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17
Jul
2008

AdSense for Search Optimization Tips

The bulk of AdSense earnings for most people tend to come from AdSense for Content banners, and this is why they are the prime focus of optimization efforts – the right blend of colors, placement and ad sizes, among others. But I think it’s high time we also pay attention to the AdSense for Search text box, the little workhorse that adds both functionality and monetization possibilities to our sites. If you don’t have it yet, I strongly suggest that you try to get it from your AdSense account. These are just some tips on how to set it up.

Customize the look. You can always go with the default settings, but it will work much better if you change the colors to match your site’s background and text. The search box should look like it belongs to the page, blending well with the rest of the site yet still quickly recognizable to users. If you know a bit of HTML, you can even try to play with the configuration of the various elements.

Choose to open search results on your own site. While configuring the search box, AdSense with ask you whether you’d like the search results to be host by Google or within your own website. It’s better to choose the latter because it keeps the users on your site, and you have more control over the design. In addition, it’s not a bad idea to put a search box on the results page itself, for users who might want to make new searches.

Optimize results page ad placement. You can choose between three configurations as to where to place ads inside the results page, but Google suggests picking “Top and Right” as this has the best yield in their tests. Who are we to argue, right?

Use the targeting options. One of the fairly new things about AdSense for Search is that you can refine the results to make them more relevant to your audience. For example, if you run a site about Nokia, you can enter the keywords “mobile phones”, “Nokia” and “3G” so that the results and ads will both tend to feature Nokia phones with 3G capability.

Maximize search box visibility. Your AdSense search box must be placed where you can find it with a quick glance. Locations such as the left or right navigation column and below the header are good spots for this. It’s important to place it above the fold, which just means the reader shouldn’t have to scroll down just to see it. In order to avoid confusion, the search box must be placed uniformly across all pages. This should not be a problem if you’re using a CMS with templates such as WordPress and Joomla.