The Stuck Thread - April 2013

[Play_Bach]

Hasn't moved here for several hours.

[karkadan]

Today I was having a so so day, I go out, return 7 hours later, just a small push in earnings. Really, Google?

[demonsparkx]

very little increase in pageviews. tiny amount of clicks and earnings... smh... wtf happened? :( sad days!

[Erku]

slow here too. I guess that's the normal these months. Anyone experiencing the same?

[explorador]

At 50% of April I can say this has been an ugly month, really low numbers

[avalon37]

I've never seen data reporting as delayed as it is for me today. More than 1/2 the way through the day and telling me I've not received 1 click ! I keep checking my pages to see that my ads are live :)

[azlinda]

I've experienced a VERY low CTR for the past several days. I've never seen anything like it. The ads look good too.

[edinburgher]

Haha. Hahaha. Hahahaha.

Sorry, I just looked at my miniscule "earnings" total for the day. Google are clearly 'aving a laff. Great joke but I'd prefer the money.

[Play_Bach]

Off to a slow start today.

[glitterball]

Total Garbage now 1/20 of what it should be.

[zarathustra2011]

No idea what is going on with Adsense this month and today's reports are about as bad as I've seen them.

[JCKline]

clicks are stuck, yet impressions are way above normal for me due to a traffic spike...from the Netherlands?

[Play_Bach]

> clicks are stuck

yup.

[edinburgher]

>> clicks are stuck

>yup.

Six months ago I'd have agreed, clicks today definitely look stuck. But the way things have been going recently it wouldn't surprise me if Google think the current numbers are correct.

[ThatsBoBo]

Hi guys,

I'd also say clicks are stuck. That or I'm at 10% earnings of an average day with very typical traffic, etc.

Lets hope for a click dump. Soon...

[demonsparkx]

earnings,clicks and impressions down by about 85%. for the past 4-5 days straight

[HowYesNo]

today & yesterday i broke a new record for the lowest ctr in all my years with adsense :(

[Saffron]

Mine is still dropping too. I don't mean this in a bad way, but I'm glad it's not just my site that's being affected. It would be good to know what's going on, but Google would never pay us that courtesy.

I've worked 12-16 hour days for 4 months trying to re-build my site that Google shattered, and I'm earning less than ever. My husband keeps saying "why bother". I'm starting to agree, if I'm going to go broke, may as well be doing something fun while it happens.

[explorador]

Something is wrong.

+ Traffic has been going up each year, that's fine, but earnings rise and then go down to the same average daily numbers. It's been discussed on other threads (ceiling, earning limits). It became the normal rule, so I put a "+" on this one because after years I don't see it as negative as the following.

- But this year traffic went up a lot more than before, and from that very moment daily earnings went down and down. I'm having record numbers on low earnings.

- March-April are my higher months but not this year. I'm having terrible numbers.

- I understand bumps but these numbers are terrible. For many years been making something others would complain about but seems fine with me (I mean I wouldn't complain) but this month... reaching average of US$2 really doesn't sound good at all, specially with past stable averages and now having even more traffic than ever. Doesn't make sense.

- Bad quality traffic? Could be, it happened a while ago (less than a year ago) that my traffic rocket skied on an algo update but earnings went down. then the algo was "fixed" (there is a thread around) and earnings came back as the usual average.

Who knows... I see most of the ads suck and the arrows are very misleading. In short: terrible numbers becoming the new average.


*BTW I'm also seeing less contributions about info or improvements on webmasterworld regarding Adsense, I don't mean it's a bad thing, this forum has been amazingly good. What I mean is Adsense has become so intriguing and performing so low that there is little to say about it than just "low, stuck, sucks" and known members show the attitude of "why bother" I'm there too. A year and a half ago I had it and since then I focus on the websites but Adsense it's just a thing with life on it's own... you can do whatever you want to and still no clue, and that sure means "why bother".....

