Forum Moderators: martinibuster
How many channels are you currently using? Do you prefer custom channels or URL channels? And do you check them on a regular basis, then use that information to improve AdSense on specific pages/sites?
I currently have about 50 active channels (I haven't added more channels since they upped the limit from 60 recently, but I plan to). Nearly all of them are custom channels, which is the way I prefer to track channels. Custom channels also enables me to track differences between multiple ad unit on the same page(s).
And yes, I do check them on a regular basis, and I primarily use it to see the most profitable sites and/or sections of sites, and use that information to add new content to those sites/areas.
A little insight to how I do things ;) And a piece of advice if you don't use channels, or only have a couple enabled... start using them - and lots of them - so you can see what pages are working well and what pages are lacking :)
On pages with a lot of traffic I like to set up 2 seperate channels for that page to see the how the ctr varies with ad size and location.
John
It helps a great deal in seeing what's going on, and often reveals some real surprizes, both positive and negative.
i never really did get url channels. who do we have to set those up?
i set up a few and then disabled them.
google can see what url an ad request is comming from without us telling them. oh well...
Normal channels are per site and language
my-domain/english
my-domain/german
my-other-domain/english
my-other-domain/german
The URL channels are mainly to watch new folders
my-domain/new-folder
my-domain/other-new-folder
My wife started also to translate pages from german to english, so some URL chanells are also to show her how much money her work brings.
that and they should have the channel data as up to date as the aggregate data.
Since around March 1st, I have been using about 90 channels, both URL channels and custom channels, to track page categories and ad types across both sites.
I note and record the channel data daily.
But, I regularly have "temporary" channels that I use for optimisation of the results.
The bulk of my main site are 19.000 dynamic pages: on these pages I randomly display ads in two different ways (different positions, formats etc.)
I use two channels to monitor the two different results and after a few days I am able to see which channel performs better.
At the moment, after having optimized position and format of the ads I have an increase of 80% in revenues.
In a few days I will start experimenting with colors..
Channels are extremely helpful!
If only they were updated faster...
I've enabled some URL channels too, but so far they largely overlap with the custom ones.
I have recently changed the postioning and size of one set of ads on about 15% of the site's pages and am getting 3x% CTR instead of x. And that has lasted for seven solid days...in fact yesterday was 4x%
I'm almost frightened of rolling it out across the rest of the site....!
other adsensers will understand that fear.
Is there a trick for checking channels? That mini scroll-box drives me nutty and holds me back from increasing my channels.
Well said flobaby:-)
Ever accidentally clicked two channel boxes and wondered what the hell had happened?
I know everytime that little section gets expanded in height, people complain because it limits them from seeing their $ totals without having to scroll when they login, depending on the screen size.
There was a previous discussion here on how AdSense could layout that section better, but I don't think anyone came up with any suggestions that would work really well.
It is interesting most people only have 20-30 channels in use. Has anyone maxed out their available channels?
Channels allow you to see that sort of thing very clearly.
... I regularly have "temporary" channels that I use for optimisation of the results... The bulk of my main site are 19.000 dynamic pages: on these pages I randomly display ads [even more emphasis added] in two different ways (different positions, formats etc.)... I use two channels to monitor the two different results and after a few days I am able to see which channel performs better... At the moment, after having optimized position and format of the ads I have an increase of 80% in revenues...
[... the lightbulb clicks on in berto's head...]
WOW!
This is one of the top two or three most important messages I've ever read on this Forum.
If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
I use my own click tracker
None of the click trackers give you $$. I have sections within the same website with similar traffic and CTR - yet one outperforms the other in terms of EPC several times over. Obviously, the section that outperforms $$ is the one I will try and drive additional traffic to, as well as continue to add to.
This is one of the top two or three most important messages I've ever read on this Forum.
Oh, Berto, you make me blush ...
The random selection was the part that convenced me I was doing right.
With all the odd variations of CPC you have, where a page could have a higher CPC just because it contains a few keywords you aren't even aware of, understanding the real correlation between ad settings and CTR is often tricky.
With a random selection (and large-ish number of impressions) you have better hopes to "neutralize" other effects..
With a random selection (and large-ish number of impressions) you have better hopes to "neutralize" other effects...
That was my epiphany. That technique is the only practical way that one can simulate ceteris paribus in this chaotic test environment.
One can apply the technique across the board, even to non-Adsense page elements, to assess your every change.
Happily for me, I had the tools at hand to implement the technique within two hours of reading your post.
It's like now I have a compass, and a way out of the wilderness.
Profound stuff. Many, many thanks.
