Did Google Change Clicks Definition Again

How they count clicks?

[security56]

I notice a drastic drop in click. I was wondering anyone has any knowledge if clicks are being counted differently then before?

[martinibuster]

Over what period of time was the drop in clicks seen? Days, weeks, month?

[security56]

It has being more than 3 week. It just happen overnight :) one day everything was fine than the next day wooof ctr went down by more than half. I was wondering if this happen due to new clicks rules because this only happen to me before when they change the non-click text area.

[HuskyPup]

It wouldn't surprise me at all, my average is now around the 5% mark of a few years ago hence crap earnings.

[nomis5]

A click is a click, surely?

G may then decide it's an invalid click but that's not the OP's question.

[HuskyPup]

A click is a click, surely?

One would have thought so however 6th May 2011 G decided to halve my CTR overnight and since then I've not had ONE days' clicks to the average daily clicks of Jan-May 6th 2011.

Needless to say it's even worse now, my daily click volume is 25% of pre-May 6th 2011.

I trust Google as much as I trust a UK/USA banker.!.!.!

[IanCP]

however 6th May 2011 G decided to halve my CTR overnight

I can't vouch for the date HP but it rings bells in my mind.

NOW

I have never, ever had the view that Advertisers should pay for just any clicks, as most likely was the case say in June, 2003 when I averaged 5%.

Up until recent weeks [check my posts] my standard response to low CTR [pre Google Animal Farm] was:

Krap Ads= Krap CTR = Krap EPC

Today? I'm no longer so sure.

Either I've become paranoid or something really smells. If the former? I'll rightly disappear into the dust, the latter?

A huge class action will ensue within the next five years.

[Jaideemaak]

Did Google Change Clicks Definition Again

It changes constantly. I just looked at their blurb again for Invalid Click Protection.

[google.com...]

It has changed again since I last looked and I can't find the previous version. There was some stuff previously about invalidating clicks that didn't perform. I don't know how they are supposed to know which clicks will 'perform' and which ones won't.

This sounded wrong to me and came at a time when lots of my clicks were being (unfairly) invalidated. The wording has changed now and they talk about 'suspicious' clicks.

So, a click is not a click. After someone clicks, the click goes through lots of Google's algos and filters before they make a payment. Is it fraudulent?, is it suspicious?, will or won't it perform?, etc, etc.

I'm actually doing OK again on the roller coaster we call AdSense. Last year, my earnings rose very nicely from March to December. Then, inexplicably, I saw huge drops from January to April 2012. Earnings started to go up again in May. The upward trend went into June and is now continuing into July.

Anyone doing this for their main source of income must be insane.

[Lame_Wolf]

This sounded wrong to me and came at a time when lots of my clicks were being (unfairly) invalidated. The wording has changed now and they talk about 'suspicious' clicks.

Would you rather prefer an email from Google to say they've closed your account due to invalid clicks ?

[denisl]

Although we all may have our worries about Google, I don't see how anyone can state that clicks were being unfairly invalidated. We just don't know.

[varun21]

Try the software called clickheat and you'll know the heatmap and other stats.