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.
not 2-3 seconds, 1 minute plus minimum
I have the same in the UK and a guy in Germany said the same. It became a bit better. I can't see though any effect on earning or bad reporting. Just the interface is sloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow.
I figured its hardware problems or they might have discovered foot and mouth in their computers and DEFRA makes them cull the lot.. or blue tongue disease... If in doubt blame global warming ..
[edited by: mattg3 at 3:18 am (utc) on Sep. 25, 2007]
Something, for some of us, is BROKEN!
You began the discussion but expect nothing but an audience nodding in agreement? That's not a discussion.
Wow. I didn't know there was a reporter for a U.S. network news broadcast posting on here. :)
When I want the truth, I listen to the BBC. Everyone knows that you can not trust the USA news networks. :)
Everyone knows that you can not trust the USA news networks.
Sorry.
Yes I watch SkyNews, BBC, CNN, CBS, ABC and Fox all by satellite.
Yes I watch SkyNews, BBC, CNN, CBS, ABC and Fox all by satellite.
To any informed resident outside the USA that's not a generalisation but is considered solid gold fact.
I am in the USA (but well traveled). But like you, I find it interesting to hear and/or read news via the BBC or for that matter from the Latin American/Puerto Rico news outlets, most all with straight forward commentary.
So, now that we have gone totally off topic… (sorry, I think I started this trend...), can I suggest that we get back to: Page Impressions Up, CTR, eCPM, EPC Earnings Down :)
[edited by: kamikaze_Optimizer at 6:20 am (utc) on Sep. 25, 2007]
7. Confidentiality. You agree not to disclose Google Confidential Information without Google's prior written consent. "Google Confidential Information" includes without limitation: (a) all Google software, technology, programming, specifications, materials, guidelines and documentation relating to the Program; (b) click-through rates or other statistics relating to Site performance in the Program provided to You by Google;...
Getting back to the topic. Just because something is NOT broken for some does not prove that it is NOT broken for others. Perhaps you just haven't played with it enough (or the right parts) to break it.
EFV, I wasn't asking for specifics/which, just if. It appears YOU at least haven't suffered any long term negative effects.
Factoring in some of the other recent prior threads on here about being the first to try out new products, both beta and publicly released, and then having them backfire resulting in problems and long-term degraded earnings, I'm seriously beginning to think twice about doing it again in the future. In the past I had blindly trusted G could not screw things up so badly, now I'm wondering. It's understandable to experience temporary problems (like scraping a elbow which heals) in the interests of advancement of the science, but when it comes to amputating an arm or two I have to draw the line.
[edited by: MikeNoLastName at 9:00 pm (utc) on Sep. 25, 2007]
Just because something is NOT broken for some does not prove that it is NOT broken for others. Perhaps you just haven't played with it enough (or the right parts) to break it.
Or they're afraid of rebuke :-).
A car's left turn signal can be broken, and you can drive the car around all day and never notice it if you never make a left turn. But as soon as you need to make a left turn and no one sees your signal because it doesn't work, only THEN do you experience a serious crash. As far as the police are concerned the car WAS still considered broken, all along, whether YOU noticed it or not. Only if you personally, or your representative, positively tested every aspect of the car beforehand and confirmed they were working, in every situation, can you claim it was not broken. Even then you are limiting your authority to the time and conditions under which you yourself tested it (i.e. on smooth highway vs bumpy gravel).
[edited by: MikeNoLastName at 9:12 pm (utc) on Sep. 25, 2007]
EFV, I wasn't asking for specifics/which, just if. It appears YOU at least haven't suffered any long term negative effects.
Not yet, anyway. Just the usual ups and downs. In fact, the last several days have been quite good.
FWIW, I often see major dips or spikes in affiliate bookings, too. Sometimes there will be a run of dreary days followed by a record-breaking jump in bookings of hotels, cars, or whatever. If there's a rhyme or reason, I haven't been able to figure it out.
A car's left turn signal can be broken, and you can drive the car around all day and never notice it if you never make a left turn. But as soon as you need to make a left turn and no one sees your signal because it doesn't work, only THEN do you experience a serious crash.
Until you can get everyone to sign off on them being broken you should accept the possibility that everyone does not have this problem. Outrageous yet unjustified claims have been made. If a claim can't be backed up with anything more than subjective personal experience I don't give it much credence.
I often see major dips or spikes in affiliate bookings, too. Sometimes there will be a run of dreary days followed by a record-breaking jump in bookings of hotels, cars, or whatever. If there's a rhyme or reason, I haven't been able to figure it out.
