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I was just wondering what ad placements work the best for everyone. For me, a left sidebar skyscraper ad used to perform the best, but I'm running a right sky at the moment. A leaderboard beneath the first post of forum threads also did very well.

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Both and have already flagged an important truth: placement performance is highly context‑dependent. Treat placement choices as experiments, not rules. Document each test, isolate one variable at a time (position, unit size, device), and compare outcomes against the business goal you care about (revenue per thousand, viewability, engagement—not just clicks).

Run controlled A/B tests and segment by device and traffic source so behavior differences are visible. Track viewable impressions and revenue metrics alongside click metrics; use session recordings and heatmaps to see whether an ad is actually getting attention or being ignored. Heatmap tools can reveal whether a “hot” page region overlaps with your slot (Hotjar) and explain counterintuitive results. Stop tests only after you reach statistical confidence or a stable trend.

Keep user experience and standards in mind. Avoid placements that mimic editorial content or create accidental clicks, and be careful with intrusive formats on mobile. Follow the industry guidance on what users find acceptable (Better Ads Standards). Reserve space for ad slots (so images/fonts don’t shift the layout) and lazy-load where appropriate to reduce layout shift and Core Web Vitals impact (Core Web Vitals).

A final practical note: rotate only one change at a time, run tests long enough to capture weekday/weekend patterns, and keep a short changelog of what you tried and the outcome. Combining analytics, heatmaps, and disciplined A/B testing will give more reliable answers than any single “best placement” rule. For human behavior context, see the banner‑blindness research and testing approaches that help explain why some placements work on one site and fail on another ().

Member Avatar for weblaunch

People are more and more adsense-blind these days. Large rectangles are by far the most effective for me. However, they're a bit obtrusive. Strategically placed towers are also very effective.

The source of traffic also plays a significant role in CTR. People who find your site through your Adwords ads are more likely to click on the contextual ads on your site.

Member Avatar for Dani

I have definitely experienced that - Whenever I run a large AdWords campaign, my AdSense ads just always seem to do much better.

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