Serving a Google-only skin with no JS

[realmaverick]

I want to make a Google only skin and remove ALL Javascript.

I had one of my big websites rewritten to work within a popular CMS. The day of launch my eCPM dropped 50% and never recovered. Whether this makes logical sense or not, it's my experience.

I've analysed both sources and the only real difference is the ridiculous amount of Javascript and other JUNK that comes before the adsense code. Nothing else had changed, visually they are identical.

So anyway I want to make the Javascripless skin but these things worry me, as I don't want it to appear like some form of cloaking. Though it is? I don't know. Any experience with this?

Thanks ツ

[tedster]

You want to serve googlebot a different version of your source code than you serve to a regular visitor? You're right to be worried about a cloaking penalty.

I think you'd do better to clean up the code, moving the javascript to external files or at least to the bottom of the source code. You clearly don't want to lose traffic - your total search traffic means more than a performance percentage like eCPM.

visually they are identical

Google does do simulations of visual page appearance, but that is not the same as human eyes really looking at the page. Your new source code may be triggering some problem. This sounds like something worth taking up on Google's Webmaster Forum.

...ridiculous amount of Javascript and other JUNK

What is the other junk? And have you considered the possibility that your page is now loading more slowly?

[gosman]

<The day of launch my eCPM dropped 50% and never recovered>

This is just coincidence. What date did you launch? I've had several sites drop about 50% and several sites gain 50% this summer without an changes.