Is Google Adsense Killing Your Business?
As an SEO expert, I do site evaluations daily. It amazes me how
people are willing to put Google ads all over their pages in the
interest of earning a few extra bucks without considering the
consequences to their business. Think about it. If you are
selling a service or product, why would you allow the ads of
your competitors on your site? Are you willing to sacrifice a
sale for the few pennies you'll make if someone clicks on the
ads? It's ok to include Google ads in some instances, even I
have some ads on my site. Knowing where and when to allow google
ads on your pages is key to maximizing revenue from your traffic
while minimizing the chances of lost business.
Google ads are based on the content that is on your site.
Because your content is about a particular product or service,
the ads on your site will also be about similar products or
services. If the ads are compelling enough, people will click
them and leave your site. Sure, you'll make some chump change,
but how much would you have made on a sale if you hadn't given
your customers a window to the competition?
Many site owners know where to put ads to get the most exposure
but not where to place them for minimized risk. Places on the
top of the page, side and middle are the most common areas for
Google ads. An ad on the top of the page will be seen before
your content. If you absolutely must place ads, at least put
your content first and place the ads on the bottom. If they've
already looked through your material and haven't found what they
were looking for, you can still make a little revenue on their
way out.
Many websites don't sell products or services, but instead rely
on Google ads for revenue. For these businesses, Google ads make
perfect sense. Other businesses sell products for which Google
ads can still be a benefit. For instance, if a business sells a
specialized product that can be found nowhere else, Google ads
aren't going to be a source of competition. Perhaps you sell an
aftermarket car product that you yourself manufacture. If there
is nothing else like it on the market, why not allow other
aftermarket manufacturer's ads on your site? Your customers
won't find your product on another site, yet they might be
looking for other products in addition to yours that you don't
sell. Another reason to allow competing Google ads on your site
is if you are certain that the products or services you are
offering are a great value. If you are cheaper than the
competition, and you know it, it's a boon to your business to
encourage your potential customers to comparison shop. In all
likelihood, they will come back to you to make a purchase and
you will have made a little extra money in the process.
You are probably saying to yourself, "Joe, we can block ads we
don't want on our site". My reply is..."Why have ads at all,
then?". Think about this: blocking your competitor's ads will
not only reduce the number of ads to display on your site, but
also decrease the relevance of the remaining ads. The more urls
you block the less the chance of the ads being relevant. So
what's the point of having them at all? In that case, they'll
serve no purpose but to clutter up your pages.
What do you think it says about your business if you are using
Google ads to generate extra income? I tell you what it says to
me. It says you're not selling. If you're not selling, chances
are your products and services, prices or website are not up to
par or your site hasn't been optimized and you have no traffic.
In general, sites that sell services or products should be
pushing their own stuff and not someone else's. When did
business change? Just because you can make money placing ads on
your site doesn't mean it is always (or ever) in your best
interest.