Text or Image

[ExcelAddin]

Hello troops,

is anyone else running Adsense finding the CTR on image ads is disappointingly low?

I experimented with image ads through my adsense account and the CTR was sub 1%, and lower than the text ads placed in similar positions.

Is this normal? and if so, why would anyone pay to run image ads?

I guess this is a factor of banner blindness that I guess we all have?

cheers,

[kochtgr]

I can confirm that from my own blog ctr of images AdSense is much lower than text ads, In my opinion the reason must be that people identify images as ads by the first sight and subconsciously they just don't like ads. Additionally with text ads you use the same space with an image ad but there are much more ads with more details which means that there are more possibilities that someone will click in one ad when there are for example 4 text ads than just one banner...

[nicktyler]

Speaking as a person with experience of paying for image banner ads I can say my experience is the same. They seem to perform much lower than text ads and definatley get fewer clicks.

They might do a better job for brand awareness though I suppose you guys aren't really interested in that.

[ExcelAddin]

thanks guys. I was worried that I was just having another bad experience with Adwords/Adsense.

Think I will switch to text-only and focus on those instead. If i need to freshen up my site, then i'll move some things around etc..

I think banners just look so 1998 that its painful. Reminds me of that bloody monkey that got everywhere back then.

[Kurt Chrisler]

I have seen different results on different sites, the best way to figure it out is to test text ads vs image ads on each domain which it looks like you have done.

I will also note that on AdWords I often ONLY use image ads as I have found it converts much better and the CTR is much better. So turning offer image ads could reduce the amount of potential advertisers on your site.

[WordsofWorth]

Google keeps suggesting image ads, saying we're missing out, but I know text ads are far better for CTR and CPC. I suspect Google just wants to push them so they can get more advertisers to sign up to using them, but for AdSense users I think they're best avoided.

[Venetian]

It depends on the website. In some websites i have build, image ads get good click ratio and click cpc.

In my niche (travel) image ads are overall better than text ads, usually i have two blocks, one image and one text.

[StippleIt]

Many times image ads tend to be distracting from the general experience of a webpage. Text can be a bit more subtle so depending on the context of your page the success of text vs image can vary.

We're working to fix this problem at Stipple. Our goal is to allow publishers and advertisers to incorporate their ads into their content in a way that adds to the user experience rather than disrupt it. Stipple can both serve as an advertising platform and an image enhancement platform. Check it out, I think you will find Stipple very useful. You can see more at Stippleit dot com.

[BizzCLick]

It is an old controversial question what to choose. Text ads look more harmoniously with the other content on the Internet resource; they are compact and very popular among advertisers. But at the same time they are neutral, “colorless’, drab. Images are more appealing. They are easily noticeable, esp. if you deal with animation. But their large size does not play its game. Plus only usually only few advertisers use image ads, and very often they do not receive an appropriate response from the viewers – they just ignore bright banners. But it depends.


Your choice of a text or image ad should be connected with your site niche. If your theme is business, making money, politics, it is better to use text. Fashion, beauty, games, stars, different media sites are appropriate for image ads. You may use both for auto, tech, food themes etc.

[MikeTheBuilder]

Text ads work the best in certain situations. However, some image ads do work well. I do a 75/25 text/image ratio and it works well.

[penpoint]

Speaking from personal experience as a searcher, I find most of the image ads to be annoying because they usually include some sort of animation that I find distracting. I then right-click on them and block them. I have no problem with static image ads. Maybe there are others like me that get irritated by the constant flashing, changing, jumping, etc.

[dabesa]

Also, a 728x90 text-only Ad unit has multiple ads in it, while the image is only for 1.

More ads = more chances to get clicks.

[bhuff85]

I use a text/image blend and it works like a charm. Ever since I received a message from Google saying my CTR and earnings would increase if I made the switch, I figured I might as well give it a shot. Did that a couple of months back and my earnings have went through the roof since. Definitely worth testing in my opinion.