i thought that best practices would make a delightful discussion and benefit some folks. things like the first thing you do, change color, location, channel etc
1. implement tracking system 2. start with border and bg matching page, experiment with several ad positions 3. check stats 4. check ads on low CTR pages and consider using those wacky tags that tell adsense what to pay attention to (http://www.google.com/support/adsense/bin/answer.py?answer=23168)
Don't try to cheat Google under the mistaken belief that you are smarter than them. They created a multi-billion dollar corporation from scratch. You are a publisher living in your mom's basement trying to scam them out of $20/day using your friends to click ads. It's no competition.
Best practices include !) adding good content and focus on 2-3 keywords @) Right placement #) Blending
what are some examples of placement? where do you start? how long do you check a particluar location before you change it.
Tracking script is a must. You have to know what's being clicked and what's not and what niches generate revenue for you. Second good practice is Test,Test, Test. You don't know what the best layout is until you test and compare results.
bjraines, if you use the search function, this topic has been discussed ad nauseaum. Ad placements, ad colors, ad positions, etc. Give it a shot.