Banners Ads or Text Links?
About two weeks ago Ryan McLean from SmarterWealth fame wrote an article discussing the importance of having banners. It was a brief article (a tad self-serving 
) but overall got me thinking about some changes coming soon to Direct Sales Web Marketing.
I know it’s been asked and talked about before, numerous times; but not from me (I don’t recall) so here goes…
Main objective today is 2fold:
1. Which is currently better for overall sales - Advertising Banners or Text Links? Does “banner blindness” (or other pet names) REALLY exist?
2. Does the answer to number1 make a difference if it’s affiliate sales or private ad sales?
Reason I’m asking:
As mentioned above, I will be revamping the blog a bit; specifically the side bars for starters. 2009’s primary focus will be income production (not even on the list in ‘08). One avenue of this is inevitably blog monetization. However I would like to do it as classy as possible and genuinely helpful for all parties concerned (sorry Mr. Chow).
Here’s how it looks in my mind right now…
BANNER ADS:
ONE large block - 350×250 or 250×250 where the 125 ads would normally be.
ONE header ad - 468×60
NO 125×125 banner ads. None-Nada-Zilch-Zero, gone. POOF.
Why just the two? More exposure for the advertiser - I could charge a wee bit more. Win-Win.
TEST LINKS:
In sidebars 1&2 respectively, I would have “Recommended Sites”, “Recommended Products/Services”. (Just an example, I may not use the term “recommended”.)
Please Note: ALL advertisements, no matter what shape or form WILL follow Google guidelines.
—————————————–
There ya have it in a nutshell. I hope I didn’t throw you off track by placing the questions first, but just in case…
1. Which is currently better for overall sales - Advertising Banners or Text Links? Does “banner blindness” (or other pet names) REALLY exist? Which do you prefer? Which do you think potential advertisers prefer and why?
2. Does the answer(s) to number1 make a difference if it’s affiliate sales or private ad sales?
Looking forward to awesome responses as usual,
Dennis
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Tags: Advertising Banners, Advertising Sales, affiliate sales, Banner Ads, Blog Monetization, Direct Sales Web Marketing, google, Google guidelines, private ad sales, Text Links
Jaq @ Net Age Web Design
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January 26th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
NOTE: For those who’s first response is, “125×125 ads are the most common and you may have a hard time selling the other two”; I have a cool plan to simplify that as well.
Matty Byloos Reply:
January 27th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
@Dennis Edell, I would also like to ask if you’ve had good luck with the 125 cubes — I would think they are the easiest to sell, but in my visual memory, I can see many sites / blogs with chunks of two rows, total of 6 or 8 cubes, and they are all in motion and I usually don’t look at any of them, or get caught up in the visual like it’s a vegas slot machine i’m not going to bother playing. thoughts?
Matty Byloos´s last blog post..Monday Reading List 1.26.09
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 8:28 am
@Matty Byloos,
Luck I can’t answer yet as I haven’t started selling ads yet. The two cubes you see now are freebies for people that helped me a lot with stuff.
They usually are the easiest to sell for two reasons…they are the cheapest from both the publisher and designer.
Matty Byloos Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
@Dennis Edell, Well good luck to you when you do. If it’s not giving away any trade secrets, it would be cool to hear some thoughts later down the road on how each performs.
Matty Byloos´s last blog post..Raveonettes at the Henry Fonda Theater
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
@Matty Byloos, Absolutely!
Considering this post, I will certainly be posting comparisons once (if?) I end up with substantial data sooner or later..
Ben Pei Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 5:36 am
@Dennis Edell, I don’t agree to that! 125×125 is getting harder and harder to sell actually..
Ben Pei´s last blog post..7 Common Mistakes When Beginning Blogging
almir Reply:
April 25th, 2009 at 10:58 am
@Ben Pei, I don’t see why their hard to sell they take up less space on your site and its not like their saying click on me or anything like that like the larger ad formats because I figure people ignore them altogether
almir´s last blog post..Vital Tips That Can Aid Any Blogger
January 26th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
I think if you’re talking about affiliate links the best choice is text links inside your content. Actually reviewing or talking about a service or product will increase conversions more than a random link in the sidebar.
