Adsense Question

by Carl Brown

Posted: 13 years ago 16 replies

I've noticed something that happens over and over again and I can't figure out why it happens. I'm hoping someone can explain what's going on.

On my latest website, I was averaging $1 clicks in the beginning. Over several months, with nothing else changing, those $$ per clicks have been dropping while traffic remains the same. Right now, this site is giving me 11 cents per click (average).

This has happened on most of my sites--but not all (I have less than 10)

Why does this happen?

#adsense #question

jesblamads

13 years ago

Who knows? In my research, you are usually paid some sort of percentage of what google gets for their keyword bids for content... I don't think anyone in the general public knows exactly how much, or how little, of a cut google is giving you for a click.

- Jes

Thanks
2 replies

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Nexus7

13 years ago

It could be smart pricing. Try reducing the number of ads or remove ads from sites that have a CTR under 5%. Wait a few days or a week to see if it goes back to normal.

Sites that aren't converting well for the advertisers can cause this to happen.

YouTube - AdSense Smart Pricing

Thanks
1 reply

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Carl Brown

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Nexus7

Thanks. This explains a lot. It's a little over my head, but since it is currently my sole source of income, it's something I need to understand.

My CTR is pretty good (14%) but if I understand the video correctly, it appears the traffic I receive isn't sufficient "quality" to justify those $1 clicks I was getting in the beginning. I will cautiously tweak my site and see if things improve. It's rough getting use to a certain amount per click then watching it drop 90% over a few months.

Thanks
1 reply

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Therlos 13 years ago

It doesn't have to be smartpricing. Adsense has one factor you almost cannot influence: the publishers. One of my site recently dropped in the average $$ per click because almost all publishers retired from the main keyword ( as Spyfu says). If the competition is low, the publishers don't have to pay much -> You don't get much

Daniel
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- 1 reply
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- Carl Brown 13 years ago
  
  You might be right. The particular niche seems active, but there is little competition, if that makes any sense. It's still worth developing, but doing the same work for a dime that was paying me a dollar, is frustrating.
  
  I do have two ad blocks 336 on top just below the title and a 160 x 600 on the right hand column.
  
  The first thing I'm going to do is remove the skyscraper for a month and see what happens.
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
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  Stephen Crooks 13 years ago
  
  Could be for a number of reasons and it certainly is not unusual. Here are several possibilities for the drop in income per click.
  
  1. Seasonal niche, maybe advertisers spend more at different times of the year in your niche.
  2. Smart pricing - There are many reasons behind smart pricing but the main one is maybe the clicks from your site have not resulted in many conversions for the advertisers.
  3. It could be possible that the doubleclick cookie that Adsense uses to show visitor relevant ads as well as contextual ads is having an effect on your income per click. Maybe try switching this off in your account to test.
  4. Is your niche going through a hard time economically? It could very well be that advertisers are just reigning in their spend for your niche.
  5. Are there any new rules placed on advertisers in your niche? Perhaps brand names in the keyword bids which may have been bringing more advertisers have been stamped on by Google Adwords.
  6. Was your niche more fashionable previously? It could be that there arent as many buyers in your niche as there once was.
  
  I hope that helps a bit..
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
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  Nexus7 13 years ago
  
  I forgot to mention that smart pricing affects your entire account, so if some sites are still making about the same amount of money then it's something else. I'd only worry if every click from every site gets into the $.10 or lower range.
  
  Agree with other posters that say it could be other factors. I've seen a drop on several of my own sites, so I figure it's seasonal or low competition.
  
  Thanks
  
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Nexus7 13 years ago

Originally Posted by jesblamads

I don't think anyone in the general public knows exactly how much, or how little, of a cut google is giving you for a click.

Publishers get 68%.
- Thanks
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yukon Banned 13 years ago

[DELETED]

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- Novoxborder 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by yukon
  
  Is that Bill Gates in a Google video?
  
  Haha just what I was thinking too
  
  Thanks
  
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ImDoingIt 13 years ago

My theory is that advertising budgets / the amount spent on advertising in particular niches can fluctuate at times. I would focus creating more content and hopefully it will fluctuate back up for you 11cents is not bad, be glad it isn't 1cent
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- Carl Brown 13 years ago
  
  I'm leaning towards Steve's #2 reason. Without going into detail, the specific niche helps families save on a very basic need. like I said, I get a pretty good CTR, but I'm thinking the traffic I'm providing the advertisers isn't resulting in the conversions they might get through other sites.
  
  Not all of my sites drop like this, but several have. My traffic hasn't decreased, nor the CTR.
  
  I am glad for what I have. Adsense has been a Godsend in this economy and I'm determined to get where some of you already are.
  
  I've learned a LOT on this forum and appreciate the added insight.
  
  Probably the greatest thing I've internalized lately was Lisa's advice to just stick with a project long enough to reap the rewards. I have a habit of jumping from one thing to another and getting only a few crumbs from each project. I think this is the key to going from $30 a day to $200 or more. I think each of my sites have that possibility. Yours probably do too.
  
  Thanks
  
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zandhal 13 years ago

Yeach an economist but bill gates like hahahhaha
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socialbookmark 13 years ago

Maybe some advertiser changed their maximum BID for the keywords your pages have. And also its possible that the competition for those special keywords became less and Google Bids the advertisers less than before so you earn less comparing previous months.
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PaulSmith1 13 years ago

I also couldn't understand this, it was with me also. And day by day, it is decreasing.
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BarbieQ Banned 13 years ago

What i know is that you cannot click on your own ad, or you will be published
- Thanks
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