Here is a summary regarding AdSense channels, site targeting, and ad placement in the Google Ad Words/ AdSense PPC and CPM programs.



Many times I get confused about all the AdSense program attributes. So I have started an "Adsense Options Chart". I hope you like it.

Vaughn's Summaries

SEO Optimization
Google Summaries

AdSense Targeting Diagram
AdWords-AdSense Diagram
Google AdSense Penalties
Google AdSense Stop Words
Google AdSense Targeting
Google AdSense Tips

Google Certified Ad Networks
Google Heat Map 2
Google Ranking Factors
Google Top-Paying AdWords
Google Webmaster Forums

The "Content Network" has been renamed the "Display Network".
The "Display Network" = The "Publisher's Network".

20

458-768

20

270

AdSense for Content - 8434 - Channel Summary
https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/topic.py?topic=8434

Custom Channels
- 9869

Track
- by page
- by ad type
- by placement
Ad Placement (CPM)
Ad Placement allows advertisers to target your site, or your page with CPM ads.

Paste channel code into each page manually.

URL Channels
- 13993

Track Channel groups
- by single page
- by multiple pages
- by specific directory
- by specific sub domain
- all pages on a domain

Automatic, once set up.

AdSense for Search - 144 - Channel Summary
https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/topic.py?topic=144

Custom Channels

Track
- by page
- by placement

Paste channel code into each page manually.

AdSense for Feeds - 20012 - Channel Summary
https://www.google.com/support/adsense/bin/answer.py?answer=20012

Custom Channels

Track
- by ???

Automatic, once set up.
I tried this once. I got 800 ads served for ONE PAGE VIEW - 4 ads for each of 200 pages. INSANE!
Do this if you ever need to cut your CTR to zero.

top of page

200

250

250

50

CPM (clicks pay nothing)

Placement Targeting
(formerly "Site Targeting")
Using Custom Channels

OLD PAGES
What Is "Placement" Targeting? - 18265
Placement Targeting Overview --- 342
Finding & Selecting Placements - 7075
Placements and Keywords ------ 13177
Place. and the Content Network - 15053
CPM Pricing for Placements --- 13175
CPC Pricing for Placements --- 13176
Demographic Bidding ----------- 13665

NOW: Advertiser targets CPM ads to URL (site) level, not page level
Needed for sites with diverse content: Advertiser targets CPC ads to PAGE level. This is another reason why PPC ads are superior to CPM ads.

NEW PAGES
107914 - What's a Placement?
15907 - Managing Placements
15910 - Adding and Editing Placem.
15912 - Place, Kwords and Settings
15907 - Display.Net. Placements
16066 - Focus on Impressions
16787 - Focus on Clicks
gone

Keyword Targeting
- 6100

Advertisers can target websites by keywords, OR
Advertisers can target geographic areas and languages, but not both.

Geo Targeting
- 6317

PPC

Search Network
- 6119

All the places where your AdWords ads will be displayed on the Google Search Sites Network, and the Google Content Sites Display Network..

Content Network
Display Network
- 117120

Advertisers may "opt out" of the Display Network. (formerly the Content Network)
Many do because of click fraud, either real or perceived.
Opting Out of the Display Network - 99478

CPC Targeting
Beta

"CPC bidding has often been requested by advertisers who would like to utilize site targeting, but are not comfortable bidding on a CPM basis." These are advertisers who wish to avoid risk.

top of page

148

320 - 768

300

CPM (clicks pay nothing)

Placement Targeting
(formerly "Site Targeting")

Adsense - What Is Placement Targeting? - 32856
Adsense - What Is Placement Targeted Advertising? - 18195

Ad Placement

What is Ad Placement? - 50677
What's an Ad Placement. How do I create one? - 160534
How Do Publisher-Defined Ad Placements Work? - 77776
How Can I Make A Custom Channel Into An Ad Placement? - 47413

Custom Channels

The publisher makes ads site targetable by CPM advertisers, using Custom Channels.

Third-Party Ads

which STILL appear to
be different from the
CANs listed below

Which Vendors Are Certified for Third-Party Ads? - 94149
Introducing Third-Party Ads - Image Only
--- You MUST opt-in to image ads - 9741
--- You MUST enable placement targeting -
--- You MUST opt in to placement targeting - 32856
--- You MUST update your Privacy Policy - 100557
Third-Party Ad FAQs - 14535
--- Third-Party Ads Basics - 19439
--- Expandable Ads - 19440
--- Google Certified Networks - 23494

How to Disable Third-Party Ads On My Site - 94152

PPC

PPC Site Targeting
PPC Page Targeting

I cannot find any information on how this works.
It has been mentioned, but not defined.
Are the targeted PPC ads distinguishable from regular PPC ads?
Must they compete with regular PPC ads, or are they given priority?
Do targeted PPC ads pay MORE or LESS than regular PPC ads?
Is page targeting available?

top of page

200

560 - 768

CPM (clicks pay nothing)

CANs
Third Party Networks

Google AdSense Certified Ad Networks - 23494, also HERE
ALL Google CAN ads are image only.
ALL Google CAN ads are CPM only.
This area is growing fast - many CANs" have been added, and continue to be added. These 3rd-party entities compete in the AdWords auction, to be served on the AdSense content display network.