That should be part of the actual definition of affiliate marketing :)
I'm not saying some things aren't broke for some people but to me it appears more likely to be the regular fluctuations. When people see things not going today like they were going yesterday they tend fight the urge to start twisting knobs, pushing and pulling levers, switches, when if they just sat tight it would all smooth out like butter on bread over the course of time. Instead waiting to see how things play out over a few weeks or months they start taking drastic measures and they get stuck with 30 variables in an equation that maybe started out with 4 or 5...very difficult to figure what, where, and how, things went wrong. This is especially prevalent in how many people react to the regular shifting that occurs on organic listings...ie my site dropped to page three so I changed this and that, and what have you hoping to get it back to page one. Or people using PPC for various affiliate programs, no sales by noon so they cut their marketing, when if they would've left it online, they may have made no sales for 3 more days, but come Friday they would've make 30 which would've made up for the lost marketing money from the previous 3 days and then some. I don't day trade affiliate anymore, it's more of a long term play where I look at the numbers over a much larger block of time to smooth out the massive fluctuations of affiliate in general. Welcome to the roller coaster called Affiliate...keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times, and enjoy the ride.......wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Umm, as far as I know we're all driving the ONE AND SAME big, lumbering, old, Adsense hearse. My condolences (or perhaps in this case it should be congratulations) if you haven't learned to use your turn signals yet. If you have a different year or model of Adsense please tell us how to get onboard.
>>it appears more likely to be the regular fluctuations. When people see things not going today like they were going yesterday<<
I agree entirely in many cases. But there is a difference between today and yesterday vs. ALL OF LAST YEAR and THE LAST SEVEN MONTHS! How do you write off SEVEN MONTHS (please let me repeat that.... S-E-V-E-N M-O-N-T-H-S...) of CONSISTENT downtrend data with a .92 correlation coefficient in PPC vs date?
Yep, I'm convinced Adsense is just one big Social Psychology experiment (ever participate in those in college to make some spare cash?). Let's randomly punish these sites and reward those and see who reacts by quitting first. Game over.
[edited by: MikeNoLastName at 10:01 am (utc) on Sep. 26, 2007]
There have been spikes and troughs in the past. Adsense is not a salary. There is no 'minimum wage' contract with Google. It should be regarded as a 'bonus' revenue stream, not an income to which you are entitled by right.
There has been enough speculation. Sit it out, see what happens and in the meantime, make sure to keep developing and diversifying income streams.
it appears more likely to be the regular fluctuations. When people see things not going today like they were going yesterdayI agree entirely in many cases. But there is a difference between today and yesterday vs. ALL OF LAST YEAR and THE LAST SEVEN MONTHS! How do you write off SEVEN MONTHS (please let me repeat that.... S-E-V-E-N M-O-N-T-H-S...) of CONSISTENT downtrend data with a .92 correlation coefficient in PPC vs date?
100% agree with Mike here.
I have long given up to interpret daily data. Even 7-day moving average is barely more than a rough indicator these days. Looking at 30-day moving averages, however, should iron out daily fluctuations and provide more solid data to talk about trends.
And based on this massive data set I see for September 2007 (estimated):
Ad Impressions: -20% compared to September 2006
EPC: -30% compared to September 2006
eCPM: -20% compared to September 2006
CTR: +10% compared to September 2006
Revenue: -40% compared to September 2006
Standard disclaimer: Results for my sites only. I know that some niches pay better than others and that my sites might be subject to seasonal fluctuations, I know that I should not put all eggs in one basket, I know that I can leave Adsense at any time, I know that some think I should leave Adsense, I know that Google has all the right in the world to protect their valuable business information, I know that I should be grateful and humble that they let me make them money. I know I know I know.
And based on this massive data set I see for September 2007 (estimated):Ad Impressions: -20% compared to September 2006
EPC: -30% compared to September 2006
eCPM: -20% compared to September 2006
CTR: +10% compared to September 2006
Revenue: -40% compared to September 2006
Sounds like the "dilution effect" to me. More publishers with more pages are competing for click inventory that isn't keeping up with publisher supply for many keywords and keyphrases.
We also need to remember that advertisers have more tools than they did a year ago. (But if I had to guess, I'd say the "dilution effect" was the most common reason for a general decline--as opposed to a temporary drop--in earnings.)
Haven't checked on impressions this year vs last. Might be interesting to see though. I'm sure my traffic has been way up.
More publishers with more pages are competing for click inventory that isn't keeping up with publisher supply for many keywords and keyphrases.
If that were the case why are others NOT having the problem? Our business model and range of keywords is very similar to EFV, yet he claims not to be experiencing this dilution. I considered that effect early on and did some research. The only websites in the top 10 SERPs in all significant words of our niche on both Y and G serving Adsense Ads is.... us. Granted there are the long tail folks, but they are rare since the niche is pretty much dominated by us 3-4 high PR sites under all related terms. Also the ads appearing today, as far as I can view them, are 75% the same ads which were appearing a year ago. The other 25% being made up of new companies or MFA arbitragers (whome we filter as soon as we see them), who are sending traffic to Y or dblclk and thus not consuming Adsense ads. The problem is not CTR, so much, as our CTR has actually stayed nearly the same over the period (actually gone up, but only because we have been systematically eliminating the non-clicked ads to replace with other brands), but the PPC and thus eCPM are what are WAY down despite that.
>>Sounds like the "dilution effect" to me.If that were the case why are others NOT having the problem?
