Google Adsense Unit in Blogger

1. Once you have created your Google Adsense unit go to Design > Edit HTML
2. Check the Expand Widgets Template box
3. Find the code you replaced in Step 4

   <b:section class='header' id='header' maxwidgets='3' showaddelement='yes>

   
   
4. Directly below you will see lines of code that resemble the following:

   <b:widget id='AdSense2' locked='false' title='' type='AdSense'>
<b:includable id='main'>
<div class='widget-content'>
<data:adCode/>
<b:include name='quickedit'/>
</div>

   
   
5. Add the following code shown in red

   <b:widget id='AdSense2' locked='false' title='' type='AdSense'>
<b:includable id='main'>
<div class='widget-content'>
<div align='center'><data:adCode/></div>
<b:include name='quickedit'/>
</div>

   
   
6. Save template and view your Adsense widget which will now be centered

In this Blogger tutorial you have learnt how to add a Google Adsense unit above and below the blog title in the header section of your Blogger blog (Blogspot Blog). I have also demonstrated how to center the Google Adsense unit. As always any questions please ask.

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Place Google Adsense Below Post Title in Blogger

By: ADMIN on 03:19:00

I have had a lot of interest in my articles about placement of Google Adsense in a Blogger Blogspot blog. Today I continue the Google Adsense series with an article about how to place your Google Adsense ad unit below the post title in Blogger.

This ad placement requires pasting the Google Adsense code directly into your Blogger template. While not difficult I have rated the skill level as intermediate as it requires parsing (conversion of the Javascript into a format readable by Blogger) of the Google Adsense code first before pasting it into your template. For the benefit of newbies and beginner Bloggers I have broken down the steps to simplify the process and make it more manageable. What follows is a detailed step by step tutorial on how to place Google Adsense below the post title in a Blogger blog including how to create a Google Adsense ad unit if you don't already have one.


Steps to Place Google Adsense Below Blogger Post Title
Follow Steps 1-11 if you don't have a Google Adsense ad unit.

IF YOU ALREADY HAVE A GOOGLE ADSENSE UNIT SKIP TO #12

1. From the Blogger Dashboard click on the Google Adsense link at the bottom of the page

2. Proceed to Adsense Setup > Get Ads or sign up for Google Adsense if not already

3. Choose Adsense for Content from the Ad Setup screen

4. Choose Ad unit or Link unit from the Adsense for Content screen. In most cases you will want an ad unit.

5. Choose the Ad Type from the dropdown menu depending on your needs. I often select text only because I think they are better performers but you may have a different experience. Click on the Continue button

6. Choose the Ad Format. Most likely this will be between 336x280, 250x250, or the 468x60 banner sizes.

7. Choose your color palette according to your blog color scheme.

Tip: I find the best way to get the colors for my ads if I am not sure is to create an Adsense unit in Blogger and transfer that color scheme to the new ad unit in Google. Alternatively you can accept the default and change the color scheme later. Changing the color scheme won't affect your ad unit code for your template.

8. Accept the default font in the meantime unless you know the font that you need. You can always check this out later by reviewing your template 

9. Click on the Continue button

10. Create an Ad Channel by clicking the link add a new channel. By default Google will add this to Your Selected Channels. Click on theContinue button

11. You may need to give your ad unit a more detailed name. I recommend keeping the dimensions of the ad unit in the name as it makes the unit easily identifiable. I usually add the name of the blog to the name because I have several blogs. Save and Get Ad Code by clicking on the Submit and Get Code button. 

START HERE IF YOU HAVE A GOOGLE ADSENSE AD UNIT
12. Copy the Adsense code by right clicking the mouse while it is in the code box. Choose select all and then right click again and choose copy. Make sure you get all of the code


13. Open the Ad Converter by following this link to Centricle.

14. Paste the Google Adsense code into the converter and press theConvert Ad Code button. This will parse the code so that Blogger will read the Javascript properly. Leave this window open for now as we will be returning here. Note that pasting Google Adsense code in to your Blogger template that has not been parsed will produce errors 

15. Login to Blogger if not already logged in

16. Navigate to Layout > Edit HTML

17. Back up your Template (recommended) by downloading it to your computer

18. Check the Expand Widgets Template checkbox

19. Bring up Blogger Search using CTRL + F. Copy and paste the following line of code into the text box to locate the block of code in your template beginning with this line: 

<b:if cond='data:post.title'>

Code Block to Find

<b:if cond='data:post.title'>
<h3 class='post-title'>
<b:if cond='data:post.url'>
<a expr:href='data:post.url'><data:post.title/></a> <b:else/>
<data:post.title/>
</b:if>
</h3>
</b:if>

20. Return to the Ad Converter and copy the converted code by right clicking your mouse and choosing select all followed by right clicking again to copy it

