It depends how you balance your user vs business goals. It's a strategic issue, because you send your visitors to another site potentially never to return again.
If your balance is on the usability side, then don't annoy the user: open in same window/tab, so you give the control to the user. Advanced users will right-click/ open in a new window/tab anyway. Other users will use the back button to return to your site. However, we are talking AdSense here. Here are some things to consider: How will you integrate the ads in your site? How important is PPC ad revenue versus users leaving your site? Will you 'disguise' ads in some way, or make it very clear that they are ads? If your design is such that you run the risk that users think text links go to content on your site, then open in a new window/tab. If you choose to explicitally place a header saying "advertisements" above the links, then most users would probably expect those ad links to open in a new window. Depending on where/when these ad links are shown, consider mentioning "these ads will open in a new window" as a compromise between ad revenue and maintaining usability/goodwill towards your site. If you go for the more disguised/deceiving approach then you should open in a new window/tab. Ads should be usable too, or users will only click once or never return to your site. Make sure you adapt your design to match user expectations so you don't annoy them. Do some usability testing or A/B testing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=41297 ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
