Ad Placement ROI Calculator
Compare ad revenue from different positions on your page — above the fold, sidebar, in-content, and below the fold.
How ad position affects revenue:
Not all ad positions earn the same. An ad at the top of the page earns 2–5× more than an identical ad at the bottom, because more visitors see it and are more likely to click it.
Two key metrics by position:
Viewability rate — the percentage of times the ad is actually seen by the visitor (they scroll to it). An ad “above the fold” has near 100% viewability. An ad at the bottom might only be seen by 30–50% of visitors.
CTR by position — ads at the top get more clicks because the visitor hasn’t found what they want yet. By the time they scroll to the bottom, they’ve already used the calculator and are less likely to click an ad.
Industry benchmarks by position:
| Position | Viewability | CTR | Revenue Index |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top banner (above the fold) | 90–100% | 2.5–4% | 100% (baseline) |
| In-content (between sections) | 70–85% | 2–3% | 75–90% |
| Sidebar (right or left) | 50–70% | 0.5–1.5% | 40–60% |
| Below the fold (bottom) | 30–50% | 0.3–0.8% | 20–35% |
| Sticky sidebar (follows scroll) | 80–95% | 1–2% | 65–80% |
Worked example — 100,000 monthly pageviews, $0.50 CPC:
| Position | Viewable | Clicks (at position CTR) | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top banner | 95,000 | 2,850 | $1,425 |
| In-content | 77,500 | 1,938 | $969 |
| Sidebar | 60,000 | 600 | $300 |
| Bottom | 40,000 | 240 | $120 |
The top banner earns 12× more than the bottom banner with the same traffic.
Optimal setup for most sites:
- One ad above the fold (top banner) — your money maker
- One ad in-content (between the calculator and explanation) — catches engaged readers
- One ad in the sidebar — bonus income, doesn’t interfere with content
- Optional: one ad at the bottom — low value but doesn’t hurt
Don’t overdo it: More than 3–4 ads per page hurts user experience and can slow your site down. Google also penalizes sites with too many ads relative to content.