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Adsense Heatmap is Ugly

by NoMoreWords
17 replies
  • SEO
    • |
I've read a lot of posts and articles that recommend using WordPress › HeatMap Adsense Theme « Free WordPress Themes for having great CTR rates and everything. I have a blog on which I only do experiments. When I installed and activated the theme on that blog, I had the feeling that it looked like some 90's scam website. When I looked at it I said to myself "People will just enter this, and leave in a few seconds!"

Can anybody prove me wrong with some facts? I'd be happy if somebody achieved 5%, for instance, with that theme.
#adsense #heatmap #ugly
  • Profile picture of the author discustipated
    Originally Posted by NoMoreWords View Post

    I've read a lot of posts and articles that recommend using WordPress › HeatMap Adsense Theme « Free WordPress Themes for having great CTR rates and everything. I have a blog on which I only do experiments. When I installed and activated the theme on that blog, I had the feeling that it looked like some 90's scam website. When I looked at it I said to myself "People will just enter this, and leave in a few seconds!"

    Can anybody prove me wrong with some facts? I'd be happy if somebody achieved 5%, for instance, with that theme.
    I dont get it o.0 You want clicks, but you want to retain traffic? Which one is it?
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    • Profile picture of the author NoMoreWords
      Originally Posted by discustipated View Post

      I dont get it o.0 You want clicks, but you want to retain traffic? Which one is it?
      No no no, you got me wrong. I'm saying that the theme is ugly. And honestly speaking, I do think (thanks to some fellow forumers here) that the theme has a large role in the first impression. If the website is ugly, people will leave.

      I'm not saying that the heatmap theme isn't properly optimized for adsense or anything. I'm saying that when people land on the website, they are much more likely to leave and press the back button, than have a look around. That's why I'm asking for some opinions.
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  • Profile picture of the author petemcal
    I agree that the theme is ugly as s**t, and I wouldn't advocate using it for any site that you want to have longevity.

    Optimising for adsense clicks is actually fairly simple. The answer is there IS no formula. Because each site, article, topic etc will be suited to a different positioning for the visitor to be inclined to click.

    Sometimes mixed into the body of text works best, others it's a picture banner in the sidebar. You just have to experiment and see what your audience responds to. This is something that a heatmap theme will always have as a weakness, it generalises and doesn't take into account PEOPLE.
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  • Profile picture of the author yukon
    Banned
    I think your probably only interested in the theme because the theme name includes the word Adsense.

    Every theme is Adsense ready, it doesn't have to mention Adsense to be Adsense ready.

    For my sites, top/center is the best performing Ad position, along with a 2nd position directly below my call to action (download link).
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    • Profile picture of the author NoMoreWords
      Originally Posted by yukon View Post

      I think your probably only interested in the theme because the theme name includes the word Adsense.

      Every theme is Adsense ready, it doesn't have to mention Adsense to be Adsense ready.

      For my sites, top/center is the best performing Ad position, along with a 2nd position directly below my call to action (download link).
      Not only because of the name. I know that I can implement adsense code within any theme, either by using widgets or plugins, or by implementing the code within the post HTML.

      However, the theme offers many customized ad placements which makes it admin-friendly (lol ) and requires no coding experience if you like it aligned or something. People refer to this theme because ad placements can be easily changed. I'm just asking because many people have referred me to it, but I don't like it at all and think it's crap.
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      • Profile picture of the author yukon
        Banned
        Originally Posted by NoMoreWords View Post

        Not only because of the name. I know that I can implement adsense code within any theme, either by using widgets or plugins, or by implementing the code within the post HTML.

        However, the theme offers many customized ad placements which makes it admin-friendly (lol ) and requires no coding experience if you like it aligned or something. People refer to this theme because ad placements can be easily changed. I'm just asking because many people have referred me to it, but I don't like it at all and think it's crap.
        Above the fold & call to action locations, that's all I would be doing.
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        • Profile picture of the author NoMoreWords
          Originally Posted by yukon View Post

          Above the fold & call to action locations, that's all I would be doing.
          I don't have much call to actions in my website but I'll have to change that eventually

          With this question cleared one thing remains uncertain - should I have my homepage to be a static page with some information (call to actions) on it, or should it be more dynamic - like those pages which have a slider with a big rectangle cover picture (like this)

          Obviously people don't like landing on pages where they only see the latest posts and nothing more. When I think of it, this doesn't engage them at all...
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  • Profile picture of the author mrdomains
    bleh
    Ask yourself this.. how many Heatmap sites have you seen out there lately?