Allowing and Blocking Google Certified Ad Networks - 191270

.
CONCLUSIONS

CPM Ads Are Not the Best Choice for Publishers
Targeting and Placement refer to CPM ads only. In my personal opinion, CPM ads are best only if your CPC performance is incredibly poor, AND your traffic is extremely high.

One problem is that all the Site Placement discussion relates to specific pages, but the advertiser can only target at the site level. If your site consists of many diverse subjects (this site), this is a poor option, since the ads will all be targeted to the content of just one page.

For the average small to medium-size web site, CPC should provide a MUCH higher revenue than CPM ads, by a factor of 10. I was "Site Targeted" for a short time, at a rate of many impressions per penny. The eCPM was abysmal. I emailed Adsense, and had site-targeting turned off on my sites. I don't know what the formula is, but somehow the CPM ads were reducing my CTR and eCPM stats - not acceptable to me. Why settle for an eCPM of $2 with CPM, when you can achieve an eCPM of $20 $8 or more with CPC ads? I just don't get it.

All the talk about "reducing advertiser cost", is the same thing as reducing the publisher payout. CPM rates need to go up quite a bit, to produce the same publisher income that CPC currently does.

Here is Google's take on CPC vs. CPM -
How do CPC and CPM ads compete with each other? - 113233
To me, the discussion is total nonsense. Can YOU understand it?
In the SAME column, "Max Bid", CPC bids (per click) are conflated with CPM bids (per thousand impressions). This is obfuscation, pure and simple.
"QS" is not even defined (Quality Score-?.
Example #2 doesn't even show ads #2 and #3.
Example #2 is identical to Example #1, except for the inflated eCPM of $10 in line #5.
Checking on Google, average CPM ads are far closer to $1, than $10.
.

The Bottom Line

To maximize revenue, I choose to use PPC ads only.
This means -
NO CPM ADS
--- NO IMAGE ADS (all are CPM)
--- NO AD PLACEMENT
--- NO AD TARGETING
--- NO THIRD-PARTY ADS
--- NO GOOGLE CERTIFIED AD NETWORKS ADS (all are image)

top of page

Text Ads

Image Ads

Third Party Ads

Ad Placement

Ad Targeting

Contextual Targeting

Placement Targeting

PPA Jensense on PPA

- " ... publishers can choose specific pay-per-action ads that are relevant to their site to run in new ad units that they create."
Publishers can SELECT a single ad, a group of ads, or a keyword.

IN BETA: BETA CANCELLED
Adsense now accepting applications for new referrals beta
The publisher targets PPA ads to SITE level.
The publisher CANNOT target PPA ads to URL (page) level.
Bad for sites that have multiple subjects - not everyone is in a "niche".


Because the PPA option is NOT contextual, the program policies are different -
You CAN draw attention to the ads, but
You still CANNOT tell people to click on your ads!

PPA Ads - The Newest Google Adsense Alternative - Cancelled August 2008
Now we have PPA - a new ball game. At first blush, this looks very positive. But elsewhere, there have been problems with PPC in the past, with publishers being denied commissions, through cookie manipulation and hijacking. The announced cookie conversion timeframe is thirty days. I dump my cookies every week, for several reasons. Others do the same. Does this mean that I CANNOT use the new PPA option?

And, we have no way to confirm that a conversion actually occurred or not. Only the advertiser knows this, and each advertiser may or MAY NOT be honest. Future forum reports will make or break this new alternative, in the next few months.

AdSense Referrals - 1449 Channel Summary
(PPA Program cancelled August 31, 2008)

Custom Channels

Track
- by page
- by placement

Paste channel code into each page manually.

URL Channels

Track Channel groups
- by single page
- by multiple pages
- by specific directory
- by specific sub domain
- all pages on a domain

Automatic, once set up

PPA
(Jensense on PPA)

March 20, 2007 - PPA Beta began
August 31, 2008 - PPA Beta terminated

Pay Per Action Beta Test

This applies to the Content Network only.
PPA Site Placement - Text, Image, or Ad Link

Pay Per Action FAQs

"You can create text, image, or text link ads for your pay-per-action campaign."

Conversion Tracking

Campaign management - Conversion Tracking
A click implements a cookie - The conversion time frame is 30 days.

top of page

Disclaimer
This is NOT A Google, Inc. Site
I am not privy to any inside information.
This page consists of a compilation of public information, commonly available on the internet, at multiple sites, as well as public webmaster forums, and simple manual tests.
The opinions stated above are merely the personal opinions of the author.
Although the author makes every effort to verify the information on this page, no information on this page is guaranteed to be correct, and any data contained herein may be erroneous.
This information is subject to change, and may not be relevant when you read it.