Meetings, parties, powering performance and funny clothes.

A few weeks ago, we posted about how you can help Japan by donating via our crisis response page. We’ve been working to enable you to directly donate your AdSense earnings, and are happy to announce that you can donate a portion or all of your entire unpaid balance as of March 31, 2011 to the Japanese Red Cross via the Tides Foundation by filling out this donation form. If you have at least $10 in your account, we invite you to donate your earnings between April 1 and April 12.

Please keep in mind that all our normal policies still apply -- so please don't ask others to click on your ads in order to increase your earnings.

Due to technical limitations, we can only provide the opportunity for you to donate your earnings directly from your AdSense account if your reporting currency is in U.S. Dollars. If your reporting currency isn't in USD, and you'd still like to donate your AdSense earnings, please use the crisis response page instead.

We know that you may be interested in donating your earnings to additional charities and causes, and we're working to enable this functionality soon for all publishers. Stay tuned to the Inside AdSense blog for future opportunities to donate in other ways!

Posted by Julia Peppiatt - AdSense Payments Specialist

This blog has been updated to remove information that is no longer current.

These features are found in the Performance Reports tab, under Custom channels. Depending on the number of channels you’re using, you might be asked to filter the list and then click Update report button. Once your selected channels are listed below the graph, you can view the combine and chart buttons.

Let’s review the combine feature first, which can be used to easily total items in your list and allow for deeper analysis. Click a few of your channels that you want to view earnings for together, then click the Combine button. The total of these channels is now shown on the graph and you can do further analysis using the view drop-down.



In contrast, the chart feature lets you visually compare the performance of up to five items. First reset your channels report by clicking the word Custom channels above the graph. From here, select a few channels in the table and then hit the Chart button. The lines in the graph represent the statistics you have chosen. Just like with the combine feature, you can now refine your report further using the view drop-down above the table.



Try it now! Navigate to the new interface and click on the Performance Reports tab, and then click Custom Channels and Update report.

Posted by Vincent Zanotti - AdSense Engineer

What is it that makes a post stand out in someone’s Facebook news feed?

Two recent studies, by Buddy Media, who surveyed the Facebook posts of their 200 top brand clients over a two week period of time, and by the social media management provider Vitrue, who analyzed 1,500 brand streams over a three month period, sought to answer that question. Here are their collective takeaways on the most effective ways to increase engagement with your content on Facebook:

Short is better, both for URLS and post size – Buddy Media found that posts of 80 characters or less improve engagement rates by 27%. Additionally, posts that use a full URL, as opposed to the type of URL shorter that are popular for Twitter get 3 times as many clicks.

Image posts generate the most engagement – 22% more than video posts and 54% more engagement over text posts.  In all, it’s recommended that you use posts with images or quality video. Posts using just text are ineffective.

It doesn’t work while they’re at work – 60% of the posts tracked by Buddy Media went on Facebook between 10am and 4pm Eastern Time. If you post earlier in the morning like 7am, after people start coming home from work around 5pm, or around 11pm, engagement will increase around 20%.

Day of the week matters – Both studies found that day of the week is important, but which day you should post on varies on what topic you’re posting about. For instance according to the Buddy Media, Sunday is the best day for Automotive and Sports posts. However, according to Vitrue, Consumer Packaged Goods posts performed the best on Thursdays; 51% better than on Sundays. Still, there are some general conclusions that can be drawn. Monday is universally bad day thanks to oversaturation, and Sunday is the most underutilized day relative to when people are active on Facebook. Overall, posting is most effective on Thursday and Friday.

Use “Softer sell” phrases – People on Facebook respond better to softer sell language such as “win” and “winning”, as opposed to  ”contest”, “promotion”, “sweepstake”, or “coupon”.

Ask a question – Facebook posts that end in a question have a 15% higher engagement. Among questions, asking “where”, “when”, “should” and especially “would” is a good idea. People don’t respond well to “why”.

Additionally, back in February, Facebook very quietly changed their default news feed settings, so users are only seeing items posted by friends or business pages that they interact with the most.  That means posting with regularity is just as important as which day of the week your status messages are updated. It’s recommended that you focus on sharing quality content at least a few days a week, making sure the optimal day for your topic is always one of the times you share.

For Kontera Publishers looking to promote their websites, there’s no question that Facebook is an increasingly valuable tool in growing your audience. A recent comScore study found that nearly 1 out of every 8 minutes spent online in America is spent on Facebook, and by focusing on SEO alone, you’d be missing out on one of the most effective ways to connect with potential readers.

Just remember to be very alert in monitoring the success of your tactics; what people respond to on Facebook is a fluid situation, and what works now might not work in 6 months!

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Find out what websites influence those all-important purchase decisions by women and where women are the most receptive to ads.