    I won't say it is a bad theme, it could probably be useful for some topics... But I bet the standard wordpress themes 2010 - 2012 can be even more effective. Just position your Adsense like everyone else (there is always good reason why a majority is doing what they are doing)
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  • Profile picture of the author Curtis2011
    Originally Posted by NoMoreWords View Post

    When I looked at it I said to myself "People will just enter this, and leave in a few seconds!"
    The whole point of themes that maximize CTR is that yes, people will leave in a few seconds, by clicking on your ads.
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    • Profile picture of the author Carl Brown
      While I'm not a fan of wordpress at all, all you should be asking is, "is it effective."

      Here are a couple HIGHLY successful but ugly websites:
      Craigslist
      Drudgereport
      Fiverr (in my opinion)

      If you're providing information or a service people want and need, you'll retain visitors
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      • Profile picture of the author Hansons
        Originally Posted by Carl Brown View Post

        While I'm not a fan of wordpress at all, all you should be asking is, "is it effective."

        Here are a couple HIGHLY successful but ugly websites:
        Craigslist
        Drudgereport
        Fiverr (in my opinion)

        If you're providing information or a service people want and need, you'll retain visitors
        This is interesting to know!

        Thanks
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      • Profile picture of the author yukon
        Banned
        Originally Posted by Carl Brown View Post

        While I'm not a fan of wordpress at all, all you should be asking is, "is it effective."

        Here are a couple HIGHLY successful but ugly websites:
        Craigslist
        Drudgereport
        Fiverr (in my opinion)

        If you're providing information or a service people want and need, you'll retain visitors
        I agree with you, except I don't consider Craigslist ugly, I consider it a bare bones, simple site which is what helps generate clicks since there's no distractions. Traffic makes bad choices when they are forced to look at distractions on a web page. Simple web pages keeps traffic focused on the webmasters goals (funneling traffic to a call to action).
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    • Profile picture of the author yukon
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Curtis2011 View Post

      The whole point of themes that maximize CTR is that yes, people will leave in a few seconds, by clicking on your ads.
      ...which is the worst logic in the history of mankind.

      If a webmaster can get one click from traffic, why wouldn't a webmaster wan't to get two clicks (and so on...) from the same traffic over that traffic/persons lifetime by creating a useful site that traffic will subscribe to?

      I've said this before, I know for a fact repeat traffic will click Adsense Ads on multiple visits. Back when Feedburner/Adsense/Emails worked my subscribers consistently clicked Adsense Ads inside the email, subscribers are repeat traffic.

      Any site that can't retain traffic (other than maybe a service type site) is simply wasting all the work they put into generating traffic, If they don't try their best to retain all that traffic for years to come.

      Any site that purposely creates junk content to try & force the traffic to leave their web page is Googles b$tch for life, no real same niche sites will ever send a junk site traffic.
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      • Profile picture of the author Curtis2011
        Originally Posted by yukon View Post

        ...which is the worst logic in the history of mankind.

        If a webmaster can get one click from traffic, why wouldn't a webmaster wan't to get two clicks (and so on...) from the same traffic over that traffic/persons lifetime by creating a useful site that traffic will subscribe to?

        I've said this before, I know for a fact repeat traffic will click Adsense Ads on multiple visits. Back when Feedburner/Adsense/Emails worked my subscribers consistently clicked Adsense Ads inside the email, subscribers are repeat traffic.

        Any site that can't retain traffic (other than maybe a service type site) is simply wasting all the work they put into generating traffic, If they don't try their best to retain all that traffic for years to come.

        Any site that purposely creates junk content to try & force the traffic to leave their web page is Googles b for life, no real same niche sites will ever send a junk site traffic.
        Not every website relies on repeat visitors.

        I have a site that does decent with SEO, gets thousands of visitors a month, and it's been 75-80% new visitors every month according to Google Analytics, for as long as it has been up (like 4 years now).

        Originally Posted by yukon View Post

        Any site that purposely creates junk content to try & force the traffic to leave their web page is Googles b for life, no real same niche sites will ever send a junk site traffic.
        I didn't say anything about content quality, just ad placement. Obviously you want to make good quality content. But you also need to be assertive with your ad placement if ad placement is your business model.

