Images Ads

ePCM Roller Coaster

[SusanPilot]

I enabled Image Ads on October 30, as a result of these messages: [webmasterworld.com...]

My site's ePCM has always been very stable -- for years. After enabling Image Ads ePCM shot up -- I was about to recommend Image Ads too -- but then gradually ePCM declined, until it was less than 75% of what I consider it to be "normal".

Four days ago I disabled Image Ads again, but now ePCM is so low I can just as well give it all up. Is there any way to "reset"?

This is not a result of Thanksgiving -- I compared it to previous years' income.

Please help.

[HuskyPup]

Four days ago I disabled Image Ads again, but now ePCM is so low I can just as well give it all up. Is there any way to "reset"?

The last few days have been very turbulent for me therefore I would have waited until after this holiday period so that one could ascertain more accurately any changes made. I would suggest you sit back until next Monday and see more precisely what is happening before doing anything else.

[koan]

This is not a result of Thanksgiving -- I compared it to previous years' income.

I haven't made any changes recently (images have always been allowed) and the past 3-4 days have been record lows too. Might be Thanksgivings, but even the previous years weren't so bad. Like Husky said, I won't make any drastic changes until next week. In the meanwhile... yeah it just sucks.

[incrediBILL]

It's definitely a holiday slump, I wouldn't change anything.

When people are away with family and/or out on shopping sprees they aren't sitting home clicking ads.

Expect the same at the end of December as well.

[bumpski]

My holiday earnings slump started Sunday Nov 14th. Hope it's over soon!

(No targeting here)
I wish I could turn off CPM ads.

Historically with Adsense, certain significant changes, like adding new ad units, deleting URL channels, seems to provide a temporary smart pricing algo reset, sometimes boosting earnings.

Your POP in eCPM may have resulted simply by making the change itself and actually may have had nothing to do with the image ads, and, perhaps it even masked a decline in potential earnings.

So as the smart pricing algo re-stabilized your true earnings with image ads was revealed.

BUT to be sure traffic and CTR definitely drop for many (not all) sites over the holidays. So definitely wait till after lunch Monday! Well maybe with typical reporting delays wait till after dinner!

If you're still in trouble, leave images off, create some new ad units, even using your old channels, and replace some of your existing units, it might help. I think Google has tracked down many of these "reset" tricks. So if they're used with any frequency they will fail (probably with lowered earnings for a time!).