Forum Moderators: martinibuster
This is based on the recently published news on Jen's blog that there will be quality score for advertisers, it means "Advertisers who are not providing useful landing pages for users will have lower Quality Scores that in turn result in higher minimum bid requirements for their keywords."
This seems to be good news for the publishers who like to spend most of their time in developing quality content than to find out the MFA's and block them choosing urls.
This may increase in the overall revenue and we can hope that there will be no more 1-2-3 cent clicks.
If this starts, I guess everyone will empty there filter bag for atleast once to find out the change. But are we ready to allow MFA's just for more mopney?
The question is why we are blocking MFA's?
Is it because they are paying less money? Is it because they are misleading our users? or is it because they are overall hurting the system?
I hope that once MFA's has to spend more money for their keywords they will automatically start disappearing from the adsense horizon and we will get the quality advertisers with decent revenue that will justify our efforts.
[...Is it because they are paying less money? Is it because they are misleading our users? or is it because they are overall hurting the system?
I hope that once MFA's has to spend more money for their keywords they will automatically start disappearing from the adsense horizon and we will get the quality advertisers with decent revenue that will justify our efforts. ]
Also, the sequence of using a MFA site is:
1) Click an ad;
2) Be taken to MFA site, click on another ad;
3) Finally (if you're lucky and don't get bumped to yet another MFA site) find what you wanted to know about a product or service.
That won't change even if the page in step 2 is a "useful landing page." The reader will still be required to click twice to make an inquiry or a purchase.
"What's a "useful landing page"? That phrase has a lot of leeway."
There is a guideline for Landing Page and Site Quality on adword blog. But to summerize, they are as follows:
1. Provide relevant and substantial content.
2. Treat a user’s personal information responsibly
3. Develop an easily navigable site.
However, it's been with us some months now. It's old news. As far as I can see, it hasn't been implemented in any meaningful way. There is still a site that consists of one solitary ad block in the centre of a white space, with a few keywords in light grey small font many times below the fold that will show if I don't block it. A while back I removed my block list to see if the quality score algo worked, or they had improved targeting in the months since I had been blocking, and the result was that the mfa's came flooding back and removed the proper paying ads.
So I'm not convinced it works.
[edited by: david_uk at 6:08 am (utc) on July 10, 2006]
Yes the idea is old and imple,ented since December 2005. But Google says" we improve our algorithms for evaluating landing page quality (often based on feedback from our end-users), and next week we're launching another such improvement."
I have noticed a big shift on my site over the past few days: The Adlinks block on my home page, which used to get a consistently high CTR and earn from a third to a half of total AdSense revenue for the site, has dropped off to virtually nothing. Meanwhile, Adblocks on individual content pages are doing better than "usual," both in CTR and EPC.
If this continues, this is a BIG change. I'm guessing it's connected to the landing page issue, but I haven't carefully analyzed the ads showing on my site, which I would need to do.
But why would they limit it to the search network?
In my opinion? Because the offending ads run on their own site, and those of their search partners, and for Content, they run on OURS.
Because the offending ads run on their own site, and those of their search partners, and for Content, they run on OURS.
Can it only be their image that they're concerned about? They must think that it makes financial sense in the long term to make this change, and if it makes financial sense in search, it makes financial sense in content. After all, if Google manages to suppress low-quality advertisers in content, more quality advertisers will be happy about advertising there.
the sequence of using a MFA site is:1) Click an ad;
2) Be taken to MFA site, click on another ad;
3) Finally (if you're lucky and don't get bumped to yet another MFA site) find what you wanted to know about a product or service.
Pretty much describes the Adlinks experience too.
So how many of you MFA blockers refuse to have Adlinks units on your sites?
Not sure if I explained that well
sorry
steve
...if it makes financial sense in search, it makes financial sense in content. After all, if Google manages to suppress low-quality advertisers in content, more quality advertisers will be happy about advertising there.
Maybe, but this might be a way for Google to have its cake and eat it too:
1) The quality of ads improves on the search network; and...
2) Advertisers who have been reluctant to use the content network will be more willing to give it a try.
Over the long term, Google will need to address the problem of crappy lowest-common-denominator ads on the content network, and to push up the average cost per click with new initiatives on the AdSense side of the business. But that's an issue (and maybe a product announcement) for another day. Google may very well feel that the first step is simply to get more advertisers to use the content network.
Adlinks works on my home page but nowhere else I've tried them in my site--I think because I get a number of visitors to the home page who don't see what they want, would usually just go away or back out; but the Adlinks gives them another option. Traffic to individual content pages is more targeted so Adlinks don't work.