President and COO, Rob Rasko, discusses the evolution of the CPX Interactive technology platform. This video was filmed as part of an interview series at CPX Interactive’s 2010 Global Management Conference.

CPX Interactive President & COO discusses the evolution of the online ad networks’ technology platform. This video was filmed as part of an interview series at the company’s 2010 global management conference.

Be the business.

Surgery Squad adds a third ad unit to its pages to boost performance and AdSense earnings by 200%.

SurgerySquad.com educates patients about what takes place during surgical procedures through interactive, virtual surgery modules. Creator Eric Bort recently spoke with us to describe how he’s optimized Surgery Squad’s AdSense performance and revenue by simply adding a third ad unit to his pages.

Inside AdSense: Can you tell us a little about how Surgery Squad got started?
Eric Bort: I launched Surgery Squad in August 2010 after having spent more than a decade developing corporate training and e-learning programs. As part of these programs, I’d created some virtual surgeries which were well-received, so I decided to make a website devoted to this topic. People have lots of questions about surgeries. They want to know, “What happens to my body while I’m asleep on the operating table?” It’s a very intriguing topic from a human perspective.

IA: What role does AdSense play in your business?
EB: We’ve used AdSense on Surgery Squad since its launch, because we’ve previously seen a lot of success with AdSense on some of our other sites. AdSense is currently responsible for all of Surgery Squad’s revenue. It was really quick to set up – once our account was approved, we were up and running within 10 minutes. And with the breadth of advertisers in the network, I know that AdSense will always have high quality ads to display.

IA: Why did you decide to add another ad unit to your pages?
EB: I received an optimization tip from the AdSense team suggesting I maximize revenue by adding an additional ad unit to my pages. Initially, I was wary of overwhelming visitors with ads, because it’s very important to me to create a good user experience. But I decided to give it a try because I know how important it is to test new strategies and see what works best. So, I added a third ad unit to all my pages, toward the bottom of each page.

IA: What were the results? Would you recommend this strategy to other publishers?
EB: I was surprised to see the new ad unit performing just as well, if not better, than the other two ad units. I think it’s due to visitors who scroll down to the bottom of the page to add comments, and then find ads they want in addition to our content. Our clickthrough rate has increased substantially. It’s amazing. Our eCPM has also increased 168 percent and our overall revenue earnings have grown by more than 200 percent. With this additional revenue from AdSense, we’re able to cover our costs and sustain our business. To know these costs are covered is hugely important when you’re running a small business.

I’d recommend that other publishers consider optimizing revenue by adding new ad units. If presented in the right way, ads can enhance the user experience. But it’s really important to test and see what works best with your content, format, and user behavior. Have the patience to wait and see what works and what doesn’t.

If you want to add an additional ad unit like Surgery Squad, sign in to your account today.

Posted by Meredith Blackwell - Inside AdSense team

I took a little demo today of some really cool seo reporting tools developed by gShiftLabs and I liked it enough to mention it...

Two weeks ago, we had the pleasure of welcoming 120 of our publishers from Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, and France at an AdSense publisher event in our Google office in Zurich.

The agenda of the day included seminars and presentations about:

• Trends in the online advertising market and how to use them for your site
• Our best tips to optimize your AdSense earnings
• Using DFP Small Business to get more out of AdSense
• Website usability
• The truth about common SEO myths

We also offered attendees 1-on-1 site consultations with a Google AdSense optimization specialist and ended the day by kicking back with pizza and beer to get to know one another a little better!

It was great to meet you in person to learn more about your businesses and experience with AdSense. We were thrilled to hear positive feedback from the attendees on the event and hope to offer a similar opportunity in a city near you soon!

Interested in attending future Google AdSense events? Check your Account settings and make sure you’re opted in to our mailings so we can inform you about our upcoming events!



Posted by Marcel Puppik and Sophie Emmerich - AdSense Optimisation Specialists

Three great ways to meet up with Clickbooth at Ad:Tech SF 2011!

Introducing: Infolinks’ superhero, the bold and courageous InfolinksO.  With lightning speed he travels to the ends of the worldwide web to answer his life’s call – make magic with online content. Many superheroes have graced humanity with their willingness to serve and protect.  But this superhero has a higher calling – visit top blogs, dig into their content and spread the word (via cool videos) about Infolinks ads.  A hero we can truly depend on, to increase our revenue!

I caught up with the notorious InfolinksO at his favorite restaurant, a noodle bar called “Alphabetos”.  The InfolinksO ordered his favorite meal, and I watched in amazement as he gobble down a bowl of alphabet soup while he spelled out words, sentences, even songs with the floating noodle letters. The InfolinksO truly has a magic touch with words!  I was speechless, but managed to gather my thoughts and proceed with this exclusive interview with the elusive InfolinksO!

