Forum Moderators: martinibuster
AdSense Page Impressions: +7.2%
Daily click average: The same
CTR: -8.95%
eCPM: -21.72%
EPC: -13.97%
Is anyone else who's been having problems seeing similar metrics?
In the UK I am still experiencing slow log-ins and very, very tardy stat updates.
Welcome to the start of a depression.
Not where I sit. Things are looking very good, even brighter in the online advertising sector.
Google has some homemade problems - they are riding a bubble. They are massively overvalued, which requires them to (a) make more money, and (b) create some compelling future stories to justify for their overvalued stock.
That is the reason why they let MFAs and parked pages into the Adsense program in the first place. They could stop it instantly. But they need every cent to fulfil the promises made to investors. THAT is the core of the problem, because by letting in these folks they make advertisers leave the [Adsense] program. This triggers a downward spiral, which I believe we are seeinbg right now.
My 2 cents
Per click.
Further to the posts regarding AdSense outtages, AdSense log-in unavailable or extremely slow and, quite simply for some of us, ads not appearing at all,
FWIW today, Saturday, I am still having very, very slow loading of my AdSense account page however my ads do seem to be loading normally but certainly on one small site I have very untargetted ads that used to be spot on.
Of course the huge variable in this that I do not know is what ads are appearing in other countries, my UK ads look fine but what is ACTUALLY displaying in OZ/NZ, China, India, Middle East, non-English EU, USA/Canada etc?
The preview tool is useless as an accurate indicator therefore it would be useful if G could give us a more accurate "preview" or possibly even notice if one or two major-spend advertisers have pulled a campaign since they've either been so successful or totally unsuccessful...just random thoughts on a Saturday afternoon:-)
AdSense is an auction-based system where base prices (bids) are determined by supply and demand. Even without smart pricing, geotargeting, site-targeted CPM ads, and other influences, AdSense earnings would be subject to fluctuation for any number of reasons.
FWIW, I looked at my own stats more closely, and I can see that my own EPC is down about 5% this month, a number that's unlikely to have much statistical meaning. Another contributing factor is a 3.3% dip in CTR, which isn't surprising for a leisure-travel site after the main summer vacation season. Put those numbers together, and there's a roughly 8.4% decline in eCPM for September MTD compared to August. That sounds pretty reasonable, and it follows the same pattern of a slight decline in early fall that I see every year (whether the dollar is up or down, Wall Street is waxing or waning, and U.S. jobs are being created or lost). To borrow a phrase from Yogi Berra, "it's deja vu all over again."
Statistical anomaly? This is the first time this has happened.
I would have posted this sooner but I wanted to take another look at my account reports before I made this post. I tried to log into my AdSense account this morning for 3 hours before being able to do so, which I think is another indicator that something is wrong on G's end of things. I know it's Saturday, but did anyone see any notifications of a planned system maintenance? When I tried to log in, I got the message that said that the error had been logged and system engineers had been notified.
Just a coincidence? Could be, but it sure doesn't seem like it to me.
That sounds pretty reasonable, and it follows the same pattern of a slight decline in early fall that I see every year
EFV, I don't think people are complaining about seasonal and predictable earning fluctuations as you described (5%? come on that's nothing). It's either a long term decline in EPC or freakishly low earning days that have never been seen before.
It's either a long term decline in EPC or freakishly low earning days that have never been seen before.
Koan, we've had an endless sucession of threads like this one since AdSense launched in 2003. At any given moment in time, somebody is going to be seeing a "freakishly low earning day" or experiencing a drop in EPC, eCPM, or both. Somebody else is going to be experiencing the opposite, and another somebody is going to be experiencing business as usual. Are you suggesting that only members who share an OP's experience should share their own experiences, thereby giving the false impression that there's a single, universal "trend"?
we've had an endless sucession of threads like this one since AdSense launched in 2003
This is not a thread about a general decline or upturn, it is about other publishers' experiences since the "surprise maintenance" and what has happened since.
