Google AdSense-Ad Format and Color

When you log in into your Google Adsense account, you will be asked to choose the format and color for your ads. You can use different formats and colors on different pages so one selection does not lock you in. You can also view all the different AdSense ad formats here. Which format to choose? There is no one right answer. You will have to experiment and choose  formats and colors that works best for your site. Here are some tips:

Choose a format that is unobtrusive and that blends with the design/layout of your website. Your AdSense ads should blend in to your site and complement it, and not interrupt the user experience. For example a banner ad placed between two paragraphs will impede the flow of your content. A small rectangle or half banner, however, can easily be placed anywhere on a page and not interrupt the flow of information. Another popular placement strategy is to place ads along the edges of the page, so they don't interfere with your main content. The links under #2 below, also illustrate ad placement options.

 Certain formats do work better than others.  Its easier to read the wider format ads, and this is one of the reasons that they are believed to perform better than long narrow ads. Also, people have developed "banner blindness" so a banner format is less favored.  Google in fact reports that : "The formats we've found to be the most effective are the 336x280 large rectangle, the 300x250 inline rectangle, and the 160x600 wide skyscraper."

Color is an important element of your Google AdSense campaign. There are two schools of thought here. One believes that the ads should blend in with your content, while another feels they should stand out. Both strategies can work. I personally prefer ads that blend in more with my content as I feel they are less obtrusive and distracting. Because they blend in, they are also more likely to be clicked on.

How do you make ads "blend" in with your web page? First, remove all borders around the ad box. Then change the background color of the at box to match the color of your web page. Lastly choose colors for the text and links in the ad that match the color scheme of your web page. Many suggest using a'standard' blue for the web url, or a lighter grey shade, if your text is black. This page on my web site, how to care for orchids, illustrates some of these points. TheGoogle AdSense team also offers useful advice on ad formats and color.

Again, experiment and see what works best for you. Adsense provide several color schemes that you can use or you can easily customize and save your own. I usually save a couple of schemes of my own and try these out on different pages. I also visit my web page and try to assess objectively which look better and which I would be more likely to click on. Remember, do NOT click on your own ads even just to test them out -- Google frowns a very heavily on this practice even if your intentions are innocent.

TIP! You can set up AdSense so that it will randomly choose from several pre-selected color themes! This will keep your website looking fresh and a littledifferent to repeat visitors.

Now that you've thought about the format and color, where will you place your ads?