Infolinks: So when did you first know your life’s mission?

InfolinksO: When I first learned to read.  I would take a marker and put two underlines under all of my favorite words.

Infolinks: So you liked to ruin books?

InfolinksO: I just made them better!  I’ve always had a thing for words.  Can’t you tell by my alphabet soup?

Infolinks: Aha! Since you’re a superhero, you must have a super power. What is it?

InfolinksO: Through the magic of In-Text ads, I can turn words into money!

Infolinks: Wow, how does that work?

InfolinksO: Well I can’t give away all of my secrets.  But, I can tell you that I visit different websites and blogs to show them how Infolinks In-Text ads can magically monetize their site.

Infolinks: Do you like being the In-Text hero?  Or is it too much responsibility?

InfolinksO: I love it!  It’s my mission.  And it’s just like they say, “To those who much is given, much is required.”  I can’t waste my super power.  I have to empower publishers to use the hidden treasure in their content.

Infolinks: Thank goodness for super heroes like you.  Tell us InfolinksO, is there anything our publishers can do to help you on this mission?

InfolinksO: As a matter of fact yes!  Superheroes always rely on support from others. To successfully complete my calling I want Infolinks publishers to watch my videos (they’ll be a new one every week), visit the “site of the week” and post comments about the magic of Infolinks!

Infolinks: Well I can tell you that our publishers are really helpful. I’m sure they’ll be happy to lend a hand.  So, when does your mission begin?

InfolinksO: This Thursday I will begin journeying to different sites.  Infolinks publishers can follow me here on the Infolinks Blog and our Facebook page.

Infolinks: Great, we’ll do that.  Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule.

InfolinksO: No problem!  Now I must get back to work!

As I watched the InfolinksO dart out the door of the restaurant, I couldn’t help but smile.  The InfolinksO has a big job ahead of him, but if anyone can do it, he can!

*Be sure to stay tuned for InfolinksO’s first video, it will be posted on Thursday, April 14th!

Join Yahoo! and Bing experts who will show how you can benefit from mobile search advertising.

Video: Jeffrey Reitzen on the Evolution of CPA

CPX Interactive’s VP of Sales, CPA Division, Jeffrey Reitzen, talks about what CPA clients are looking for, the evolution of CPA and the differences between traditional and online media. This video was filmed as part of a series of interviews at the company’s 2010 management conference.

We constantly strive to provide more payment options to our publishers around the world so you can receive your earnings as safely and quickly as possible. As part of this effort, we're very excited to announce the arrival of Western Union Quick Cash® payments for Mexico!

For those of you who aren't familiar with this form of payment, Western Union Quick Cash payments are free and will reach you faster than checks. Payments will continue to follow our normal payment schedule and are available for pickup in your local currency at your local Western Union agent the day after they're issued.

A couple of things to note: We can send Western Union payments only to publishers that have an individual account at this time. Also, the payee name on your account must exactly match the government-issued ID card that you'll use when picking up your payments. For more information on how to sign up for and pick up Western Union payments, please visit our Help Center.

We know that many of you are still waiting for new forms of payment and new delivery options for your country, and we’re working hard to make this possible. Stay tuned to the blog as we work to improve the payments experience for publishers around the world!
To read this article in Spanish, click here.

Posted by Julia Peppiatt - AdSense Payments team

Ad guidelines serve the interests of advertisers, says Microsoft blog post

Publisher Payments Enhancement The Drill-down functionality has been added to the “Transaction Adjustments Carried Forward” column, which will enable Advertisers to quickly identify all the transactions that were placed on Hold in the previous period. 1. See drill-down in the “Transaction Adjustments Carried Forward” column 2. On the next screen you will see a list of transactions that [...]

We’re now finalizing details for Symposium East 2011 as well as the Golden Link Awards.  Registration is open!  We expect to sell out fast this year so get your ticket soon!   And we’re at brand new location! The entire event including DealMaker and the Golden Link Awards is being held at the world famous Waldorf Astoria [...]

In case you weren’t able to attend our Symposium UK in London yesterday, check out this article:  It’s Time to Engage by Matthew Wood and some highlights Chris Johnson who spoke at the event about Trends in Digital Marketing. Both on www.affiliates4u.com.   Stay tuned for pictures from LinkShare Symposium Uk 2011 on the LinkShare UK Website. ——————— Catherine Hagan Marketing [...]

LinkShare USA, LinkShare UK and LinkShare Japan have all created Publisher accounts and Websites to support the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami relief efforts.  All commissions and LinkShare fees generated through these pages will be donated to the Red Cross fund. You can help support this effort in two ways: Place a Japan relief banner on your website. [...]