Adding a new ad unit helps Concertboom boost revenue 400% while maintaining site quality

With a background in database and computer science, Internet marketing, and search engine optimization, Kooshiar Azimian is a self-described wearer of many hats. In early 2011, he channeled his diverse expertise to create Concertboom, a comprehensive concert database. Concertboom is monetized through ticket sales and Google AdSense, serving more than four million ad impressions monthly. �AdSense creates the least amount of ad waste � the advertiser gets the most value out of their ads, and the publisher gets the most money,� says Kooshiar, recalling his decision to use AdSense. As traffic increased to one million unique visitors per month, Kooshiar was looking for new ways to increase revenue from AdSense. 

A simple change brings booming revenue
Initially, Kooshiar showed just one 300x250 ad on some of his pages. A few months later, he received a personalized email from the Google AdSense team, who periodically share optimization tips to help publishers maximize revenue. The email suggested adding an ad unit or two, for a maximum of three units per page.

This surprised Kooshiar, who had previously thought one ad unit per page was the maximum allowed. �I was also a little skeptical about losing page quality, and I didn�t want to have to change my interface to serve another ad. But I said, �Let�s give it a shot.� I added one unit and the result was shocking. My revenue more than quadrupled in the first week,� he recalls. 

Quality matters most
Given the benefits of this simple implementation, Kooshiar recommends other publishers give it a try, but not at the expense of site quality and user experience. �A quality site serves the right content, especially if your audience comes from search engines. Don�t trick your audience into content you don�t have. Provide content that is accurate, updated and served in a timely fashion with nice, clean graphics. Be sure to maintain page quality and a quick load time. Know your audience and consider which ad formats work best with your content. Also, make sure you�re not compromising your site aesthetic, so your website doesn�t just look like ad junk,� he advises.

Kooshiar also points out that since he maintained his focus on quality, he did not experience any change in his search ranking after adding a new ad unit.

A solid venture
After witnessing his revenue quadruple, Kooshiar is seeing Concertboom in a new light. �Before, this site was just extra cash for me, and now it�s a growing business. I can start hiring people to help me create more content,� he says. �This AdSense optimization has changed the whole dynamic of Concertboom.�

Posted by Caroline Halpin, AdSense Optimization Specialist

Tweet