Random thoughts or guesses:
1) Every site's mix of keywords is different.
2) Even if you're seeing mostly the same advertisers that you saw a year ago, they doesn't mean they're bidding the same amount per click.
3) We don't know how Google calculates smart pricing or compensation (or how it allocates ads, for that matter), so it's possible that something has changed in the past year that has affected some sites more than others. (See JS_Harris's "Bounce rate vs. earnings" thread.)
4) There probably are no easy answers, because so many factors can influence pricing and earnings.
(See JS_Harris's "Bounce rate vs. earnings" thread.)
EFV do you have the actual link? A google search of WebmasterWorld for '"Bounce rate"+JS_Harris' only produces this topic:
[webmasterworld.com...]
Unless I completely missed something, JS_Harris certainly made some contributions but none relating directly to "Bounce rate vs. earnings".
Have I missed the blindingly obvious?
Thanks
[edited by: IanCP at 1:13 am (utc) on Sep. 27, 2007]
[webmasterworld.com...]
Sounds like the "dilution effect" to me.If that were the case why are others NOT having the problem?
Could your site's conversion rate for adwords advertisers have gone down during the last year warranting advertisers to lower bids on your site or lower bids for the keywords found on your keywords?
We also need to remember that advertisers have more tools than they did a year ago. (But if I had to guess, I'd say the "dilution effect" was the most common reason for a general decline--as opposed to a temporary drop--in earnings.)
Yes dilution is very real, I'd be surprised if many of us have escaped the nearly inevitable inflationary effects of more publishers in our niche arenas causing a deflationary EPC, however;
4) There probably are no easy answers, because so many factors can influence pricing and earnings.
Bingo! We have a winner. Most assuredly adsense doesn't have just a few factors that go into determining payout to publishers. By the depth at which they currently supply analytics stats to you and themselves, there's probably a few dozen factors in the adsense equation that are assigned different weights. Example of factors with a hypethetical corresponding weight in percentage effecting adsense income that blend into the adsense frozen desert that should be the topping on our pies (not the actual pie if at all possible)
1. 55% conversion rate for advertisers using conversion tracking whose ads appear on your site
2. 20% amount and uniqueness of content on page/site
3.10% origin of traffic:
a. geographics
b. demographics
c. organic search engine, PPC search engine, backlink, type in, or bookmark etc.
4. 3% bounce rate
5. 5% age of site
6. 4% relavent backlinks
7. 7% traffic volume
8.?% purpose of site
Don't forget google's mystery % of the pie can and probably does change depending on other unknown or unmentioned factors.
Every attempt up until now (since adsense inception) to make sweeping arguments about eCPM, EPC, etc. trends has been systematically shot down simply due to the fact that there are publishers reporting ups while others are reporting downs.
Okay so forget my hy- pathetic -al % weights assigned, help me out here, this list of adsense income factors goes on and on. The point I'm making is because this list is a very long one, in order to get a grip on why our adsense stats are up or down we need to take an in depth and honest personalized look at our own adsense strategies in order to determine why we are down or up.
The only blanket argument about adsense trends I dare to make is (don't take this personal) but this is part of a long term play by the adsense team to separate the not so savory Internet realestate from the unique salt of the Earth type realestate.
I'd be surprised if many of us have escaped the nearly inevitable inflationary effects of more publishers in our niche arenas causing a deflationary EPC...
Yes, more publishers plastering nearly every page of their their site(s) with the maximum allowable number of ads. Isn't that what Goolge wants?
It's a sudden much lower CTR. Down 30 - 50% from a standard over mumble, mumble years.
Now obviously being in Australia, all I see are Ads primarily targeted at OZ. Folks elsewhere would see things much different.
Most of these latest Ads [locally] have absolutely no relevance to my sites whatever.
OK, I teach a specific topic, yet I see Ads for "PaintShop Pro Tutorials"?
OK I accept the possibility for lower Ad Inventory, BUT even though I have a tutorial site, why does something so totally different as "PaintShop Pro Tutorials" appear on my site? I can only assume, simply because of the keyword "tutorials"
Again this is only what I see locally.
What visitor to my particular niche is going to be attracted to "PaintShop Pro Tutorials"?
My site visitors aren't brain dead, most are highly intelligent and look for "value added".
Maybe this is caused by lower Ad Inventory or, perhaps my sites don't convert as well as expected and that's the reason why, and fair enough.
But who knows for certain.
Yes, more publishers plastering nearly every page of their their site(s) with the maximum allowable number of ads. Isn't that what Goolge wants?
Maybe it is and maybe it isn't, but that doesn't mean Google's interests and yours are always identical. To look at it another way, if you make it your mission to provide Google with cheap inventory, shouldn't you accept part (or even most) of the blame when you get cheap clicks?
Similar question I posted in adsense blog I got answer to reduce ad units.. I reduced and left only 1.. but this method reduced the earning.. and click also reduced 10% thats not much..
As far as I think.. Google is now reducing publishers earning.. Well thats my thought.. you may have something different in mind!
