How to Make More Money with AdSense: 3 Advanced Strategies

AdSense recently switched from a cost-per-click (CPC) model to a cost-per-mille (CPM) model. Because of this, some publishers are seeing a decrease in revenue. Some of these publishers may be able to bring their revenue back up simply by adjusting their ad strategy and setup, while others may need to take advantage of a different platform altogether.

In this guide, we show you how to make more money with AdSense, even if you’ve got the basics down (i.e. quality content and consistently high traffic).

Specifically, we share three advanced strategies to boost your AdSense earnings:

1. Use Google AdSense in combination with a header bidding partner like Snigel
2. A/B test different ad layouts, ad sizes, and ad formats for the best results
3. Monitor and improve your core web vitals

Throughout this guide, we also show you how our ad monetization platform, Snigel, can help you maximize your revenue, using advanced ad tech and dedicated ad ops specialists.

Snigel is a Google Certified Publishing Partner that you can use alongside AdSense to maximize your revenue through header bidding. Get in touch for a free consultation. 

1. Earn 57% More Revenue by Using Header Bidding Alongside AdSense

There are two main benefits to working with a header bidding partner in addition to AdSense:

• You can connect to more demand sources.

• You can access ad tech that’s simply not available with AdSense.

AdSense gives you access to advertisers that are using Google Ads, the Google Display Network, or other Google products. However, by limiting yourself to this platform, you’ll miss out on other advertisers who are also willing to pay for your ad inventory.

By working with a header bidding partner such as Snigel, you can connect to multiple ad demand sources alongside Google — such as Amazon, IndexExchange, and Xander — so they can all bid for your ad space.

Connecting to more advertisers increases the competition for your ad inventory — meaning advertisers have to pay more to get their ads displayed on your site. Websites using header bidding can expect an increase in revenue between 27%–73%. It’s a great strategy to make more money with AdSense.

Plus, when working with a header bidding partner like Snigel (instead of an ad network like AdSense), you’ll have more control over what ads appear on your site.

You can find out more about how header bidding works in our guide to header bidding.

As we discuss in detail below, compared to most header bidding platforms, AdSense is very limited when it comes to ad formats and ad technology. Typically, publishers that use header bidding have access to more advanced ad tech, enabling them to attract more in ad revenue. This is because more sophisticated ad tech tends to increase ad viewability and engagement — something that advertisers are willing to pay more for.

If you only use AdSense, then you’ll be missing out on revenue that you could access using header bidding. That said, many header bidding platforms have a non-compete clause that doesn’t allow you to use their platform alongside AdSense. Snigel, on the other hand, can be used alongside AdSense.

How Using Snigel’s Full-Service Header Bidding Alongside AdSense Helps You Connect to More Lucrative Demand Sources

As a full-service header bidding partner, Snigel enables website owners to connect to more demand sources than AdSense allows. With Snigel, you’ll have access to 50+ of the best supply-side platforms, ad exchanges, and ad networks — including Google AdX, OpenX, Amazon, Index Exchange, ConnectAd, and many more.

And, unlike most header bidding partners, you don’t need to choose between Snigel and AdSense. Instead, you can use both in conjunction, which enables you to earn as much revenue as possible.

Find out how much more you can earn by using Snigel with our AdSense calculator.

Skip down to learn more about Snigel’s advanced, AI-powered ad tech. 

2. Run A/B Tests on Your Ad Layout & Formats for the Most Lucrative Setup

Every website is different and will require a different ad setup. For example, a translation website will look very different from a weather reporting app, which will look different from a cooking blog. Whether you're using AdSense, a header bidding partner, or both, you’ll need to test your ad setup to see which layout and ad types make you the most money.

The most lucrative setup will be unique to you, based on your audience, your GEO, your type and form of content, your vertical, and more. So you’ll need to experiment with multiple strategies and setups to find which works best for you. This will include:

• Ad layout and placement — i.e. where ads appear on the page

• Ad size — i.e. how large they are

• Ad format — the types of ads that appear

With AdSense, you’ll need to test these optimizations on your own to find the right setup. Google’s experiments feature helps you set these tests up to discover which settings perform best. It works by splitting your site’s traffic between the original ad setting and the variation so that their performance can be measured side-by-side.

While AdSense does help you run these tests, you’ll still need to put the work in to continually experiment and monitor the results over time. This can be very time consuming, particularly for publishers that don’t have experience running ads on other websites. Plus, many publishers simply don’t know the best strategies to try first, so they waste time testing ineffective ad layouts and types.