Is it mere co-incidence that very soon afterwards several publishers posted:
AdSense outtages, AdSense log-in unavailable or extremely slow and, quite simply for some of us, ads not appearing at all
This is why I posted my comparison metrics, and they have continued at the same level, wanting to know if those who had seen the "problems" as to whether their metrics were showing similar or whether any had yet recovered to their previous levels.
It is plainly obvious that if ads are not appearing, are slow to appear or are badly targetted, then it's pretty likely that all earnings metrics will go down.
Are you suggesting that only members who share an OP's experience should share their own experiences
No I'm suggesting that we evaluate some problems outside of the normal adsense fluctuations argument (which can still be made, just not repeated ad nauseam) so we can focus on what factors are in play to those affected. It can be smart pricing, over-growth of publishers using adsense (unbalance between supply / demand), even the general state of the economy, a particular commercial sector or parasitic waves like MFA sites, etc. The thing is these are not noisy newbies overly confused with normal fluctuations, some are adsense veterans (3 years + ) seeing major changes suddenly, never seen before. They oughta be considered.
I just find it a little patronizing to deliver the standard "adsense fluctuates" reply to all cases. I had big problems in august and it settled in september because I ended up removing adsense from a section of my site that I imagined wasn't converting well. But I can relate to the feeling of being in the dark with Google because it doesn't give us any feedback regarding performance (for reasons of their own). I still don't know if I fixed my problem or if september is simply better for my subject. It helps to read threads like these. If more people than usual complain, and these are adsense old timers with big traffic, it makes you wonder.
If more people than usual complain, and these are adsense old timers with big traffic, it makes you wonder.
Actually, I think there have been fewer complaints than usual lately. I wouldn't read anything into that, though: It could be the result of forum traffic patterns or any number of other factors.
I do think that Google's maintenance or the sluggishness that some people have experienced with the reports servers aren't likely to have had an effect on earnings, because there's no evidence of a widespread decline.
I also think it's important that people with different experiences share information, because if only the "Yes, that's happening to me, too!" members post, people start making general assumptions that are based on a limited, self-selected sample.
Actually, I think there have been fewer complaints than usual lately.
I agree those who are doing well should also add their input for a better big picture, but the post did make frontpage after all, so you have to admit there's is something more to it. Maybe it's simply some tech problem since the maintenance.
I agree those who are doing well should also add their input for a better big picture, but the post did make frontpage after all, so you have to admit there's is something more to it.
Maybe it's on the front page because it's a slow news day.
Agreed there have been times recently when it's been slow to log on (usually indicates a big new feature is about to be launched). But it's had no impact at all on my earnings.
To compare exactly with the first post, my ECPM for Sep 14-18 is UP 8% from Sep 1-13. Traffic and CTR marginally down by less than 2%, so total earnings UP 6%. Not a giant jump, but certainly not down.
And the 19th and 20th did much better than that, in fact the past week has been my best revenue week since April.
So, yes, this IS the usual story. Some go up some go down, and those that go down are more likely to post. It's possible a system problem might be affecting some, but it's not universal (yet).
It's possible a system problem might be affecting some, but it's not universal.
Not only possible but it's true for me. I subtracted the "(yet)" off of your quote because I don't think everyone will have the same problems at the same time as I'll explain later in this post.
I rarely get the "Error has been logged and system engineers have been notified" message when attempting to login, and when I do, after a quick CTRL+F5 (page refresh) I log in with no issues. In addition I've had zero ad targeting issues, if anything I've seen targeting increase in quality over the last 10 months-ish across the board. Better targeting is not = to better earnings either in some cases as I've seen CTR rise and eCPM fall when lower paying, yet better targeted ads have appeared more, however better targeting = happier website users = better for everyone in the long run.
we've had an endless sucession of threads like this one since AdSense launched in 2003
Easily one thread a month on the home page, and countless others that don't make it to the home page.
