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]

You forgot the ads_lr_wrapper CSS

.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; }

[doraj]

Hello StarBug,

I already inserted this code on my additional.css, but I have always that problem.

Thank you

[Brandon Sheley]

Very nice setup, do you find you get more clicks with the ads on the left or right?

[StarBuG]

@Brandon People read from left to right so it should be left, however I never tried the right position. Let us know how it works out if you test it.

@doraj: it is missing on your site and the css is what creates the border so add it and you should be fine

[Edgespeeder06]

Is anyone still using this plugin? I think it's pretty cool. I'm trying to find ways to improve my CTR on www.NJStangers.org

[gemmstore]

doesn't work