Alternatively, Snigel provides every publisher with dedicated ad ops specialists who will manage and test your ads for you. They have hands-on experience with hundreds of sites and know how to get the best results. And you’ll still have full control over what gets implemented.

In this section, we give you some ways to optimize different ad layouts, sizes, and formats with AdSense. Then, we detail how Snigel can help.

a. Optimize Your Ad Density & Ad Placements to Boost Your AdSense Earnings

AdSense doesn’t strictly limit the number of ads per page, but publishers should still avoid letting ads exceed the amount of content or become the focal point of the page. Instead, it’s best to use fewer ads in high viewability placements.

Overall, whether you use AdSense or a header bidding platform, we recommend keeping your ad density below 30%, meaning that no more than 30% of the user’s screen is ads at any time. This prevents users from getting a very cluttered experience, which can discourage them from returning to your site (which will in turn affect your ad revenue). This is a good rule of thumb for both mobile and desktop setups.

When it comes to mobile, you shouldn’t let more than two AdSense ad units appear on-screen at the same time. As a result, you should only run:

• One ad unit above the fold

• 1 or 2 in-content units (depending on the length of your content)

• An anchor ad (more on this below)

These are important rules to follow, but they are just the basics. To truly maximize your earnings (either via AdSense or a header bidding platform), you’ll still need to test the right setup for you. That means experimenting with different ad placements and densities to see how it affects your revenue and user experience (UX).

Below, we cover how Snigel does all of this for you.

You can also find out more about ad placement in our guide: 6 Factors to Consider When Placing Ads on Your Website

b. Choose the Right Size Ads to Make More Money with AdSense

By optimizing your ad sizes, you can achieve higher impressions and, therefore, higher revenue. You’ll still need to test which ad sizes are right for your particular site — as what might be right for another site may not be the most lucrative option for yours.

Plus, it’s important to consider that different ad sizes are more popular with audiences in different GEOs. For example, 980x120 sizes might perform well in Scandinavia, while a 240x400 size is popular in Russia.

That’s why it’s crucial to continually monitor your specific site’s ad performance over time. Depending on your GEO, audience, vertical, and type of content, you’ll need to find the setup that works for you, in order to balance ad revenue with your UX.

Even if an ad brings in more revenue in the short-term, it could negatively affect the UX, preventing users from returning to your site in the future. This would negatively impact your long-term ad revenue.

c. Use Alternative Ad Formats to Increase Your AdSense Revenue

Different ad platforms and header bidding partners offer different ad formats. With AdSense, you have a fairly limited choice. The most popular option is to use Auto ads, a tool that automatically analyzes your pages and finds new places to show ads based on your layout and content.

This will take decisions about ad formats out of your hands. However, with Auto ads, you can still customize where you want your ads to appear.

Some of the Auto ad styles you can use include:

• Vignette ads. These are full-screen ads that appear between page loads. Users can exit the ad by clicking on the close button. Since vignette ads take up the whole screen, they have high viewability and can increase your revenue. To maintain a good UX, AdSense automatically limits the number of vignette ads per user.

• Anchor ads (or sticky ads). Used mainly on mobile, these stick to the edge of the user’s screen, but users can dismiss them by clicking on the close button. Anchor ads appear at the top or bottom of the user’s screen, depending on which position is best for the UX. And, since anchor ads stick to the user’s screen, they have high viewability.

• Multiplex ads. These show multiple ads in the style of suggested content, typically at the bottom of the web page. These ad units display multiple ads at the same time, to increase the chances that there will be something to engage the user.

Once you set up Auto ads on your AdSense account, you’ll need to track how they perform in terms of revenue, impressions, and UX. Like all other aspects of your ad setup, you need to test each of them to see which works best for your specific website.

With so much to monitor and test, it can be really time-consuming to identify the best setup for your site. In the following section, we share how Snigel can help — and how our additional ad formats can increase revenue by up to 30%.

How Snigel Tests & Optimizes Your Ad Setup (And Provides Innovative Ad Formats) for Maximum Revenue

AdSense may use some automation to apply specific ad formats to your site. But it relies on you to choose and optimize your ad layout. This does give you some control over which ads appear where — but it leaves a lot of work if you want to maximize your revenue.