        If you don't feel comfortable with putting ads in front of your visitors and doing your best to get the ads clicked, then Adsense is probably not the right business model for someone to be using to begin with.
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        • Profile picture of the author yukon
          Banned
          Originally Posted by Curtis2011 View Post

          Not every website relies on repeat visitors.

          I have a site that does decent with SEO, gets thousands of visitors a month, and it's been 75-80% new visitors every month according to Google Analytics, for as long as it has been up (like 4 years now).
          That's why I said this:
          (other than maybe a service type site)
          SEO is a service type site.









          Originally Posted by Curtis2011 View Post

          I didn't say anything about content quality, just ad placement. Obviously you want to make good quality content. But you also need to be assertive with your ad placement if ad placement is your business model.

          If you don't feel comfortable with putting ads in front of your visitors and doing your best to get the ads clicked, then Adsense is probably not the right business model for someone to be using to begin with.
          Ok, I guess I took that earlier comment the wrong way (apology). I thought you was referring to the guys that create the junk sites to try & force traffic to click out of the web page.
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  • Profile picture of the author HeatMap
    Originally Posted by NoMoreWords View Post

    I've read a lot of posts and articles that recommend using WordPress › HeatMap Adsense Theme « Free WordPress Themes for having great CTR rates and everything. I have a blog on which I only do experiments. When I installed and activated the theme on that blog, I had the feeling that it looked like some 90's scam website. When I looked at it I said to myself "People will just enter this, and leave in a few seconds!"
    Haha
    As the author of HeatMap Theme I have to jump in here.

    Rewind to early 2009...

    I started blogging and needed an ads theme that did exactly what I needed it to do. Nothing available suited me so I built HeatMap Theme.

    NoMoreWords, you're referring to the original free version of the theme I made all that time ago.

    Believe it or not at the time the styling was right on the money for how we rolled back then The style was inspired by Brian Gardners early themes of Studiopress fame (oh so tres chic in 2009!).

    The original free HeatMap Theme even made it onto the 'top of the pops' for WordPress.org for quite a while. Lots of people loved it and I developed it further into what became HeatMap Theme Pro v5, which still has a loyal following even now.

    Time's change, and NoMoreWords post made me pause to reflect on what has been and now what's to come.

    A entirely new theme from me is close on the Horizon, with a styling that speaks of whats hot now. Responsive, minimalist, nice fonts and put together with love, care and attention to detail. I'm thinking that the only thing that can possibly make my new theme ugly now is what the blog owner puts in it

    Maybe we'll look back in three years time again and say eeeewww I can't believe we went for that minimal responsive theme look. Its sooo 2013.

    Or maybe not. Time will tell.
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    • Profile picture of the author NoMoreWords
      Originally Posted by Stuart Wider View Post

      Haha
      As the author of HeatMap Theme I have to jump in here.

      Rewind to early 2009...

      I started blogging and needed an ads theme that did exactly what I needed it to do. Nothing available suited me so I built HeatMap Theme.

      NoMoreWords, you're referring to the original free version of the theme I made all that time ago.

      Believe it or not at the time the styling was right on the money for how we rolled back then The style was inspired by Brian Gardners early themes of Studiopress fame (oh so tres chic in 2009!).

      The original free HeatMap Theme even made it onto the 'top of the pops' for WordPress.org for quite a while. Lots of people loved it and I developed it further into what became HeatMap Theme Pro v5, which still has a loyal following even now.

      Time's change, and NoMoreWords post made me pause to reflect on what has been and now what's to come.

      A entirely new theme from me is close on the Horizon, with a styling that speaks of whats hot now. Responsive, minimalist, nice fonts and put together with love, care and attention to detail. I'm thinking that the only thing that can possibly make my new theme ugly now is what the blog owner puts in it

      Maybe we'll look back in three years time again and say eeeewww I can't believe we went for that minimal responsive theme look. Its sooo 2013.

      Or maybe not. Time will tell.
      Frankly, this made me feel embarrassed.

      Anyways, this thread was more oriented towards the people still referring to this theme as one of the best for adsense.

      You're right, times do change and I know that the themes I'm using nowadays will eventually make me say "lol, this was ugly, why did I use that" within a few years. So nothing personal towards you, I'm just saying that I'm not convinced that it will perform as well as it did back then. And I'm happy that it has been in top themes for a long time.

      I'm sure that you're going to create many more themes which will inspire many people and after all you're right. It's what you fill the theme with that makes it beautiful or ugly.

      Cheers.
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