Perhaps... Even the golden rule of great content, organic traffic, write for the users is not working anymore with Adsense. I remember changes and discussions regarding algo attempts that really hurt good websites. So if your content is good and Adsense doesn't like it... why....... bother......

[avalon37]

Google is probably just "keeping" a much higher percentage of the CPC prices that advertisers are paying. That would explain the plummeting CPC prices publishers are earning. There is no set split of earnings, for example a 50/50 or 60/40 that they (Google) is legally bound to follow. They could essentially keep 99.99% if they wanted to right? Sure that would run the risk publishers leaving, but legally they can do anything they want when it comes to earnings split correct?

They can't not report accurate number of clicks, but they control the payout 100% and my guess is they just want more of the earnings.

[netmeg]

but legally they can do anything they want when it comes to earnings split correct?

Maybe; I'm not a lawyer. But I'm pretty sure they can't tell us one thing in our account and do something else and still be legal. My account right this minute says I get 68% of Content earnings and and 51% of Custom Search revenue. And if they changed the split but left the old percentages in our accounts, someone could probably hold them accountable for that.

I'm getting more traffic and overall my numbers are going up. I'm way up for the year and my peak season hasn't started yet (I also added more sites though) My CTR is shameful, but when I compare it to last year, it's only one or two ticks off. My RPM is within five cents of this time last year. But my traffic, while much more than last year, still isn't anywhere near what it will be in two months - that will be the test for me.

[ken_b]

That would explain the plummeting CPC prices publishers are earning.

Not all publishers are seeing lower CPC/EPC. Mine is about double what it's long term average is since I started with AdSense in late 2003.

By the same measure my CTR has taken a big dive, but the higher EPC results in about the same or better RPM.

Thr Panda and Penguin have beaten me up pretty bad though, but that's a different story.
.

[avalon37]

Netmeg you are correct that if they show a specific breakout of the split they have to abide by that. I meant more like if they wanted to take 75% and give publishers 25% they could. With many things like this though, there's no challenging Google on the numbers. Plus all their terms of agreement keep getting update making any challenges against Google harder and harder. I should look back see if my stated earnings percentage has gone down.

Ken_b you make a good point about not all publishers seeing lower CPC/EPC.

[netmeg]

Yea my EPC has gotten higher almost every year. It's CTR that tanks, and I put some of that on Google, but not all.

[edinburgher]

Perhaps... Even the golden rule of great content, organic traffic, write for the users is not working anymore with Adsense.

That rule went out the window a long time ago, both for serps and Adsense. Both are now games of chance; if you get lucky then the latest algo favours your site, if not then you get screwed. It's out of your control and the quality of your content is almost irrelevant.

So if your content is good and Adsense doesn't like it... why....... bother......

My feelings exactly. I'm experimenting with different things to try and strike it lucky with my existing sites but it isn't worth my time writing new content any more.

(BTW: this discussion should probably be in the "Earnings and Observations" thread)

[Play_Bach]

Dead.

[Saffron]

That rule went out the window a long time ago, both for serps and Adsense. Both are now games of chance; if you get lucky then the latest algo favours your site, if not then you get screwed. It's out of your control and the quality of your content is almost irrelevant.

Yep, it's true. My site is 100% unique content, all written for the reader yet Google in their efforts to improve the internet are now ranking "yahoo answers" over some of my content.

It is NOT about quality.

[demonsparkx]

more "agreements" being updated the 23rd of this month. saw an email from google adsense about it, wonder if its related to anything else...

[HuskyPup]

Google in their efforts to improve the internet are now ranking "yahoo answers" over some of my content.

Me too, plus the answers are incorrect!

Anyway, flatlining here today!

[explorador]

True, all of that. G is supporting everything that's free and won't get them in trouble for using that content, that's why wiki and Y answers.

Reporting:
yes, slow and low yesterday.
yes, stuck today 19 april...

[Play_Bach]

Dead all day.