I had a really horrible June, I'm glad everybody else didn't have a horrible June with me or all AdSense Hell would've broken loose. Some people take comfort when they find others have the same problem they have. I personally feel even worse if everyone is having the same problem I have, especially if they're having it at the same time I am. I'm not saying this to discount any issues anyone might be having right now with their AdSense. I'm saying that some people have major engine trouble ranging from bad valves, to blown gaskets every month, and that is statistically normal, even though it's no fun when it's you. Welcome to the roller coaster of life (and adsense)....almost to the top, almost there...here we go weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Another interesting statistic. On one subject area on my site, which has always been the most profitable, Adsense revenue is holding and/or up.
I have just had my worst Google day for over six months. I do think there is something 'wrong' and I believe it might have to do with the current economic situation. When advertisers are less confident, they don't bid as high.
I've just had my third-best day of the month, with an eCPM that was on a par with some of my better days in August.
However I've seen Adsense fluctuate before. The graph goes up and down.
Yep. Earlier in the week, I had three days of noticeably subpar eCPMs. What goes down comes up (or vice versa).
Another interesting statistic. On one subject area on my site, which has always been the most profitable, Adsense revenue is holding and/or up.
I think that just goes to show the danger of generalizations about "advertisers." A U.S. mortage or real-estate broker might be feeling the pinch these days, but a European advertiser of imported goods from the land of the declining dollar might be overflowing with optimism.
FWIW, I'm a little surprised that my site's CTR and eCPM have been as strong as they have been in the last day or so, because some of the ads that I'm seeing at the moment are way off topic. (E.g., ads for Disney or Vatican tours on a Berlin page.) At times, I have to wonder what Google means by "contextual."
Another thing that may not bode well for the future, at least in some sectors, is the fact that "little guy" advertisers don't seem to be as prominent as they were in the early days of AdSense. Maybe too many of them have been stung by clicks from junk sites, or--just as likely--Bob of Bob's B&B in Widgetville may simply be intidimated by the complexity of bidding for AdWords/AdSense ads in a competitive world of agencies, bid managers, arbitrageurs, etc. who know how to work the system for maximum ROI.
Finally, several research studies have predicted much greater growth in display ads than in search (text) ads over the next few years. That seems to be happening in my sector, where big hotel groups and airlines continue to expand their display advertising. I suspect that, over the long haul, AdWords/AdSense will remain attractive to big advertisers for highly targeted direct-response campaigns (and especially for last-minute sales and promotions), but AW/AS and other text ads will be regarded as the niche marketing tools that they really are, not as mainstream vehicles for online advertising.
Months later I discovered that things had recovered within a few weeks and I should have left the ads in place. 10 months after the 'crash' I was on an Adsense 'high' when the average revenue per day was 1200 per cent higher than the average during the 'low'.
I am going to wait and see what happens. The important thing is to ensure that Adsense revenue is your 'icing on the cake' not your 'bread and butter'.
The important thing is to ensure that Adsense revenue is your 'icing on the cake' not your 'bread and butter'.
well put.
Months later I discovered that things had recovered within a few weeks and I should have left the ads in place. 10 months after the 'crash' I was on an Adsense 'high' when the average revenue per day was 1200 per cent higher than the average during the 'low'
I will hazard a guess and say; from the moment you start replacing your ads you will see a gradual but steady decline in your EPC.
Welcome to the start of a depression.
Wow. I didn't know there was a reporter for a U.S. network news broadcast posting on here. :)
Others can have your depression if you want, but personally, I'm not going to participate.
FarmBoy
Of course, this never lasts. It seems when we hit a certain number we're scaled back. EPC is down 50% today, and if the trend is the same as before, we'll stay this way for two weeks and then we'll start coming back up.
Google has some homemade problems - they are riding a bubble. They are massively overvalued, which requires them to (a) make more money, and (b) create some compelling future stories to justify for their overvalued stock.
Now there is some wisdom ... :)
I wonder how they will react if they can't improve anymore, it will get harder each quarter .... there is no endless growth ... not in biology nor in economy ...
The question really is, how far are we away from this point?
Given that Google has all the control, it will probably be still a while until it makes pop and Google takes us down..
Google has some homemade problems - they are riding a bubble. They are massively overvalued...
