The two main topics that I want to explore in this post are:
1. What is the best Adsense Layout?
2. What is the best WordPress Theme for Adsense?
But before I delve into those two very important topics, I want to quickly advise you about something that is EVEN MORE important. Your adsense niche is already either very “click happy,” or an inevitable dissapointment. There’s no way of getting around a niche that does not supply visitors with relevant ads to click.
How to Make Sure Your Niche has a High CTR?
—> Anything with WOMEN!!! <—-
Don’t ask me why, I don’t want to appear sexist. LOL. Anything that attracts female visitors is usually much better at earning a high CTR. This is probably because women have less ad blindness. This is, of course, a HUGE generalization, but men tend to be more technologically savvy. And with that, comes a much more sophisticated understanding of the difference between content and advertisements.
Another possible explanation is that, in general, women enjoy online shopping more than men. This is also a generalization, but let’s be honest, it would be hard to ignore the obvious.
—> Lot’s of Advertisers <—-
This one is probably the MOST IMPORTANT factor in the your quest to get a better CTR. The difference between a niche with few advertisers and many is so dramatic, it’s ridiculous. Not only will you get a better CPC (cost per click), your visitors will have more relevant ads to choose from…
… IE. When I started online, I chose a niche with very few advertisers. As a result, visitors would not be shown many ads that are relevant to my niche. As a hypothetical example… Let’s say my niche is “how to belly dance.” Well, there’s not many advertisers willing to shell out dollars in this niche <— I checked it out, believe me 🙂 So a visitor to my site will see ads from everything under the sun. (and sometimes, Google won’t show any ads at all). There simply ARE NOT enough relevant ads to display.
THEREFORE, you should ALWAYS pick a niche with LOTS OF ADVERTISERS
….
So, Let’s Talk About Adsense Layouts!
… Fine!
There really are 3 adsense layouts that have been the BEST in my testing across various niches. One is extremely aggressive (and should probably be avoided), one is relatively non aggressive, while the last layout is moderately intrusive.
—> Layout 1 – In Yo’ Face! <—-
So, this layout is probably going to piss the G-bot off…
This layout used to be the BEST by FAR… That was until Google starting penalizing websites that are too aggressive “above the fold.” The Page Layout Algorithm in 2011 was designed to punish sites that had to many ads before any content. What “above the fold” means is what a visitor can see before any scolling down the page.
Here’s a picture to demonstrate Google’s definition of “above the fold”
… As you can see by the fold line, the amount of space taken up by advertising is judged by Google. This first adsense layout (or anything similarly aggressive) has been penalized by Google. So although the CTR is usually VERY HIGH, this ad layout is a no go.
—> Layout 2 – Well Hello There, Friendly Visitor <—-
This layout is VERY USER FRIENDLY. The Adsense CTR is fairly decent with this one, and Google certainly approves…
… If you want a SAFE adsense layout with a very good CTR, this is could be your best bet. The last adsense layout is my favourite of the bunch. But this one is a little less obstructive to visitors that are only looking for information. And for that reason, you will have a better chance of keeping your visitors happy…. slightly.
If you’re EXTREMELY concerned with visitor satisfaction, then I might pick the above ad. HOWEVER… If you’re in it for the profits, then the last adsense layout is your best option.
—> Layout 3 – Not too hot, not too cold, this one is juuuussst RIGHT! <—-
So here’s the best of both worlds. It’s not overly aggressive, and won’t be penalized by Google. Yet it’s also “just” aggressive enough to maximize your adsense earnings. This is the layout that I choose for almost all of my adsense sites. When I try a different layout, it is usually for testing purposes. But I always seem to end up back to this one.
… The “left-justified” advertisement will be directly under your blog title. This ad unit will have your highest CTR of the bunch in most cases. There are some rare exception, and like I always say, testing is still very important. That being said, this is the best adsense layout in general. It’s not too aggressive, but still displays ads in noticeable areas.
Can a WordPress Theme Increase My CTR?
Everything up until this point is an absolute MUST. There is one more thing you can do, and that’s add a wordpress theme that is designed to get the highest CTR possible.
… But I’ll say it again…. Choosing the right niche is most important.
You can, of course, still increase your CTR fairly significantly by choosing a good layout and wordpress theme.
Below I’m going to discuss the wordpress themes that have been tested to create the best adsense CTR.
1. Intelli Pro WordPress Theme
This one is fairly new, and is created by the team at AdsenseFlippers.com. Of all the themes I’ve tested, so far this one produces the best results. What’s REALLY COOL about this theme, is the ability to test LAYOUTS and TEMPLATES at the same time. The CTR THEME became a huge seller because it allowed owners to test different ad layouts.
… Adsense Flippers took this one step further, and let’s use test layouts and templates at the same time. Not only that, the themes are very simple and professional, which is exactly what you need out of an adsense theme.
In closing, I’ve tested multiple adsense themes, and this one got me the highest CTR. The REAL power is the built in testing… It’s great out of the box… but it’s damn near magical after a couple weeks of tweaking. This is my affiliate link, if you want to do some testing on your niche sites.
2. Scott Blanchard’s Clickbump Engine
Scott’s theme is pretty decent. The advantage that Clickbump has over Intelli Pro is that it’s not specifically for adsense. You can use it to build Amazon Affiliate sites, or in combination with any affiliate program. To look at what affiliate program interests you the most, check out this post.
If you don’t want to limit yourself to just Adsense, I would suggest that you pick up Scott’s Clickbump engine. But if you are positive that Adsense is the affiliate program that interests you the most now, and in the future, then Intelli Pro is a slightly better choice for your Adsense needs.
But as mentioned earlier in this post, the two most important deciding factors are:
1. Your Niche
2. Your Layout
My Advice to You
Don’t buy a wordpress theme until you pick a niche. As an example, A site on “toasters” will be better paired with Amazon than Adsense.
Pick a niche that get a good CTR and CPC. Usually those two things line up anyways. The more advertisers, the more relevant the Ads will be on your blog. Pick something that gets a healthy amount of dollars pumped it’s way.
- Pick Layout number 3. It’s really the best of the bunch.
- Buy a wordpress theme that suits your needs.
