March 27, 2006

Last 3 Days My Income has Dropped 50%

[cg6453]

I have been a long time reader, first time poster. Has anyone else noticed their daily earnings drop in the last few days. My page impressions and click rate has been consistent through the month however my ECPM has gone down by half if not more the last 3 days in a row. I have had adsense for the last 3 months and have never experineced this, anyone else in the same boat as me? Or any anyone have any suggestions?

Thanx

[carminejg3]

you guys are running mulitply sites.... thats explains why some of use are dropping and others are gaining nicely

[cg6453]

POSTED BY 21_BLUE

I'm not a consultant, but the web counter on your home page suggests that you aren't getting the volumes for a 50% drop to be statistically significant (do the stats in the link I posted).
Having said that, the ads I saw were poorly targeted. I expect this may be because there probably aren't many advertisers in the area of street gangs and crime (you could use the traffic estimator in Adwords to find out). Look at having some text on the page related to the topics you think your visitors may be interested in and use section_targetting - eg: provide some info on tourism in Chicago.

I'm away and only able to check your page via my pda which displays pages in a slightly funny way, but the design of the page looked good, the ads were well blended. But there was something funny at the bottom of the page, "ads by.." with no name. You may need to check that your page is compliant with the TOS (ads should be fully displayed, code not altered, no competitive ads on same page). It may just be my browser, though.

If you find that 'consultancy' useful and want to pay a fee, please make a donation or subscribe to WebmasterWorld :-)

>>>> Well the fact that u were able to go to my site without me even telling you what the site was amazes me, so without a doubt I would be more than happy to donate to the cause, after all it is a write off lol, thanx 21_Blue and further advise would be appreciated, I am going to wait to see what happens come April 1st

[EdisonCarter]

Yesterday worst weekday ever.

I run two Ad Units and one Ad Link per page. I've noticed that often only one ad unit displays, but it I refresh all show up...sometimes.

I find it hard to believe that AS has no Ad Links to feed me...

ec

[21_blue]

further advise would be appreciated

I've had chance to look at your site from a proper computer, and I think there is a lot you can do. Here are some ideas:

• Research SEO techniques to optimise your site. Eg: At the moment the "description"s I've looked at are stuffed with keywords which is a bad idea (it makes the link unattractive in SERPs and discourages people from clicking on it). You're using some software to build the pages, look at getting some software to automatically optimise them
  
• Resize the fonts of your text and adsense to match better. Using all capitals is hard to read (research shows that lower case can be read much easier and faster) and, on the computer I've viewed on just now, the adsense font is tiny by comparison with your text
  
• Improve the site navigation so you can find your way around quicker and easier. Eg: you need a standard menu bar on every page with quick links to each area of the site
  
• Track the performance of different pages and different ad positions using channels. You have ads mostly in the same position (near the top). Some are so near the top that readers' eyes automatically skip down (that is 'ad blindness').
  
• Experiment with different ad positions. Eg, rather than a banner at the top, try a skyscraper down the left. Measure the changes for 2 to 3 weeks before deciding which perform best.
  
• Take a look at the Google recommendations (browse their support pages). Once you've done all you can, email Adsense support with "optimization request" in the subject header, and ask them to make some recommendations on your site. They'll provide you with such consultancy for free.
  

There's a lot more you can do, but I hope that's enough to get you started. If your site doesn't have cult status already, it has the potential to do so.

I must admit my reaction to your site is that it puts me off the idea of visiting Chicago as a tourist - I get the impression that there is a gang on every street, and the word "gang" itself implies I'm likely to be mugged. But there is surely potential for a "tour" product, where soft and cuddly English people like me can see and experience the 'Gang culture' in Chicago with a tour guide and assured safety. Perhaps EFV might be able to advise on developing a tourist product.

Good luck with your site. One of the most unusual and interesting Adsense sites I've ever seen, though perhaps I've lived too sheltered a life in lower-middle-class England.