Getting irrelevant Google ads on home page

[Mindy]

I have a strange problem I'm hoping someone can shed some light on....

I run a phpBB forum at www.impariamo.com and I have never had problems with Google ad relevancy - the niche is pretty obvious! Recently, however, I noticed that my CTR dropped dramatically, and I think the reason why may be because on the home page of the forum, I get ads for "learning English" instead of "learning Italian". If you go to any other page, the ads become relevant, but I have a feeling that most people are clicking on ads off the main page. Does anyone have ideas on reasons why this is happening, and what I can do about it? I haven't made any changes to the site, other than changing around a few categories, but the essence of the site has remained the same.

Thank you so much!

--Mindy

[90PercentAttitude]

Hi Mindy,

It's hard to say why there was a sudden change, but there are a number of things I'd do differently and I belive you will see a change in the ads being served -- not to mention a boost in your seo.

1. Page Title - get rid of the word index in your title and also the :: and change it to something along these lines:

Learn Italian | Italian Language Forum | Impariamo L'Italiano

2. Name your banner something like italianlanguagebanner.jpg and insert alt tags that say learn italian, italian language skills, impariamo L'Italiano

3. The "first" text Google would read on your page is "Designed by MelissaDesign.com" (Google reads from left to right by column and looking at your code, that text is the first text that shows on the page) You need to have descriptive site text appear as high and to the left of the page you can.

4. Rework your center bullets to be a little more keyword rich and not contain as many throw away words -- like

Those few things alone should make a difference; but if you can, also add your keywords to the last line of the page -- after the copyright line. If not for ad serving purposes, just on general seo principle.

Mind you, once you make these changes, if you don't see immediate results wait 2-3 days. At times, I've made similar changes and the ads change right away (in real time) but other times, I've discovered that it takes a day or two. So don't make the changes and think it didn't work and keep tinkering or it may not be a fair test.

If this doesn't work or you have any questions, let me know.

Have Fun & Fortune!
Stephanie

P.S. As a web designer, I really have to comment... It is really not standard practice for someone who does your site to put their link that high up on your page. That "plug" is usually found toward the bottom of the page. (Don't put it after the copyright though) And also, the link should display in a new window, and not navigate away from your page. Sorry if this person is a friend or relative; otherwise, it's not real cool.

[Mindy]

Stephanie,

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and advice! I will take some time to address each one of the items you suggested, and hope that will solve the issue of the irrelevant ads. The strange thing though is that the "header" of the page is the same for every page on the entire site, but it is only the home page of the site that gets the irrelevant "learn English" ads. Clicking to any category or message brings up relevant ads. Strange!

Regarding the "designed by" link - it's a good suggestion to have it open in a new window. The site was designed for free by one of the more active members of the forum, and that is why her link is so prominent. She has designed other sites for me that I have paid for, and her link does not appear anywhere on those sites.

Again, thank you so much for taking the time to make the suggestions you did - I will be sure to keep you posted on the outcome!

--Mindy