How To Perform Tests
I started using AdSense with my job at CNET, so sometimes I take it for granted that you should have testing capabilities. Most users do not have access to the AdSense API, so it is a bit more difficult to perform tests. Luckily, there are still methods to do it, and everyone who uses AdSense should be doing testing.
I will have more specific suggestions later, but to get started, Blazonry has an excellent article on how to perform a simple test using PHP. The basic idea is that you create multiple channels within AdSense. Then, some percentage of the time you display one style and track in one channel, while the other time you display other styles in their respective channels.
Once you get used to this type of testing, you will quickly see how powerful it is. Later on I will explain how to expand from this simple testing mode to something that can scale to many tests.
Tags: Optimizing AdSense, test