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If you are thinking of monetizing your blog, or if it is monetized and you are seeking a more profitable layout, you might want to consider how the top players are raking in the bucks. In this article I set out to compare some of the top ranking blogs (ranking for keywords like "make money blogging" and "monetize your blog") to see if we can settle on what the best blog layout for monetization is. Let's have a look and see what these blogs have in common and where they differ.
Which Blogs Are We Looking At?
We'll be looking at Problogger, Copy Blogger, John Chow, Dosh Dosh and Matt Huggins blog. These are all blogs with lots of traffic and high pagerank...and they are all making serious cash.
I will summarize the layout for each blog and then tie it all together with what they have in common.
Problogger
Just a quick look at the screen shot below will show you that they are not afraid to advertise at Problogger.  This seems to be the best layout for monetization. A banner across the top and the adsense ads to the right. You can't see it in this shot but there's also another ad between the comments. These ads are blinking and attracking attention but are they annoying? That's really for the visitor to decide. I think most loyal readers will tolerate some distracting ads, but not too distracting. At Problogger these ads are right out in front. They aren't hidden in some remote corner of the page. They are blatant and there's nothing wrong with that. If you want to make money off of your blog you can't be shy about it. Darren Rowse of Problogger diversifies his income streams as do all money making bloggers. It's a mistake to put all your eggs in one basket. If you have nothing but adsense all over all of your blogs then you are completely reliant on that one source of income. Suppose Google changes something about adsense that adversly affects your income? It's important to spread out and utilize the many different advertising opportunities that are available. At Problogger they use: Adsense, Widget Bucks, Chitka, Private Ads Text Link Ads (TLA) Affiliate Links Sponsored Reviews and… List Building Let’s not forget building your list! This is potentially a very profitable way to monetize your blog. You can email your list the occasional affiliate product. DoshDosh
Almost the same strategy as Problogger but Doshdosh doesn’t have the banner across the top.
 Again we see that the Adsense ads are on the right. In the next shot you’ll see the bottom half of the screen which features a long vertical ad. These are really popular and I’m surprised that Problogger didn’t have one. I suppose it’s because people are always tweaking their ad placement for optimal results. Notice the offer to host a private ad? With Doshdosh we see a less intrusive ad selection. Where as on Problogger the ads were blinking and in a double column here at Dosh the ads are in one column but with a long vertical banner type ad on the bottom. Of course like Problogger, Dosh also makes sure that you can easily see where to subscribe. There’s that list again. John Chow
John also takes the “I’m not afraid to advertise” approach. His layout for monetization is an aggressive one. Like Problogger, John Chow uses a double column of small blinking ads on the right and a banner across the top. He also has an added twist as he offers to review your blog for $500.  This is a bit cluttered in my opinion but not so much so that I want to hit the back button. There are even more ads down the page.
John weaves in ads in the text links as well as using a variety of Adsense type ads. He also uses a peel away ad. This is a little tab in the upper right corner of the page that “peels away” when you hover of it.
I counted no less that 15 ads on his homepage! Like the others, John makes it easy to subscribe to his blog. He even offers a free ebook to entice his visitors to subscribe.
I think we are beginning to see a pattern here:
Diversify your income streams
Use lots of ads
Place ads on the right, not the left…there’s a reason for that which I’ll get to in a minute.
Use at least on oversized banner ad either vertical or horizontal or both.
Let’s wrap it up with a quick look at Copy Blogger and Matt huggins.
Copy BloggerFrom this screen shot we can see a strong similarity in the layout for monetization. Double column on the right advetising TLA, Adsense and affiliate products. On the left we also see the “Job Board”. This is creative monetization! The job board is a place where you can find work as a blogger or find bloggers to work for you. It’s free for the first 30 days then you have to pay.
Copy blogger also makes it easy to see where to subscribe. It’s right at the top left. This page is a little bit more toned back ad wise compared to John Chow's page.
Matt Huggins Blog 
Matt has his ads on the right once again and his own personal offer to post on his blog for $50. So once again we see a group of double column ads on the right and an offer of a fifty dollar post. You can get away with that when you have a large reader base and lots of traffic.
Matt’s layout for monetization is less aggressive that say John Chows but still uses a double column on the right.
Before we wrap this up I want to offer some insight as to why ads are better placed on the right than on the left. There have been studies done to suggest this but it really just makes sense. When you read you go left to right. When your eyes get to the end of a sentence it’s easier for them to pause and observe an ad. If you place an ad on the left it’s just too easy for the reader to start reading and thus their eyes are moving away from the ads.
Who Wins The “Best Blog Layout For Monetization” ?
I would say John Chow. He treads the line of over monetizing but just barely keeps it in check. I think he pushes the envelope a bit more than the others yet everyone knows that John is making the money!
None of these blogs have any music or audio, which would definitely cause “back-button-itis” . None of them use pop ups either. These guys know that audio and pop ups irritate visitors like nothing else so they keep it off of their blogs. Yet, they are not shy at all about advertising to the hilt.
Another thing I noticed was that all of their affiliate promotion is worked seamlessly into their posts, without the feel of tactless advertising. They all lace their posts with TLA and it’s always relevant to the theme of the blog. So it seems that they are all very well aware of how not to offend the visitor.
All of their posts are informative and readable…and full of ads in the links.
In Conclusion
There is definitely a pattern to take note of here which I’ve already mentioned.
The ads are on the right
Double column of ads
Blinking ads are OK
Banner across the top
Vertical banner on the right
Private ads
Sponsored Reviews
Subscribe form in plain sight
Free gift to subscribers
Diversity in ad selection
You should experiment with different ad placements and advertisers all the time to see what works best. Don’t be afraid to put a whole lot of ads on your blog. You might get a negative comment here and there from some of your readers but it never lasts long. Most readers are quite supportive. Just be careful not to do anything stupid like adding some audio for an affiliate product. No one wants to hear anything when they come to your blog. They want to read and learn something. No music either! You can’t read with music playing.
The biggest lesson here is to diversify and advertise with gusto on both the page and in the text, but never be offensive about it. |