In our experience, most publishers don’t have the time or experience to fully optimize their ads. That’s why, at Snigel, our ad ops specialists will implement, monitor, and optimize your ad setup based on your goals — so you don’t have to worry about doing it yourself.

As part of our full service ad management, we’ll test your ad layouts, sizes, and formats, to see which performs the best. We use A/B testing, where we experiment with different options by using just a portion of your traffic. This way, you can be sure that you’re getting the most revenue from your ad setup — without having to lift a finger.

What’s more, with Snigel, you’ll also have access to innovative ad technology to boost your revenue further. These include:

• Adaptive ads. With Snigel, you don’t need to worry about selecting the right ad size. Instead, our adaptive ads automatically fill ad space with the size of ads that produce the highest revenue. Our technology sends bid requests for different combinations of ad sizes, and whichever returns the highest revenue will win the bid. This can increase your revenue by 10–30%.

• Super adhesive ads. You can show larger ads in smaller spaces thanks to tech that moves the ad as the user scrolls. Larger ads typically attract higher CPMs. But with adhesive ads, you can benefit from this higher revenue without having to increase your ad density. As a result, this can increase your revenue by up to 20%.

• Interactive ad units. These ads increase your viewability as they engage the user by inviting them to take a quiz, fill out a poll, or click through the ad. As users tend to look at them for longer, advertisers are willing to pay higher CPMs. Interactive ad units can typically increase revenue by up to 30%.

• Video ads. Video ads tend to be more engaging than standard display ads, and can typically earn higher revenue. However, now that AdSense for Video is no longer accepting new users, it’s difficult to benefit from video ads with AdSense. With Snigel’s AdStream, you can easily add high-quality video ads to your site — and earn 10 times higher CPMs.

Remember, you don’t need to stop using AdSense to make money from these ad formats with Snigel. Instead, use Snigel and AdSense concurrently to maximize your revenue.

Find out more in our guide to header bidding optimization.

3. Maintain Your Core Web Vitals

Maximizing your AdSense revenue isn’t just about getting higher impressions or hosting more valuable ads. As we’ve discussed throughout this guide, your revenue also depends on your user experience.

Namely, if you have a poor UX, your users may bounce or never return to your site. Over time, this can affect how much you earn, as it can impact your search engine optimization (SEO) and, in turn, your organic traffic.

Core web vitals (CWVs) have become one of the most important metrics in measuring your site’s UX. These track three key elements of your site, and they’re also used by Google to help determine page rankings:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): page load speed

• First Input Delay (FID): page interactivity

• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): visual stability

A fundamental aspect of your core web vitals is how quickly your page takes to load. There are some basic things you can do to improve this, whether you’re using AdSense or a header bidding solution:

• Optimize your images. Images make the majority of your web pages’ weight, so it’s important to start here to improve your CWVs. You should optimize your images so that the file size is as small as possible while still maintaining a high-quality resolution — this will help with the loading time for each page of your site.

• Cache your content to help reduce the load on your server. When you enable caching, a copy of your site is stored and that copy is served to the next user. This means that your site doesn’t need to load a new page from scratch each time.

• Delay the load of Javascript. Rather than having everything on a page load when a user opens the page, you can delay some elements to load later (also known as lazy loading). This means there’s less work to do immediately, so your page can load faster.

All of these will improve your core web vitals while using AdSense. However, your ads themselves affect these metrics. For instance, many users have noted that some AdSense scripts affect your CWVs, even if you’ve optimized your overall site.

That said, there are ways for you to reduce the impact of AdSense on your site performance. Start by visiting Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool and enter your URL for analysis. You can also use your Google Search Console account to track this metric.

In any case, whenever you place ads on your site, monitoring your CWVs is vital. If an ad negatively affects your CWVs, it’s likely to have a negative impact on your overall ad revenue.

Find out more: How to Improve Your Core Web Vitals and Boost Your SERP Rank

Partner with Snigel to Boost Your Ad Revenue

In this guide, we’ve shared three advanced strategies to improve your Google AdSense earnings.

You should, of course, continue to create valuable content and take steps to improve your traffic. But once you’ve done that, improving your core web vitals, experimenting with your ad placement, sizes, and formats, and partnering with a header bidding solution are the three most effective steps you can take to boost your ad revenue.

Snigel is one of the few header bidding partners that you can use in conjunction with AdSense. And if you partner with us, our ad ops specialists will take care of optimizing your ad setup for you.

If you’re interested in boosting your Google AdSense revenue further, get in touch with us for a free assessment.