You have probably read my post 4 Ways To Use Images To Enhance Your Blog and hopefully you you have started to apply some of the tips. However you need to be aware of the danger of using brilliant images.

Take Attention Away From Adsense Adds

This blog used to have large images at the header of every blog post which looked cool but I have learnt a few things since.

1) Readers Start At Images

Even if there is content above an image readers will always see the image first. As a result images will always be an excellent way to grab readers attention. However if you are using an image at the start of your post readers will often ignore anything above the image. Here is the problem, the hottest spot for adsense clicks is above the content. (The image on the right shows adsense hotspots).

If your image at the top is too strong it will actually draw readers a straight into your content. So although it is good to connect very strongly with readers if you are trying to make money it might be worth your time to make a “softer” entry into each article.

2) Mild Confusion Helps Adsense

Using the image as a cue for readers makes it easy for them to find what they are looking for, but sometimes giving them what they dont expect will help them see more of the page. Too much confusion is obviously a bad thing, if the reader leaves feeling frustrated then you did it wrong. A good indicator of frustration is bounce rate. Different marketing techniques and traffic sources have different bounce rates so to test out confusion levels try different layouts and watch to see if the bounce rate changes.

My previous articles had a large image at the start and it was clear to the reader it was the beginning and they were to read from there. My new layout has a smaller image and creates mild confusion for the reader where they are not quite sure whether the add is a part of the image or not.

Before

After

Getting your adds mistaken as part of the content is the key for getting them noticed and getting better click through rates.

After making these changes I saw a noticeable improvement in my adsense revenue.

I hope this helps!