SkapePhin
☠️ Banned ☠️
- Joined
- May 20, 2002
- Messages
- 43,879
- Reaction score
- 12,964
Hey guys.
I think you guys need to figure out a better ad strategy. As a webmaster myself, I realize ads are what keeps this site afloat, but I think the ad networks you are using are not effective. I increasingly see more ads invade the layout of the forums. I assume this is happening because the revenue you are getting out of it is low.
The ads I see on this site are not relevant at all. For the most part, they are either spammy credit report ads, weight loss ads or netflix ads. It doesn't matter how many ads you put on the site, people still won't click them because they simply aren't relevant.
Now I am starting to see adsense text links ABOVE the content on the first thread posts. This really detracts from user experience, and the only reason I can think of why you would place them in this position is because you are hoping for accidental click-thrus or want to make people desperate enough to join VIP.
Ultimately, this strategy will backfire as Google now penalizes sites with too many ads above the fold, and users will eventually leave a site that is overwhelmed with spammy ads.
I think the best strategy here is to actually cut back on the amount of ads, but use an ad network with highly targeted ads to improve click-thrus and ROI. I have seen research that shows that sites with fewer ads actually improves CTR because the eye isn't overwhelmed with ads, so it moves to the most interesting visual imagery on the page (which would be an ad, if there is only 1 or 2 in a good location).
Try out an ad network that focuses on products for males age 18 - 40. You could also open up new revenue streams by selling merchandise and premium content via sites like gumroad.com.
You could also reach out to local businesses to pay for monthly advertising on the site. I am sure they would love to hop on board when they see the kind of traffic and engagement your site gets.
The key is to be creative. Ultimately, putting irrelevant ads upon irrelevant ads in every nook and cranny on the site will be detrimental.
Hopefully this advice is somewhat helpful. Just my two cents.
I think you guys need to figure out a better ad strategy. As a webmaster myself, I realize ads are what keeps this site afloat, but I think the ad networks you are using are not effective. I increasingly see more ads invade the layout of the forums. I assume this is happening because the revenue you are getting out of it is low.
The ads I see on this site are not relevant at all. For the most part, they are either spammy credit report ads, weight loss ads or netflix ads. It doesn't matter how many ads you put on the site, people still won't click them because they simply aren't relevant.
Now I am starting to see adsense text links ABOVE the content on the first thread posts. This really detracts from user experience, and the only reason I can think of why you would place them in this position is because you are hoping for accidental click-thrus or want to make people desperate enough to join VIP.
Ultimately, this strategy will backfire as Google now penalizes sites with too many ads above the fold, and users will eventually leave a site that is overwhelmed with spammy ads.
I think the best strategy here is to actually cut back on the amount of ads, but use an ad network with highly targeted ads to improve click-thrus and ROI. I have seen research that shows that sites with fewer ads actually improves CTR because the eye isn't overwhelmed with ads, so it moves to the most interesting visual imagery on the page (which would be an ad, if there is only 1 or 2 in a good location).
Try out an ad network that focuses on products for males age 18 - 40. You could also open up new revenue streams by selling merchandise and premium content via sites like gumroad.com.
You could also reach out to local businesses to pay for monthly advertising on the site. I am sure they would love to hop on board when they see the kind of traffic and engagement your site gets.
The key is to be creative. Ultimately, putting irrelevant ads upon irrelevant ads in every nook and cranny on the site will be detrimental.
Hopefully this advice is somewhat helpful. Just my two cents.