WebProNews

Last week, Google began a series of videos called "Optimisation Essentials" for AdSense tips. When I reported on that, some discussion was sparked in our comments, and hopefully that will continue now because Google has put up the second video in the series. The theme here is "Dress for success - impressing your audience."

Like the first in the series, this video addresses site design when considering your AdSense ads. Before it was about size, and this time it is about colors and borders. Along with the video, the following tips are offered:

- Use colors that either blend with or complement your site's colors. Make the ads a part of your site.

- Use lighter colors for borders, or no border at all.

- Try rotating colors or occasionally switching the location of your ads on the page.

- Save sets of frequently-used colors as a palette.

"Over the years, we've seen some colourful ad unit designs," says Mel Ann Chan, of the AdSense Australia Optimisation Team. "Some publishers design ad units that contrast with their site so that they stand out. Although this can work in some cases, we've found that ad units that match your site's design tend to perform better in terms of revenue and click-through-rate. Users are more likely to read ads when they're well integrated into your site."

In other words, when you go out of your way to make them stand out, it often draws attention to the fact that they are just AdSense ads, and as a result, they may simply ignore them. What strategy do you use when it comes to "dressing" your AdSense ads?