Google alternate ads

 

What are google alternate ads? Alternate ads are ads that you create and that pop into your website if the google adsense ads don't show up.

If you haven't yet signed up for a free google adsense account you probably should first read my instructions on how and why to do this. Get a google adsense account

Let me explain further: You have a google adsense account and you get little bits of code from google that you place on your webpages. When a person visits your webpages google pops little ads into the page where you placed the code. Now this is great but for whatever reason sometimes the ads don't show up. You have probably experienced this. You go to your website and you see, instead of google ads, a public service ad or a blank space. Alternate ads are a way for you to define what goes in the ad space if the google ad doesn't show up.

This is very important because every web visitor is important and you want them to see your google ads. If no ad appears you have lost an opportunity at revenue. As a minimum, the blank space or public service ad makes the page look awkward; particularly if it is a big ad space.

Defining your own ads for this means you still get to show an ad to your web visitor and you also increase your opporutunity to keep the visitor on your site. You can make these ads to display text or images and you can make them so they point toward other related web pages you have or to products from your affiliate programs.

Here is an example of an alternate ad I use:

Manga Mania Video Games!: How To Draw The Characters And Environments Of Manga Video Games (Manga Mania) Ads-by stormthecastle.com

Game Plan: The Insider's Guide to Breaking In and Succeeding in the Computer and Video Game Business

And here's another:

Science Fiction & Fantasy
At Amazon.com - Direct link to
Their Awesome SF&F Section

Realms Of Fantasy Magazine
Subscribe to this great magazine
Amazon.com low price

Ads-by stormthecastle.com

These ads all point to books or magazines that are directly targeted to the content on the page. And they all have my associate code in them so if a visitor clicks on the link and buys the product I will get a percentage of the sale.

One of the nice things about this set up is that you have complete control of the design. You can make the text and the color scheme so that it exactly fits into the scheme of your website. Another nice thing is that you only have to make a few of them in different sizes. Then all you have to do is point to them with your google code.

Now let me show you how to add the alternate google ads into your website

Before we begin lets talk about naming your ads- Tracking and feedback is one of the most important parts of any website. You have to know what is working and how to keep track of your webpages and all the information you have accumulated. So I strongly recommend you use an easy to remember system for naming the alternate ads you create.. Here is an example of the sistem I use:

I start out the name of the ad with gaa - this means google alternate ad

then I add a content description like: fantasybooks or astrobooks or fantasymags

finally I add the size of the ad: 468x60 or 728x90 or whatever the ad size is that i am replacing.

Put all together the name of an alternate ad might be:

gaafantasybooks468x60.htm

It is clear to me exactly what this ad is. Google alternate ad about fantasy books and it is 468x60 in size.

Now if you start to accumulate a lot of alternate ads you can sort through them easily and keep them sharply targeted toward the interests of your web visitor.

So let's create an alternate google ad now:

1. Oopen up your web design software and create a totally blank page

2. Insert a table into the page with the exact width of the ad you are replacing. If your web design software allows you to define the height of the table then do that too.

Here is a table I created that is 468x60

 

Easy Enough right? Now just insert your text and links and you are done!

Game Plan: The Insider's Guide to Breaking In and Succeeding in the Computer and Video Game Business

Now save it using a method that makes sense to you. In this case it is:

gaamakevideogames468x60.htm

Of course you should create a folder where you will keep all your alternate ads. And don't forget to upload these documents to your server.

 

Now let's specifiy this alternate ad when we create a google adsense banner

When logged into your adsense account and creating your google ads you will see an option like this:

Simply select the radio button for "Show ads from another URL then type in the URL for your new alternate ad. You can use full url or the relative url. If you are unsure about the accuracy of relative url then just type in the full url. Something like this: http://www.yourhobbysite.googlealternateads/gaamakevideogames468x60.htm

And you are ready to go! Now you have maximized your opportunity to keep your web visitor on your site or to make another sale. Whenever google doesn't serve an ad the ad you created will display.

Suggestions for what to put inside your alternate ads:

  • If they are in a side column you could put a link list to other pages, this keeps a nice continuity to your site.
  • You could put links directly to books and products from your affiliate programs.
  • You could even insert pictures, pictures of books, posters, anything
  • If you wanted to you could simply put text that blends in perfectly with the content of your site. It wouldn't even be an ad - just more valuable content.
  • Be creative - You know what kind of things your web visitor is looking for. Use this knowledge

 

 

 

 


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