How many block ads?

[Collegiate Messiah]

Are to many? I would think that in the low-traffic stage (where I'm at now), too many ads would merely drive off visitors, or annoy them. However, I'm experimenting with more block-ads in between posts.

I do keep side-ads below the fold, and beneath the blog archive, as I figure if someone is reading the second post, they're interested enough to not be turned off by the side ads.

What number/placement do you run, and at what level of traffic?

[stephen todd]

Originally Posted by Collegiate Messiah

Are to many? I would think that in the low-traffic stage (where I'm at now), too many ads would merely drive off visitors, or annoy them. However, I'm experimenting with more block-ads in between posts.

I do keep side-ads below the fold, and beneath the blog archive, as I figure if someone is reading the second post, they're interested enough to not be turned off by the side ads.

What number/placement do you run, and at what level of traffic?

If you are concerned about making your site look spammy, then have only 1 or 2 ad blocks - above the fold, rather than many blocks in various positions

there is no point in having ad blocks if they are not in prime positions

one 468 pixel wide block above the posts and one 160 wide vertical or 250 square if it will fit your sidebar is OK

my sites have in content, above post, below post, in sidebar blocks - depending on whether its the homepage, category page, post page, etc.

how many ad blocks you should have depends on how many advertisers are bidding - if only a few bidders then why bother with lots of ad blocks - they will be showing duplicate ads

another consideration is that the more ads you show the cheaper the payouts - even low bid advertisers will be getting ad views on your site - whereas only having 1 or 2 ad blocks will only show the higher bid ads

[Ferox]

Personally I found that ad blocks within posts to be particularly objectionable and so avoided them at all costs. My advice is just to think about where your reader's eyes are moving and put them somewhere they can look 'natural'.

[stephen todd]

Originally Posted by Ferox

Personally I found that ad blocks within posts to be particularly objectionable and so avoided them at all costs. My advice is just to think about where your reader's eyes are moving and put them somewhere they can look 'natural'.

readers eyes go straight to the top left of the page below the header graphic

that's where my in-content ad block is - and I don't think its objectionable - no worse than text wrapping round a picture - example: Currency Trading - Russian Ruble Trouble

if visitors object to that - tough!

[Ferox]

Text wrapping aorund a picture is also annoying.

Eyes (and mice) also move to the right hand side, where the scroll bar is, and if they're in the mood for related content they'll browse a blogroll.

[QuirkyJessi]

I have to agree with Ferox. Ad blocks in a post (and text wrapping) are really annoying.

[stephen todd]

Originally Posted by QuirkyJessi

I have to agree with Ferox. Ad blowilcks in a post (and text wrapping) are really annoying.

In an ideal world web publishers wouldn't have to do it - but we need the money!

I think there will be lots of new things launched to annoy site visitors as publishers try and maintain acceptable levels of site revenue

I hate advertisements in TV programs - but everybody knows they are necessary in commercial broadcasting - you want the content, you have to accept the ads that fund it

[QuirkyJessi]

Originally Posted by stephen todd

In an ideal world web publishers wouldn't have to do it - but we need the money!

I think there will be lots of new things launched to annoy site visitors as publishers try and maintain acceptable levels of site revenue

I hate advertisements in TV programs - but everybody knows they are necessary in commercial broadcasting - you want the content, you have to accept the ads that fund it

Oh I can see why they do it and I understand the desire/need for the money. I accept advertising on sites, but there's a difference in how it's done. If *I* want the content, I'll be going somewhere else. It's rare for only a single site to have what I want/need, and I don't intentionally return to or subscribe to sites that come off as ad spammy or overly annoying with their ad placement.

[Nathan]

I personally use Ad Block Plus for Firefox and I rarely see ads at all. Of course, this probably isn't what most blog owners want to hear, but its how I choose to view the web. If bloggers had a tendancy to be more sparse with their ads and use attractive ads then I wouldn't be forced to use Ad Block Plus and I might even click on ads.

However, all too often I see sites full of spammy dating site ads, make money ads, and all sorts of other trashy ads. I don't return to sites or blogs like that.

[Monkeyman09]

I'm guilty of blocking ads as well. One thing that I use for Firefox is NoScript, it blocks ads as well as keeps scripts from loading until I say otherwise, which is pretty cool.