A little respect?
Maybe we need to wait a few more days to see how this plays out.
One question: Does the "quality score" (which is influenced by the landing page) actually affect display of ads on the content network? Or are its effects limited to the search network?
I think it might. So far the changes I've noticed are different ads being shown, and different categories showing on the adlinks pages.
The other change over the last two days is ctr is up by about 20%-25%. eCPM is up by a considerable amount, adding nearly $10 to the month average eCPM sitewide figure. EPC is slightly up, but my increase in earnings is obviously due to increased ctr. It's possible that new ads might have increased the ctr, but I'm hoping that these changes are due to the new changes and not a short term blip.
I have removed adlinks a month back. I started working on the optimization as I found low adsense performance on my site.
I follwed the standard procedures.
1. I figured out low performing pages of my site and removed adsense from it.
2. I removed adlinks from entire site as I assumed it does not work for me.
3. Kept just one adsense block on any page of my site.
4. I filtered MFA and blocked lot of them
5. Removed adsense from relatively new sites.
6. Removed adsense from blogs.
7. Tried new color schemes.
Now the question is, I did all this almost at the same time. This definitely improved CTR and revenue but I am not able to figure out if it is because of
1. Quality score for adwords
2. Removal of low performing pages
3. End of the summer vacation
4. End of the world Cup
5. Blocking MFA
6. Removing Adlinks
7. Reducing the adsense block to one.
8. Changing the ad color
................or some unknown factor.
Now I would like to put the ads back to some of the so called low performing pages and the blogs that has decent traffic.
What I may not think of doing is to empty my filter bag.
.......Or may be just Quality Score is playing the role.
to some of the so called low performing pages
If you are talking about low-traffic pages - I'd suggest to keep Adsense here. For example, if you have a page that gets 50 page views in a given month, and you do not see a single click until pageview # 49, you might think - "uh, that's 0% CTR, it's a low-performer, no, it's a no-performer" and remove Adsense. Which is wrong. If visitor # 50 clicks, you'll see a 2% CTR and have an okay-ish performance.
On the other hand, if you have high-traffic pages with no clicks, forget Adsense. Here, the high volume is dragging down your site-wide CTR, which might also affect EPC and revenue (there is unfortunately no proof for that). But those low-performing pages also attract MFAs and the like, which will affect EPC. You will spend more time filtering and your valuable 200 slots might be filling up faster than you can say "MFA".
The problem might have been caused mainly by a high traffic, poor performing page and forums often are. If you are going to put it back, please make sure you use channels so that you can see the poor performers easily.
These figures are especially strong, I believe, to changes in Google's landing page quality score algo, which tanked me for a few days but is now kicking in, eliminating MFAs and delivering better ads.
... at least I hope that's what it is.
Good luck to all.
These figures are especially strong, I believe, to changes in Google's landing page quality score algo, which tanked me for a few days but is now kicking in, eliminating MFAs and delivering better ads.
As an advertiser who has had campaigns destroyed by the "landing page quality" algo, (which I think has nothing to do with quality actually), I want to point something out. The new changes have not affected anyone's ability to advertise on the content network. In fact, the affected sites are being pushed even more to the content network as the quality scores do not apply there.
By the way, I'm not an MFA in any way. In fact many of those affected by the "quality score" are actual merchants and quality businesses. If you are seeing "better ads" it could possibly be because these affected advertisers have had to move more to the content network and their ads are taking positions above "MFA"s.
If you are seeing "better ads" it could possibly be because these affected advertisers have had to move more to the content network and their ads are taking positions above "MFA"s.
That may well be it, but whatever the reason my income is up a bit these past few days. Not a large amount, but enough to notice.
At any rate I doubt we (publishers) can make any real valid conclusions about this whole change for a month or more until advertizers get it sorted out for themselves.
Now I am reading at the forums that Adsense advertisers are very dissapointed by this Google steps, they are posting their links mentioning their's sites are not MFA and they even don't have adsense on it. I can't believe what they are talking about. Every single posted URL has adsense on it and themed by loans, credit cards. Who they are talking to?
One blogger mentioned we can expect slowly increasing of the adsense earnings after this defining of the landing pages quality. So be updated :)
I haven't noticed some differents, maybe just +0,02$ per click.
Now I am reading at the forums that Adsense advertisers are very dissapointed by this Google steps
Actually, they're AdWords advertisers (i.e., buyers of ads on Google's search results), but some may start using Adsense ads now that the "landing page" rules have been tigtened for AdWords.
