New Google Algorithm Change - Too many ads above the fold

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   janderson99posted 12 years ago

   Google has announced a new update - see Page layout algorithm improvement
   http://insidesearch.blogspot.com/
   
   "In our ongoing effort to help you find more high-quality websites in search results, today we’re launching an algorithmic change that looks at the layout of a webpage and the amount of content you see on the page once you click on a result."
   
   "Rather than scrolling down the page past a slew of ads, users want to see content right away. So sites that don’t have much content “above-the-fold” can be affected by this change. If you click on a website and the part of the website you see first either doesn’t have a lot of visible content above-the-fold or dedicates a large fraction of the site’s initial screen real estate to ads, that’s not a very good user experience. Such sites may not rank as highly going forward."
   
   While writers cannot change the layout and affect 'above the fold', there are two aspects to consider:
   # The position on the first image on the page - perhaps it should be positioned 'below the fold' particularly when the first ad (to the right of the text) is above the fold
   # The position of the first ad next to (to the right of) the text - this can be changed so that it appears further down the page. This can be done by making the first text capsule too small for the ad to fit in the right column next to it [about 60 words or less I think]. The ad gets positioned to the right of the next text capsule - well down the page. This is obviously a trade off as the ad is probably more effective above the fold - but not if a penalty applies.
   
   I currently use a top text capsule with about 80 to 100 words so that the ad appears next to it. The first image is always below this.
   
   Anyone have any thoughts or information on whether this algo change is going to affect us and whether we should be changing the layout to prevent a penalty?
   
   The worst feature of this is that it appears to be a whole-subdomain penalty, so that if you have several hubs that offend Google the whole subdomain will be penalised.
   
   "Furthermore, the algorithm update punishes the entire site, not just the pages that have lots of ads above the fold. This means if 99 percent of your site is compliant, but you forgot to clean up one of you ad-heavy pages that obscures the content, there's a chance the site as a whole will be dinged by the new algorithm." - Webpronews

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      Don Bobbittposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Crap! Herewe go again!
      Not that I am a major offender. I Hope!
      But, just the time it takes to go through 120+ Hubs and 5 Blogs is significant and will take me away from my writing for a while.
      Oh Well!

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         Pcunixposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I don't think this would apply to HP's layout, but if it every did matter, HP could change everything en masse without you lifting a finger.

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            Marisa Wrightposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Have you ever looked at your Hubs when you're not logged in?  There's a stonking great Adsense banner across the top of your Hub.  Then there's the ad right under your profile pic, and the ad in the top right-hand corner of your Hub (if you allowed space for it). 
            
            Personally, I've removed the advice on my "optimize" Hub about allowing space for that top-right ad, just in case.

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               Pcunixposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Do you have any trouble seeing the text?
               
               No.  The text is immediately visible.  No scrolling needed.
               
               As I said, from what I've read, this applies to ads that push text way down.  I doubt that HP is affected.
               
               However - if they think they are, they can change every page here with a few quick edits to their software.

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                  Marisa Wrightposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  I've read a few posts about it as well, and I thought it was more about the ratio of ads to text.

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      Marisa Wrightposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      So you don't think an image or video would count as "content"?  Drat. I've already edited a few of mine to move my first image up and block that corner ad.

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         WryLiltposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Maybe try using that top right corner to place a grey/blue "tip" or "check out this site" text box?

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            Moonmaidenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Maybe we shouldn't change anything until Hubpages management has a chance to weigh in on it. Otherwise it's just the blind leading the blind.

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            Marisa Wrightposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            I've revised a few Hubs and I'm finding a video is a very handy thing to slot into that spot. 
            
            It may not be necessary, but actually I like the look of my Hubs much better without that top right-hand ad!

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               WryLiltposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Everything looks better without adverts. Just wish you could make money like that!
               
               I still have family members that think that by just them visiting sites I would get money. For obvious reasons I don't give those type of family members links to my sites!

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                  Marisa Wrightposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  Well of course, with the HP Ads program, visibility is less important

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                     WryLiltposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                     True.
                     
                     Although I'm still sure that our CPC is at least partly based on how many clicks we're getting.

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   moiragallagaposted 12 years ago

   Does this mean we have to edit all our Hubs to adjust placement of our ads? Sorry not savvy on this one. Thank you.

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      Marisa Wrightposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Not necessarily.   It's likely HP will modify the ad placement if it's needed.  However some of us already have our own Amazon or eBay ads high up in the Hub, and those might need fixing.

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   4FoodSafetyposted 12 years ago

   This is very helpful as I am about to update my blogs and insert the ads with the appropriate "ad words".
   
   Thank you very much for the information and very profitable new knowlewdge.

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