Graphics

This is NOT about putting graphics over your Google ads... That is a really dumb tactic which I'll cover in the Ad Optimization section - This is about how you use images on your pages, and what they mean long term in usability and success of an AdSense site.

I find that it is very hard to design a site that is primarily text, in a way that also looks pretty. An image or two can really spiff it up, but too many will just get in the way of your purpose, which is, to present useful information, and to earn money that justifies the effort of having produced that information.

Too many images on a page will make it SLOWWW to load. That drives people away.

Too plain a design will make people think you are not paying enough attention, and they will think that your information may be flawed as well.

You want to strike a balance in between there somewhere! There are some rules about images:

1. Don't use an image just because you can. It needs to mean something.

2. Good images will say in a glance what a paragraph or more will say. They should be directly relevant to the page, and they should accurately convey a message that enhances the text.

3. Never use a larger image than you have to. Scale them down so that they are as small as they can be while still retaining the detail and impact that you need. You'd be surprised, even a small image can be amazingly effective. Make sure you are viewing the image at 100% size on screen when you scale it, or you'll not know if you got it right or not.

4. Save it in the right format. No .bmp images, they are too big! And remember - .jpg for photos, .gif for hand drawn simple graphics or text graphics. This keeps the file size small and helps your images load faster.

5. Use text colors, table colors, and other elements that do not require a graphic to add small accents. Only add an image accent when it will substantially enhance the overall appearance or message.

6. Use good quality images. They should be clear, detailed, and have good contrast. If your image is too dark, then put it into your image editor and fiddle with the Brightness and Contrast, or the Levels settings.

7. Focus on Content first, images second. You can come back later and insert an image or two, even after the search engines index it.

8. You can use a texture in a table cell to add some of the impact of an image, without having to use a larger image that will take more time to load. This can also work as a replacement to image links.

9. Always use an Alt Tag with images that are designed to present a message in your content. This is especially important if the images have words on them, and if the page does not have much text. Use just one or two keyphrases in the Alt Tag, and keep it as short as possible.

Images are perfect for conveying emotional impact, and for showing instructional details. They can also be used as quick enhancements with borders, bars, and textures.

Images don't really have an impact on your AdSense usage specifically, it is more of an overall design issue. You want your site to use images intelligently, so that it retains maximum potential to bring in repeat visitors.