Mike Collins´s last blog post..Dreamhost Coupon Code Saves You $50
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 27th, 2009 at 7:26 am
@Mike Collins, with affiliate links I concur; a good review is best…perhaps a sidebar link linked to the review itself afterward.
Matty Byloos Reply:
January 27th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
@Mike Collins, I agree with text links inside the content. Really have the message about the links — telling the audience what they can expect, and why they should go there.
Matty Byloos´s last blog post..Monday Reading List 1.26.09
Ben Pei Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 5:37 am
@Mike Collins, Yeah I would agree with having a review as well. When a hot new product is up, you probably see almost every blog talking about the same thing.
Ben Pei´s last blog post..7 Common Mistakes When Beginning Blogging
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 12:20 pm
@Ben Pei,
When I see this phenomenon, it usually means some person/company has paid 100 bloggers in the same month to review them.
I’ve personally backed away from several of these. In my mind 9 outa 10 just do it for the cash whether they believe in it or not.
Ben Pei Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 10:14 pm
@Dennis Edell, thats kinda true man.. When the money offers come, its just hard to reject
Ben Pei´s last blog post..Spamming is Not a Good SEO Technique
Dennis Edell Reply:
February 1st, 2009 at 1:29 pm
@Ben Pei, Not as hard as you think. It just depends on the picture you want to paint.
January 27th, 2009 at 7:52 am
My experience that banners convert less than text links. remember to put nofollow in them though, keywordrank might suffer otherwize.
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 27th, 2009 at 8:57 am
@Goji, welcome to the blog!
Yep, that’s why I made sure to add that everything will follow Googles guidelines.
January 27th, 2009 at 10:29 am
I think Banners are yet useful than text links as they totaly grab the attention of the viewer. But I dont say text link ads are not useful they are also useful in some aspects.
Harish´s last blog post..Blog Review - Split Stack
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 8:29 am
@Harish, Thanks for the input!
January 27th, 2009 at 10:53 am
I don’t believe there’s a more powerful combination that a mix of banner ads AND direct text links.
I personally don’t believe there is such a thing as “banner blindness”. I think a more APPROPRIATE term is “banner click reluctancy” (SQUEAL! I just made up a new word!!)
Those banner ads DO make an impression. They do assure the reader that the “advertiser” is a “real” business that is willing to make an investment in advertising. (Even if they’re banner ads for affiliate products - most visitors won’t know the difference. Ads are ads in most people’s eyes.)
However, it’s a documented fact that people are much, much more likely to click on your text links within content. I’m not aware of any studies showing whether the appearance of banner ads increases the click through rate on the text link but it’s my hunch that it would.
Kathy @ Virtual Impax´s last blog post..The REAL reasons why you should be using “social media”
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 8:31 am
@Kathy @ Virtual Impax,
They do assure the reader that the “advertiser” is a “real” business that is willing to make an investment in advertising.
Very good point!
January 27th, 2009 at 11:05 am
From my experience, banner ads have always performed a little bit better for me in terms of money made per views. It just depends on the overall demographics of your website
Donny Gamble´s last blog post..Link Building Interview With Collin LaHay
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 8:33 am
@Donny Gamble,
By demographics do you mean whether you’re selling to the general consumer or other marketers?
January 27th, 2009 at 11:57 am
I’ve been surprised that text links have converted better than banners. You’d think banners would grab people’s attention, but I think mostly they’re ignored and people will click on a text link thinking it’s not an advertisement. The problem with being in the marketing sphere is that people know too much about online marketing. In other niches people don’t realize that an ad is affiliate ad and think it’s an actual “sponsor.”
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 8:34 am
@Henry@Self-Publishing Review,
So for you, text links have converted better?
That’s why we all shoot for the real live sponsors!
Ben Pei Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 10:19 pm
@Dennis Edell, As long as they don’t look spammy, you will get clicks. I am sure the text links you bought on my blog have gotten you some traffic.
Ben Pei´s last blog post..Spamming is Not a Good SEO Technique
Dennis Edell Reply:
February 1st, 2009 at 1:28 pm
@Ben Pei, Wow I never even checked. My bad.
almir Reply:
April 25th, 2009 at 11:02 am
@Ben Pei, really how much do you charge for text link ads and are they nofollow or dofollow links that link to Dennis’s blog, it would be really good to know.
almir´s last blog post..Vital Tips That Can Aid Any Blogger
January 27th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Add my two cents… I tend to be blind to banner ads, but maybe moreso blind to text links. Not sure if I am speaking for anyone else at all. I will say though, on the contrary, if there is actually something that I am LOOKING SPECIFICALLY for, then I will respond way more to a banner ad that is graphic, bold and simple.
