For those of you that create sites for the purpose of displaying ads, do you put together exceptional sites or just a basic design? Just wondering. I have a friend that makes a lot of $$ from google and yahoo, and his sites are all very basic. He told me he was not in the business of building quality sites. What do you think?
I've always thought that a good site will make it's own money. It's better to spend the time making a quality site that will attract repeat visitors and build credibility than try to make a site specifically for advertising. You have to consider how you are going to get people to the site in order to have a chance for clicks. Quality content is the best way, especially because it leads to word of mouth. Personally, if sites are too ad-heavy, I don't visit them again. If your goal is purely monetary, then ask your successful friend how he does it and emulate that. If not, learn his technique and apply it to a quality site focusing on gaining more visitors.
The answer to this question solely depends on the purpose for the site and its audience. If you are marketing/selling a product or service, then your website design interface should display the branding established by the company, product or service. This promotes brand reinforcement and customer loyalty. If the purpose of the site is entirely to earn $$ form AdSense, and you are using SEO to generate traffic, then strip down the images and efficiently use HTML/CSS and consistent content to maximize SEO. Don't worry about the design (as I'm sure you are not concerned with repeat visitors as much as you want users to just click ads). Good luck! Rick
Like Ricky said--all depends on the purpose. When I was a kid, I learned that when I went out on the town, the dress code was "dress to impress" the kind of gals i wanted to be around. For some that means one thing...For some that means another. For DFA sites (Designed for Adsense) you are looking for a site that will turn tricks (wording carefully thought out...grin) For Sites that are DFRC (designed for repeat customers) you need a site that you'd be proud to show to Mom! (once again, words carefully chosen). The idea there is to create lasting value versus a quickie... Is one "better" than the other--not really. I am not a trick turning kind of guy, but that doesn't mean that I don't admire those kind of sites...until my wife smacks me!!!! (We've been happily married for 17 years...) You get what I mean....(grin) Eric