Forum Home Enhancements - Adsense integration together with nice welcome message - StarBuG optimized blending

Introduction:
I am StarBuG, a clinical Physician for Children, and I am running several health Forums to support patients with medical questions. During the many years I am running my Forums I constantly worked on optimizing my Advertising integrations to maximize my earnings and the user experience using my forums. The click through rates for my Adsense integrations are good to very good for forums and may increase due to further optimizations so mark this mod as installed if you use it to make sure you always use the best optimized version of my adsense integration.

What this mod does:
This mod adds a Google Adsense large rectangle below the navbar together with an eye catching welcome message and a call to action (registration). This ad is the best performing ad on my forum. I run a forum with a fixed width and I think that on a fluid style this mod wont look that good but give it a try if you want.

Installation instructions:

in the template navbar find:

{vb:raw ad_location.global_below_navbar}

and add below:

<vb:if condition="THIS_SCRIPT != 'search'  AND !$show['notices'] AND $show['guest']">
 <div class="ads_lr_wrapper">
  <div class="ads_lr">
    YOUR GOOGLE ADSENSE CODE HERE
  </div>
  <div class="ads_lr_welcome">
   <p id="welcome_bold_big">Welcome to YOUR FORUM NAME</p><br>
     
     <p id="welcome_normal">your forum for YOUR THEME</p><br>
     
            <ul>
             <li><b>&nbsp;&raquo;</b>  some things people find</li> 
             <li><b>&nbsp;&raquo;</b>  on your forum</li> 
             <li><b>&nbsp;&raquo;</b>  some reasons why</li>
             <li><b>&nbsp;&raquo;</b>  guests should register</li>
            </ul>
            
            <br>
            
            <p id="welcome_bold">...then you have come to the right place!</p><br>

            <p id="welcome_normal">we will try to help you with your problem.</p><br>
            
            <p id="welcome_bold_big"><a href="http://www.YOURDOMAIN.com/register.php">YES! I want to register an account for free right now!</a></p><br />
            
            <p id="welcome_small">p.s.: For registered members YOUR FORUM NAME is free of ads</p>
  </div>
 </div>
</vb:if>

in template additional.css add:

/*------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| #> Large Rectangle Ad + Welcome Text below navbar
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
.ads_lr_wrapper {
    border: 2px solid #274C84;
    -moz-border-radius-bottomleft:5px;
    -moz-border-radius-bottomright:5px;
    -moz-border-radius-topleft:5px;
    -moz-border-radius-topright:5px;
    background: #ffffff;
    width:850px;
    height:290px;
    padding: 5px 5px 5px 5px;
}

.ads_lr {
    position: relative;
    background: #ffffff;
    width: 336px;
    margin-left: 10px;
    margin-right: 30px;
    float:left;
}

.ads_lr_welcome {
    background: #ffffff;
    position: relative;
    width: 460px;
    margin-top: 10px;
    margin-left: auto;
    margin-right: 10px;
    float:right;
}

#welcome_normal {
  font-size:normal;
  font-family:Helvetica;
  text-decoration:none;
  text-align: left;
}

#welcome_small {
  font-size:x-small;
  font-family:Helvetica;
  text-decoration:none;
  text-align: left;
}

#welcome_bold {
    font-weight:bold;
    font-size:normal;
    font-family:Helvetica;
    text-decoration:none;
        text-align: left;
}

#welcome_bold_big {
    font-weight:bold;
    font-size:large;
    font-family:Helvetica;
    text-decoration:none;
        text-align: left;
        color:#274C84;
}

Additional Comments:
Make sure you change all lines marked RED to fit your forum.
Of course you should customize the welcome text to fit your forum and change the colors and size of the welcome box to fit your forums theme.

Screenshot:


More of my Adsense Integrations:

• Adsense Integration as last post - StarBuG optimized blending
• Adsense Integration above similar threads - StarBuG optimized blending
• Adsense Integration as second post - StarBuG optimized blending

Demo:
Patientenfragen.net - we have the answers

Of course feedback is welcome and if you have suggestions to further improve CTR please let me know!

ps: The welcome text in the screenshot is an automatic translation by google that's why it is hard to read

StarBuG



Google isn't paying you enough money! Discover WHY!

[StarBuG]

Ad Block users don't see the AdSense Ad but will see the quest message

[preemz10314]

Also, I would like to note, that firefox users, if the admin decides to add a few more lines of text, the text bleeds over the block. But for chrome it adjust automatically... any idea on this? or is it just the way it is?..... Regardless this is by far one of my favorite mods. I thank you very much.

[StarBuG]

You need to adjust the size variables in the CSS code for that

[lycheepassion]

Anyone see this as more effective than default adsense header?

[lycheepassion]

What if I have HIGH adsense already how can I replace w/o losing the other placements?

[lycheepassion]

Is this just for unregistered members? How can I show the other regular header to registered so I still have an ad there?

[StarBuG]

Originally Posted by lycheepassion

What if I have HIGH adsense already how can I replace w/o losing the other placements?

Test it, it is that simple

Originally Posted by lycheepassion

Anyone see this as more effective than default adsense header?

What is your default AdSense header?
But the answer is most likely yes

Originally Posted by lycheepassion

Is this just for unregistered members? How can I show the other regular header to registered so I still have an ad there?

Remove the guest condition

[lycheepassion]

My default is what Vb has as default basically - I dont want to lose my pblishing rights if I test and it has more than 3 ads

[lycheepassion]

its in nav header below removed code for now to test this

[AshMagic]

Hey,

I've added this code exactly but can't get it to work properly.
I have cleared my cache in both IE and Firefox but it still displays the old message style.

The only way I can view it is if I login, then logout. The new message style shows on the 'Cookies Cleared' page but not on any other page anywhere!?!

Im on 4.1.3