Matty Byloos´s last blog post..Monday Reading List 1.26.09
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 8:36 am
@Matty Byloos,
Good point, banners must be upscale without going over the top.
January 27th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
According to sponsors that buy ads spots on my blogs, banner ads usually perform better than text link. Especially banners that are interesting and colorful will often get a higher click through rate.
Wei Liang
Wei Liang | Earn Money Online´s last blog post..Lesson 25: Affiliate Marketing (Part 2)
Matty Byloos Reply:
January 27th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
@Wei Liang | Earn Money Online, Can you gauge about what kind of percent better? Like are the graphic banners clicked on twice as often as text links?
Matty Byloos´s last blog post..Monday Reading List 1.26.09
Wei Liang | Earn Money Online Reply:
January 27th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
@Matty Byloos,
It depends a lot on the anchored text for the text links actually. But on average, banners are click twice as much as text links.
Wei Liang | Earn Money Online´s last blog post..Lesson 25: Affiliate Marketing (Part 2)
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 8:37 am
@Wei Liang | Earn Money Online,
Quite right. It goes with the response I gave Matty above.
January 27th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
I personally don’t use anything but text. Ya, it is MUCH slower income, however I think they are more interesting and less annoying. I block any of the annoying ones, robbing many people of potential revenue. But if they are text I “Occasionally” read them, and sometimes they make me chuckle since they are so off the wall in comparison to what the site content really is.
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 8:39 am
@Waldo,
Nice one. You mentioned the biggest issue with publishers that will accept anyone that is willing to pay.
January 28th, 2009 at 12:44 am
Very interesting questions. When it comes down to it, I think that it has a lot to do with placement, anchor text, and what the banner ads might look like.
But overall, I think that text ads can be more effective. With banner ads, people know that they are clicking on ads. However, with text ads, they can be easily and seamlessly integrated into content. This way, people click without realizing it and if they buy… there goes your commission. (assuming that these are affiliate links)
Shirley´s last blog post..Are Plugins Ruining Your WordPress Website?
Wei Liang | Earn Money Online Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 6:35 am
@Shirley,
I agree that contextual links are much better comparing to text links and banner ads. Like what you mention, people unknowingly click on links within an article.
Wei Liang | Earn Money Online´s last blog post..Lesson 25: Affiliate Marketing (Part 2)
Shirley Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 9:35 am
@Wei Liang | Earn Money Online, Yes. And banner ads aren’t ideal unless you have a mechanisms for having highly targeted ads on each page… Hmmm. I better check out your affiliate marketing series.
Shirley´s last blog post..Does Your Blog Need A Makeover?
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 9:54 am
@Shirley, mechanisms…such as?
Shirley Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
@Dennis Edell, Yeh… if all of your banner ads are displayed depending on the kind of content on your page. ie. if you have certain ads to display per category or tag.
Shirley´s last blog post..Does Your Blog Need A Makeover?
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
@Shirley, Like Adsense?
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 8:43 am
@Shirley, Contextual links are best overall; all bloggers should be aware of this!
The purpose of this post though is strictly the sidebar
Shirley Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 8:46 am
@Dennis Edell, Well! haha. I am still a fan of text links, even if they are in the sidebar…
Shirley´s last blog post..Are Plugins Ruining Your WordPress Website?
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 8:51 am
@Shirley, thanks!
January 28th, 2009 at 1:20 am
If a person is going to notice the advertisements (or pay attention to them) I can see text links as being a bit more beneficial. They take less space, leave more to the imagination, and the right anchor text can increase curiosity and clicks.
However, I think ad blindness does exist to a point and if I’m not looking for something to click on, I can easily miss a text link in a sidebar but a banner ad is much more likely to be noticed (consciously or not) and then the adveriser will be remembered (if not clicked on)
I think by having fewer banners than most and larger banners as well, that this will increase even more as there will not be as much competition for the viewer’s attention.
