Click on AdSense link unit channel - $0 earnings

how come?

[radix]

I've a channel for AdSense link unit.

Now I see a number of impressions, one click and in the Earnings column: $0.00.

How is this possible?

[phantombookman]

Because you don't get paid for the ad link click.

[jchampliaud]

You only get paid when some clicks on an ad on the ad links page.

[radix]

jchampliaud: As posted both in the title of the thread and in the first post: I had a click and did not get reimbursement from Google.

phantombookman: You are either cynical or don't understand how link units work. AdSense publishers are paid for clicks on link units.

Any other takers?

[FTFlash]

OK.

When someone clicks on your "Ad Link" unit, they are taken to a page with several ads on it. YOU ARE NOT PAID FOR THIS INITIAL CLICK. However, it will still appear in your stats.

Now, if your visitor chooses to click on an ad on the page with several ads on it, you WILL get paid.

[radix]

Right.

FTFlash's post drove me to do the homework. Here is the explanation from AS FAQ:
Am I paid for clicks on link units?

AdSense publishers are paid for clicks on the ads that are linked from link unit topics, but not for clicks on the initial topics themselves. The ads on the linked page are pay-per-click Google ads similar to those shown in regular AdSense ad units.

Your reports will not track clicks on the link unit topics, but will log clicks on the Google ads from the resulting page.

I had a click in my stats, so, according to the FAQ, it must have come from the resulting page - still no $$$ for it.

[jchampliaud]

I had a click in my stats, so, according to the FAQ, it must have come from the resulting page - still no $$$ for it.

One possibly could be that the click stats aren’t updating at the same time that the income stats are. Sometimes it takes a while, i.e. the end of the day for things add up.

[esllou]

and another more likely answer is that the click was simply "discounted" for a whole myriad of reasons. Google's AS algo automatically discounts clicks and I have quite often seen channels showing one click for zero cash.