Google manipulation, bug or click attack?

[azlinda]

---

System: The following 40 messages were cut out of thread at: http://www.webmasterworld.com/google_adsense/4333699.htm [webmasterworld.com] by incredibill - 12:01 pm on Jul 3, 2011 (PST -8)

---

Something sinister is happening at Google. I can look at the old page, then the new page, and there's a $10 difference. I can look an hour later, both pages are the same, and I've lost $25 of earnings. WTH are they doing at Google?

[netmeg]

Have you noticed any difference in your traffic recently? Coming from the same sources? same locations?

[azlinda]

Have you noticed any difference in your traffic recently? Coming from the same sources? same locations?

My traffic has been down by 50% since April 11. As far as I can tell the traffic is all coming from the same locations. There has been no difference there.

[azlinda]

LMAO - just checked ten minutes later and my earnings shot up $80! It will be taken away shortly.

[azlinda]

LOL - just checked again and it shot up another $50! This is so unbelievable.

[Atomic]

just checked again and it shot up another $50! This is so unbelievable.

You forgot to preface that with "Something sinister is happeining at Google."

[andrewshim]

LOL - just checked again and it shot up another $50! This is so unbelievable.

Just occurred to me your account might be being used as a guinea pig for some tests Goog is conducting?

My July has started off with a whimpering whimper.
Dead as a dead hamster.
Dead as Husky's dead hamster.

[azlinda]

Just looked again, and Google took away $100! They're using my account for something alright, and it isn't good.

[azlinda]

At this point I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

[Play_Bach]

@azlinda

Are these numbers typical for you?

[azlinda]

No. Until about a week ago, it was just a steady climb during the day...nothing unusual. Now the numbers, including CTR and eCPM have been fluctuating wildly throughout the day, usually in a very short span of time - ten minutes or less.

[andrewshim]

@azlinda

Are these numbers typical for you?

Can't be. Anyway... azlinda said

LMAO - just checked ten minutes later and my earnings shot up $80! It will be taken away shortly.

then

LOL - just checked again and it shot up another $50! This is so unbelievable.

then

Just looked again, and Google took away $100! They're using my account for something alright, and it isn't good.

Which should put it at +$30 yes?

Heck of a lot better than my paltry, paltry, earning today.

[azlinda]

You've got it, Andrew. That's where I am - for the moment. But things change quickly. It's been steadily going down.

[andrewshim]

Impressions and EPC stable. CTR totally crashed off the cliff at 0.2x %. Compared to last year's stats for the same period, July 4th and Canada Day does not affect earnings this drastically. I'm thinking like Husky - "data loss" or more specifically, "click loss".

[azlinda]

I think Google is somehow manually manipulating results, if that's possible.

[Atomic]

I think Google is somehow manually manipulating results, if that's possible.

That's quite a claim. Can you offer any evidence?

[azlinda]

No, Atomic, I can't, but if you saw how wildly my stats are fluctuating during the day, you would probably come to the same conclusion. Today I have fluctuating stats just as I did yesterday.

[azlinda]

Atomic, the question would be, why wouldn't everyone be seeing these wildly-fluctuating statistics all day long? There has to be a reason why mine are doing this.

[Atomic]

Perhaps your site collects a lot more questionable clicks than others. That would be my first guess.

[azlinda]

I can't imagine why it would. There would have to be an enormous amount of questionable clicks to account for the differences.

[Atomic]

It's as good as your notion of Google manipulating results.

[azlinda]

That's true, Atomic. I'm just trying desperately to find out what is going on.

[Atomic]

I can understand that. I know that when I've seen extremely unusual activity I've wanted answers ASAP.

[andrewshim]

Mine hasn't moved either. And right before holidays are supposed to be some of my very best times!

seems like yours are either dead or high on drugs eh? I wonder if you have your channels activated. Your fluctuations could be coming from one (or some) specific channels. If you could narrow down the pages, try pulling the ads on those pages and you might be able to stop the flucs. The re-introduce the ads, but keep a close watch.

[azlinda]

Good idea, Andrew. I'll work on that.

[incrediBILL]

I think Google is somehow manually manipulating results, if that's possible.

May sound sinister, maybe not Google unless it's bug

Check your log files, sounds like a possible click attack.

Sites have been terminated if that behavior continues, I'd seriously look into it.

[netmeg]

Yea I would spend some serious time looking at your traffic; log files, analytics, whatever you got.

[jojy]

At this point I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

I am seeing the same earning fluctuation since past two months. I have pretty much stable traffic and I don't have any clue how to track fraudulent clicks.

[netmeg]

Yea, now that my traffic has calmed down, mine are jumping around a lot too. Seems odd, because most of my traffic is local to my own state with no suspicious patterns that I can discern, but I dunno that there's much I can do about it.

[zeus]

I stated a Month ago to check my earnings every 20 min-40 min and every time I see a cut in earnings, means I see 25$ now, then 30 min. later I see 19$ and so it has been for a Month, if they say they are correcting clicks or what ever, why then always down.
I will say with those cuts everyday I loose 30-40% earnings which I believe is real, but somehow they cut it down, its REALLY getting on my nerves. The last days now I also see a big decrease of earnings, traffic is the same.