Nick´s last blog post..Reviews For Dennis - A Contest Entry
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 8:45 am
@Nick, you just laid out my thoughts exactly, but even better then I did!
January 28th, 2009 at 3:07 am
Don’t ever think of text ads if they are not ‘dofollow’. People mainly purchase text ads for link juice and keywords.
At least that’s what my experience is
And unlike banners, you may want to put the text ads on home page alone!
Ajith Edassery | Blog Money´s last blog post..Face (Phase) 2 of blogging - Focus on Happiness and Connecting!
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 8:48 am
@Ajith Edassery | Blog Money,
Smart publishers know to not sell do follow or get slammed by Google. Most advertisers look for your PR as well as other stats, which I one reason I purposely waited to build up my natural readership.
January 28th, 2009 at 8:55 am
To All: Before we get too off track with some - contextual links (links within text) are not in question here; all publishers should know these are best over-all.
The purpose of this post though is strictly the sidebar.
January 28th, 2009 at 8:57 am
I hardly ever pay much attention to the ads. Yet, I will notice a banner or button that is blinking, flashing, scrolling… And Leave! I can not read if something on the side is moving!
I have also noticed that i will pay more attention to a tower banner. Maybe because it is normally in a place with less ads and it is not as common.
Just my 10 cents.
Sheryl Loch´s last blog post..Blog Co-Op Free Membership
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 9:13 am
@Sheryl Loch, Exactly right. Flashy is horrible!
The towers do grab ya though, don’t they?
January 28th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
i tend to stay away from text link ads, but yet i put that on my site using kontera haha,
banners is more eye catching and attractive, but if it’s too flashy it tends to get on you and you wont pay attention to it.
i would say an image ad like the normal 300x or 125x would do just fine. not too flashy or dull tho, just in the middle
picky yes, dennis
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 28th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
@Pheak Tol, Picky is ok! Although saying picky and Kontera in the same post seems a little odd.
January 28th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
I’ve found that blending banners and links directly into content to be the most effective way to advertise on a blog. I call this my “Big Honkin’ Ad” strategy. I use large rectangle banners, in-line Javascript widgets and automatic text links (provided by plugins like Alinks and GoCodes) to do this.
Frank Carr´s last blog post..Earn Online Cash with These Traffic Generators
January 28th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
Frank — sounds like a thorough approach. In my mind, too — I think I separate how one advertises within the content, versus on the outside let’s say in an ad rail, or a column with “recent posts” or in the header beneath the main logo graphic.
January 28th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Everyone should check out comment 14 again.
January 28th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
First, I can’t believe there’s this many comments before I even got here; wow!
Second, to date, I haven’t had much success with either, so if I had to go off my own case studies I wouldn’t be able to offer an opinion whatsoever.
Third, since I can’t go off my own blog, I’ll go off other blogs that I visit. To date, I’ve never clicked on a text ad, but I have clicked on some banner ads that have caught my eye. I’ve even signed up for a program or two via a banner ad. So, I guess I’d favor banner ads.
Mitch´s last blog post..Top Five SEO Tips
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 29th, 2009 at 8:39 am
@Mitch, Sorry about all the comments. hehe
Is there some sort of heading or title above text ads that might get you to click?
Mitch Reply:
January 29th, 2009 at 9:50 am
@Dennis Edell, Well now, I’m not sure. However, you’ve seen on my blog that I have some “recommended products”, all things I’ve tried, but no one ever clicks on them, and they’re links. So, I’m just not really sure.
Mitch´s last blog post..Don’t Do (Insert Here); It’ll Mess Up Your Blog
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 29th, 2009 at 10:30 am
@Mitch,
True “recommended” is a bit over played. For better or worse most visitors now are a little suspicious as to whether they really are truly recommended or not.
I have a few variation ideas I will be testing.
January 28th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
I think banner ads are better. Because, on sidebar we alreeady have lots of text.
I think banner ads stand out in the sidebar.
nihar´s last blog post..How to Remove C:\resycled\ntldr.com error/virus/worm
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 29th, 2009 at 8:42 am
@nihar, That’s an interesting look at it, thanks Nihar.