That may be true but I don't think its stock price has any bearing on what advertisers are willing to pay. I'm not an advertiser, but if I was I wouldn't check G's stock price every day before deciding how much I was going to spend on an ad campaign. Each advertiser has access to data that quickly shows conversion rates and therefore the value of ads. Investors, on the other hand, are guessing, in the dark with very little useful and reliable data.
p/g
Not per se, but back in Feb, I wrote to Adsense to inform them about an extremely high CTR for a couple days on a site TARGETED, Pay per inpression (not click) ad that was sending my site-wide CTR well over double. They sent me the std "we'll look into it and may need to adjust your future earnings" response. They never deducted, but instead, something must have been triggered and within days, our PPC and CPM started a CONSISTENT, steady drop which continues to this day leaving us now at 25% of what it was in February and 2006.
>>FWIW, I noticed my earnings were down significantly on one of my sites over the past two days and took a look at a few of the pages. For some reason, the targeting is terrible all of a sudden - this is a site that has had AdSense on it since 2003. <<
Likewise, I just reported a page Saturday to Adsense which I took (multiple) screen shots of. They show three 4-ad ad units on the same page. All containing the SAME SINGLE AD for the SAME company FILLING each at the SAME time! (i.e. Three ads total, all for the same company.) I think there is even some mention in the TOS about displaying the same ad multiple times on the same page? No word back yet. In fact my last two problems reported before that have received only "we're working diligently on it" responses so far. No fix, no explanation.
Tell me something ain't broke!
In our case, I also attribute some of it to a lot of arbitragers butting into our niche and targeting ads at our pages. Every time I do a weekly cleaning with the competitive filter on them we jump about 10% and then continue dropping again as the same advertisers add new domains with the same old content.
>>Bob of Bob's B&B in Widgetville may simply be intidimated by the complexity of bidding for AdWords/AdSense ads in a competitive world of agencies, bid managers, arbitrageurs, etc. who know how to work the system for maximum ROI
OR else Bob's ads are just not displaying because of the targeting and competition from gamers. WE've seen the same with only Large companies and arbitragers appearing lately, and it's obvious one is PPCing 10-20 times what the other is. Guess which is which.
EFV, just out of curiousity, since your site appears comparable to ours in a number of ways, except for the drastic drop, I was womdering have you ever tested, or been offered to test, or been informed that "they-are-testing-on-your-site-for-you-unless-you-have-any-objections" any beta test options from Adsense? A lot of our problems seem to be most visible on pages/domains involved in some of the options they had us test in the past. Could just be coincidence. How about others now seeing steady declines like us? Have any of YOU been involved in beta tests from Adsense in the last year?
[edited by: MikeNoLastName at 1:54 am (utc) on Sep. 25, 2007]
I started this thread and I'm getting very miffed (check it out].
I'm in the UK and I am still experiencing extremely slow AdSense reports...not 2-3 seconds, 1 minute plus minimum! You want to know what a hanging Adesense looks like I'll send you the vid.
Just tell me why that on Sunday 23rd, when Sundays I normally get 70-80% of a weekday earnings and page impressions, I had my highest earning day since 13th Sept?
Which just so happened to be a regular Sunday for me insofar as my logs are concerned.
Something, for some of us, is BROKEN!
My logs are going through the roof but G, seemingly, CANNOT or WILL NOT see them.
For those doing well, great, however STOP telling us that can see something is broken, is not broken!
Now I wish I had not started this thread, fortunately I shall be away on long-haul business very shortly and will be able to forget all this "I know better than thee crap!"
Grrrrrrr:-))
Bet they'll be happy at the Plex I'm not around to stir up their funny coffees.
</rant>
EFV, just out of curiousity, since your site appears comparable to ours in a number of ways, except for the drastic drop, I was womdering have you ever tested, or been offered to test, or been informed that "they-are-testing-on-your-site-for-you-unless-you-have-any-objections" any beta test options from Adsense? A lot of our problems seem to be most visible on pages/domains involved in some of the options they had us test in the past.
If I were, I wouldn't be able to say so, but if you want to make an assumption, I won't issue any denials.
