Related posts, in the sidebar or at the bottom of the page?

Webmasters wonder whether they should place the related posts in the sidebar or at the bottom of the page. I think I have an answer.

In this case, readers will easily see the related posts. Nevertheless, if they are reading the article at the same time, the related posts and their potential thumbnails may distract the reader. It is really not good for several reasons. You may prefer the readers to be distracted by the advertisements and maybe click on an advertisement. Or, you may prefer the reader to carefully read the article and click on an affiliate link which helps to convert. 

The best solution would be to add the related posts at the end of the article and before the comment area. When the reader reaches the bottom of the page, it means he or she didn’t click on an affiliate link or an advertisement. If you want to keep the reader and perhaps get your chance on another page, the best would be to add the related pages at the bottom of the page. 

Related posts are more important than comments. Comments don’t help a reader to buy a product or buy a service. In fact, comments can be distraction too. That’s why it is important to place the related posts before the comments. Then there could ads like revcontent ads at the bottom of the page. In this case, related posts should be close to the revcontent ads. Then let the reader make a decision.