January 29th, 2009 at 10:59 pm
I’m not going to say something crazy like text and banner ads are dead but I do think they’re a very hard sell in our niche. Online marketers, for the most part, are focused on selling and seem to make it almost second nature to ignore other ads. In fact, I’ll look at ads to see where they’re placed, what graphics and formats are used, and sometimes completely miss what was being promoted.
I was just over at our mutual friend Yan’s blog and was wondering how well his post ‘16 WordPress Premium Themes for $19.95?’ did. It seems like those types of posts would convert far better than traditional ads as long as you have a loyal following, which you do. Of course posts like that have to be mixed with a much higher percentage of selfless content.
Brian D. Hawkins´s last blog post..Brand New - HotBlogTips.com
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 30th, 2009 at 7:36 am
@Brian D. Hawkins,
Truth be told, ANY affiliate posts should be mixed with a larger percentage of non-sales posts.
Nick Reply:
January 30th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
@Brian D. Hawkins, I agree with what you said as far as this niche is concerned, but what are your feelings in general and as far as other niches are concerned?
Nick´s last blog post..MMO Skepticism - How Do You Respond?
Brian D. Hawkins Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 4:03 pm
@Nick, I don’t have anything against banner and text ads. Tracking and testing is important of course. Any niche blog should do well with blog post marketing (just named by me - I invented that terms just seconds ago LOL). For example, if your blog was about pet treats and you were really impressed with a particular brands your post would hold a lot of weight if you had the right following.
Brian D. Hawkins´s last blog post..Brand New - HotBlogTips.com
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 4:08 pm
@Brian D. Hawkins,
Blog Article Marketing is better keyworded I think. Now trademarked by me, so there.
Brian D. Hawkins Reply:
February 1st, 2009 at 9:10 am
@Dennis Edell, LOL, that’s cool Dennis. Just give me a little mention in your acceptance speech
Brian D. Hawkins´s last blog post..Entrecard Widget No More
January 30th, 2009 at 3:39 am
Hi Dennis - I think ad blindness occurs when someone is on our sites a lot. For first time visitors, they’re more apt to check them out. I’ve never been a big fan of the flashing ads, They’re annoying.
Barbara Swafford´s last blog post..How Your Comment Response Policy Can Change The Dynamics Of Your Community
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 30th, 2009 at 7:40 am
@Barbara Swafford,
Very good point. What types of products for sale, should be a definite factor in what types of traffic you shoot for.
I couldn’t agree more on the flash, as many others feel the same way. I see more and more Advertise pages saying no no to flashy banners.
Matty Byloos Reply:
January 30th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
@Dennis Edell, Totally tired of flash as well, if I can throw that in.
Matty Byloos´s last blog post..Building a Dining Room Table 1: The Bench
January 31st, 2009 at 5:21 am
Hmm according to my own experience Dennis, banner ads sell easier for big companies while text links are better for normal bloggers like us, mostly used for link building.
Ben Pei´s last blog post..7 Common Mistakes When Beginning Blogging
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 12:13 pm
@Ben Pei,
It should be a more level field since ALL will be following Googles guidelines, but I get what you mean.
January 31st, 2009 at 5:23 am
Erm I forgot to add in, since you are looking to have only a 300×300 ad spot which I totally agree, you could better contact bigger companies and they may agree to pay you a better price than norm.
Ben Pei´s last blog post..7 Common Mistakes When Beginning Blogging
Dennis Edell Reply:
January 31st, 2009 at 12:10 pm
@Ben Pei,
I agree to a point. I’m growing nicely, but I’m no triple digit banner seller yet for sure. I think “we” could still afford a bigger banner.
I will eventually need to learn how to actually contact companies.
February 1st, 2009 at 6:30 am
Hi, it’s great to read all info including comments, which gave me more clear picture as a newbie. Great discussion that you had.
rudy´s last blog post..Meet Becky and Lego
Dennis Edell Reply:
February 1st, 2009 at 1:20 pm
@rudy,
Thanks Rudy and welcome to the community!
February 2nd, 2009 at 6:59 pm
Twelve years ago when I built my first Web site and displayed AdSense, market researchers were already reporting what they called “banner blindness”. Back then text ads were far more effective.
Later some reported that some banners DID work. The main thing to remember is targeting. If the ad is relevant to your readers they may click on it. If it isn’t all the impressions in the world will do little to nothing.