21. Paste this code directly after the above code block: 

<p>
<!-- Start Google Ad-->
<!-- End Google Ad-->
</p>

22. Paste your Google Adsense ad code between <!-- Start Google Ad -->and <!-- End Google Ad --> 


23. Click the Save Template button

24. Take a look at your new Google Adsense ad unit in your blog by following the View Blog link. 

Troubleshooting Your New Google Adsense Below the Post Title

• Note only a placeholder will show up for about the first 10 minutes or so. If no placeholder appears go back and retrace your steps to make sure you haven't forgotten something. Check you have copied the code exactly.
• If you need more white space between the ad unit and the start of the first line of your article add this html tag <p> before your Google Adsense code and this </p> after the last line of your Google Adsense code
• If you have Google Adsense ad units in other parts of your blog you will find that only 3 Google Adsense ad units will display on one page at any one time according to Adsense rules. for this reason you may get a placeholder appearing for some of your earlier posts which appear further down the page. To counter this problem I suggest you set the number of posts on a page to 3 if you have no other ad units anywhere else and 2 if you have another unit some where else. Linked units are not included in this only ad units.

In this tutorial I have covered the steps involved in creating a new Google Adsense ad unit at Google Adsense. I have also provided a detailed walkthrough of the steps involved in adding a Google Adsense ad unit below the post title in a Blogger Blogspot blog. Let me know how you get on.

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Blogger Guide to Google Adsense Placement

By: ADMIN on 03:18:00

There are so many places to position Google Adsense in a Blogger Blogspot blog. This article covers the most common places to add Google Adsense ad units and linked units in a Blogger blog together with links to the various articles which explain in detail how to insert the Google Adsense ad unit into Blogger. 

Included in this article about Google Adsense placement are articles that cover positioning in the header both above and below the title, in the sidebar, in the footer, between the posts, between the header and the first post, below the post title, in the middle of posts, between the end of an article but before the embedded comment form

Format of Google Adsense Ad Unit

Google Adsense Ad Units

728x90 Leaderboard
728x90 leaderboard under Blogger header
728x90 leaderboard above Blogger header

160x600 Vertical Wide Banner
160x600 vertical wide banner in sidebar or 120x600 or 120x200

336x280 Large Rectangle
336x280 below post title or 250x250 or 300x250


Google Adsense Linked Units

728x15 Linked Unit
728x15 linked unit in Blogger footer or 468x15
728x15 linked unit in Blogger header or 468x15
728x15 linked unit above Blogger header or 468x15


Placement of Google Adsense on Blogger

EASY - CHANGE SETTING ONLY

Add Google Adsense Between Posts in Blogger
Blogger has a setting which allows you to add Google Adsense between posts. Read more about how to Add Google Adsense Between Posts in Blogger 


EASY - ADD WIDGET ONLY

Add Google Adsense to a Blogger Sidebar
It is extremely easy to add a Google Adsense ad unit to a Blogger sidebar using a HTML/Javascript gadget or widget. For instructions on adding an ad unit to the sidebar please refer to Add Google Adsense to Blogger Sidebar

Add Google Adsense to a Blogger Footer
It is not so popular to place Google Adsense ad units in a Blogger footer however with the increased use of footers as a place that contains valuable information it is becoming more common to place an ad in the footer particularly a linked unit. For instructions on how to place a Google Adsense 728x15 linked unit in the footer refer to Add Google Adsense to a Blogger Footer


EASY-INTERMEDIATE - MINOR CHANGE TO TEMPLATE CODE AND ADD WIDGET

Add Google Adsense or Banner Above Blogger Header
If you have occasion to display either Google Adsense or an affiliate banner above the Blogger header you can by adding a section to the Blogger template. You can add any kind of Google Adsense content or linked ad unit although I suggest that a 728x90 leaderboard would be ideal for this spot.

Add Google Adsense or Banner Above Blogger Header 



Add Google Adsense to Blogger Header
The header of a Blogger blog is a popular place to add Google Adsense particularly a linked unit. I have good success adding a linked unit below the blog title in the header of my blog.

Add Google Adsense Above the Title



Add Google Adsense Below the Title



Add Google Adsense Between the Header and the First Post in Blogger
Some templates lend themselves well to having a full length banner below the header. The Minima template for example suits a 728x90 Google Adsense unit just below the header and before the first post. Instructions on how to Add Google Adsense Between the Header and the First Post in Blogger



INTERMEDIATE - INSERT GOOGLE ADSENSE CODE INTO TEMPLATE

Add Google Adsense to Body of Post
Positioning Google Adsense within the body of the post in Blogger is a bit more tricky as it requires adding the Google Adsense code to the template. Before adding the code it must be parsed so the Javascript can be read by Blogger

Add Google Adsense Below Post Title



in this article I have pulled together a number of Google Adsense articles I have written in the past about adding Google Adsense to a Blogger Blogspot blog so that it will provide an easy reference for anyone wanting to find out about Google Adsense placing on Blogger.

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