The Management Consulting Group

If web surfers behaved all alike, if there were strict patterns
in users’ behaviour, wouldn’t all publishers be on a sunny beach
right now, with a fancy-colored cocktail, worring not about
AdSense™ optimization matters?

Web user’s behaviour depends on two main groups of variables:
the user-related one and the website-related one.

A) User-related Behavior Variables

Though people react very differently at various stimuli, we can
identify some peculiarities specific to web surfers. The
behaviour is much like yours. Have you considered watching your
own actions while surfing on the web? This might help if you
want to improve your site’s appeal to readers, especially if you
sell something or if you want your visitors to click on your
ads.

Several groups of variables that influence users’ behaviour can
be identified:

* Components of the mental processes involved while searching
and browsing on the Internet: attention, awareness, language,
mental imagery etc.

* The behavior of websurfers is influenced also by their
subjective approach to matters, determined by temperamental
characteristics, such as mood, patience and their purpose and
degree of interest.

* Also, users act differently varying with how used they are to
web surfing.

Let’s see how we can tweak our websites to turn these to our
advantage (and turn visitors into “clickers”):

1. Mental processes

Attention - The web designer keeps the tools to direct
readers’ attention. A simple design, without unnecessary loading
will prevent the reader from being distracted by unimportant
elements. The ads placement must be done strategically, in a
place impossible to overlook (recommended in the first
paragraph, usually in the upper-left area). Pictures and
graphics are considered attention-grabbers and will also be
considered when choosing your ads’ placement.

Awareness - This is a very debated topic. Opinions differ
on readers’ ads awareness. Some sustain that the more blended
into content, the better, others say that this formatting will
induce the readers the feeling of being “tricked” into clicking
on ads, which they resent. I incline to say that blend-in ads
work only for very well targeted ads, coming naturally as if
belonging to the content. Positioning ads outside the content
area would be effective mostly with advertising that builds
brand awareness, based on image impressions.

Mental Imagery - Again, a pleasant, uncluttered design, a
balanced look of the page contribute to a positive perception of
the page from the part of the reader and to a more open state of
mind. A professional layout is important. It inspires
confidence, people don’t want to purchase from a just any
backyard business.

2. Subjectiveness

Patience - A golden rule: don’t abuse your readers’
patience (for they usually don’t have one)! Web pages must load
quickly, ads must not be placed in readers’ way and should be
kept to a reasonable number.

Purpose and Mood - Are more related to the topic of your
site and the type of content you publish. The idea is that
users’ purpose and mood can be influenced by copy.

Degree of Interest - Besides relevant, good content, that
answers questions, the reader’s interest is influenced by
involvement and interaction. Keep your reader involved,
integrate your ads into an interaction environment: these will
work wonders on your CTR.

3. User’s Degree of Acquaintace with Web Surfing

Net savvy users have developed certain immunities, such as
ad-blindness. These are less likely to click on any ads.
Customizing ads for this type of readers means harder work; the
result must be ads of high relevance (and remarkable ad texts!),
with an aspect as close to the rest of the page as possible, as
if they were a natural continuation of your ideas. Important!
avoid default formats.

B) Site-related Variables

The type of the site and the topic attract visitors with
different interests with different behavioral patterns.

1. Site Type — Readers vs Browsers

Whether the visitor is a “reader” or a “scanner/browser” depends
also on the site type — content and topic. Generally, readers
are regular visitors while “scanners” are the ones who look for
information and will not spend too much time on the same site.
Site topic and content are most times factors in bringing more
“uniques” or more regular visitors. Though not as a rule, these
apply to many sites:

Sites Attracting Unique Visitors - These are mostly
commercial sites, content sites. Statistics say that unique
visitors are more likely to be your clickers, for regular
readers are more used to your pages’ look and your ads.
Contextual advertising works well with these sites. If you’re
headed for unique visitors, make your site “SE-friendly”. They
come mostly from search engines and are said to be
“pre-qualified” clickers. So, your efforts should be directed
towards keywords and keyword phrases optimization. The ideal
would be to go beyond the technicalities, that is finding out
what are the most searched for keywords in your area of
preoccupations and try to find out why these are popular, try to
find a behavioral pattern. This can be achieved by statistics
and analysis. Find out some niches in your area and the users’
behaviour within them — that is, lists of searches and then see
what is it customers want. This will solve your puzzle and give
you exact hints towards what works best for your site. Keep in
mind: unique visitors are mostly “browsers”. Use ad placement
and ad customization techniques that apply best for this type of
users.

Sites with Regular Visitors - These are mostly forums,
blogs and news sections (though news are somewhere in between).
If you own sites with many bookmarks, that attract especially
repeat visitors, then either you will be very imaginative in
customizing your ads and finding new ways to interest your
readers into clicking or if not the case, better use CPM based
advertising. Brand bulding/reinforcement advertising works
better in this case.

2. Site Theme Relates to Visitor’s Mood and Purpose

Commercial Sites - Sites selling and promoting products
are more suitable for CPC advertising. By their specific, this
type of site will attract visitors looking for a specific
product/service/business opportunity. Thus, users are more in a
buying mood, are looking for a way to spend their money
profitably. These are clickers.

Content Sites, Blogs, Forums - Unless you market specific
products, your readers will land on your page without the
express purpose of buying something. However, you can influence
your reader’s mood and needs thru witty, sales-directed
copywriting. You just need to know some basic things that sell.
One is that people are more likely to buy from persons they
know, like and trust.

So, what will help you build these? Good content and structure.
Especially with content sites, these are fundamental issues to
focus on (unlike commercial sites that focus more on products).
Good content, profesionally written and formatted for the web,
containing information that is of high interest and relevance
for the reader, within an easily manageable structure and good
targeting on a specific theme are imperatives. On one hand these
mean bulding confidence, the first step in selling. On the other
hand they will attract well-targeted ads, more likely to
interest your reader.

Great content will give you credit to your reader. Once you’ve
gained trust, it’s easy to direct your readers: you just give
recommendations and the results will appear. (Avoid being too
explicit in recommendations, though — for example, directing
readers towards clicking on ads is against AdSense™ Program
Policies.)

With blogs and forums, it is a different story. Not all forums
and blogs are accepted for AdSense™ (or even if accepted, they
must be also profitable). Only genuine, specifically-themed
blogs and forums, with highly interesting content are suitable.
These conditions being fulfilled, forums and blogs are perfect
as a source of advertising money — they have what is very
difficult for others to achieve: reader’s trust, liking and
involvement.