i never paid attention to monetization/
seo of site/blog.
ONLY CONTENT.
But now i have concentrated a bit on it.
i agree with most suggestions given above.
forget what the so-called
seo/adsense gurus on the web tell u.
first and foremost. give good and interesting content.
people will keep coming back.
good content = good QUALITY traffic <=> good
seo rankings = more hits = more clicks = more $$$
"think" how people will search for a particular issue/subject relating to your blog. THOSE r key-words imo ! use them in your content.
both text/image are equally imp. always select best paying ads. tick that option.
positioning matters. decide where visitors are MOST LIKELY to be open to the idea of clicking. remember, the cursor usually hovers on the rt side

but it should not be obstrusive to the visitor while reading the content.
the color of the pallate too is VERY imp. it should BLEND with the site.
I just changed all my adsense codes pallates/postioning in the last 7-8 days and found my Daily $$ tripling !!!
Seen both sites. Like the look. Ensure that ad blends. and yes, no one like an out-dated content

time to remove the 2008 counter
Happy Minting !