My theory is that a post with a personal recommendation - and ONLY recommending what we truly believe in - is the best plan. I would link some kind of regularly displayed ad to that post, thereby putting into action what affiliate marketers call pre-selling.
The All-Top banner is really popular on my blog. Most of that popularity is probably due to their being well known; however, I suspect some is because that is a nice size - large enough to call attention but different from what many people automatically tune out as advertising.
Internet Strategist´s last blog post..Have a Blog? You Win By Reading This Blog Review Contest Entry on Best Blog Design!
Dennis Edell Reply:
February 3rd, 2009 at 4:41 pm
@Internet Strategist,
The sidebar text link first linking to a recommendation review within the blog itself IS the best of both worlds when dealing with products or services…I wholeheartedly agree!
The main thing to remember is targeting. If the ad is relevant to your readers…..
Well there ya go. The one never false piece of fact for any type of marketing, anywhere/anyhow.
February 3rd, 2009 at 12:29 am
I feel banner ads make more sense than text ads which sometiems become annoying and goes ignored.
Matty Byloos Reply:
February 3rd, 2009 at 1:03 pm
@Srihari Padmanabhan, Seems there is always the potential for anything over and above the pertinent info on the page (read: ads, etc.) to become annoying.
Matty Byloos´s last blog post..Building a Dining Room Table 1: The Bench
February 3rd, 2009 at 4:43 pm
I haven’t seen much of a discussion about the origin of text link profits, but banners clearly get clicked on by search engine traffic. Those who are direct visitors tend to tune out the ads. Their eyes adjust to where they’re placed.
Gennaro´s last blog post..Things To Do In NYC (For Free)
Dennis Edell Reply:
February 3rd, 2009 at 4:54 pm
@Gennaro, first, Welcome to the community!
A very good point of discussion - organic SE traffic vs. other.
You said “clearly”; is this something you’ve tracked on your own sites? Or read about elsewhere?
Gennaro Reply:
February 4th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
@Dennis Edell, I’ve seen it in my own stats. On day when I get more search engine hits the clicks go up. It’s not based on a long trend, but so far it’s true.
I’ve also been reading it on a few different sites. Perhaps, clearly is a bit strong of a characterization, but I heaven’t read otherwise yet.
Gennaro´s last blog post..Venice Carnival: Masks And Malvasia
Dennis Edell Reply:
February 4th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
@Gennaro,
I’m sure I’ve heard that before as well, but it’s always good to get 1st hand knowledge. Thanks for the update.
This does help me though. Although I do all the basic essentials, I have yet to “concentrate” on search engine traffic.
Matty Byloos Reply:
February 4th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
@Dennis Edell, Sounds reasonable — more traffic, greater number clicking through the ads. I don’t buy any traffic or do any PPC, just SEO and writing (when I can!) so I too am happy to hear Gennaro on this
Matty Byloos´s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday: 2.04.09
February 4th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
How it “looks in your head” is straight to me and 125×125’s don’t seem to pull that well anyway…I’m beginning to question their need on my own blog.
Both text and banners work for private sales as well as aff offers. But some may be reluctant with text because of the over-hyped fear that Google will ban them for “buying links”.
Caleb´s last blog post..Doing What You Like
Dennis Edell Reply:
February 4th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
@Caleb,
No fear here, both text and banner will follow Google guidelines. lol
Mitch Reply:
March 6th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
@Caleb, On my blog, I decided to increase the size of most of my ads to 200×200, shrinking the 250×250 ads to fit my needs. I do have one adblock left of two 125×125 ads next to each other, for a little bit of diversity. After all, I like diversity.
Mitch´s last blog post..The Keys
Caleb Reply:
March 6th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
@Mitch, bigger seems to do better when it comes to ad success…but yea, diversity is a must lest visitors develop “tunnel-vision” or worse, get annoyed!
March 6th, 2009 at 8:44 am
I would go for Banner ads as they are attractive and can be viewed easily.
Dennis Edell Reply:
March 6th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
@Harish,
That’s true, I like a cool looking banner myself. A lot of bloggers nowadays though talk about “banner blindness” wherein people have seen them do much they hardly even look anymore.
A good mix is definitely the way to go in that regard. Thanks for the input!