Old Mystery Page STILL Pays Best

Even though no longer served

[Sally Stitts]

OK. Here's a good one.
On one of my pages, I get 2 Custom Channel reports, daily,
even though the OLD channel (and ad) has long since been removed many months ago.

(Daily relative numbers, last 30 days) The page content is IDENTICAL, except for the ad.

OLD channel - a 300x250 ad (NO LONGER SERVED)
Impressions - 273
Clicks - 14
Impression RPM - $31.21
PPC - $0.61
Earnings - $8.52

NEW channel - a Responsive ad
Impressions - 1,189
Clicks - 59
Impression RPM - $12.61
PPC - $0.25
Earnings - $14.99

I would LOVE to hear an explanation for this.
1. WHO is serving my page with OLD CODE?
2. WHY does the new page/new responsive ad pay LESS THAN ONE HALF the old page/old 300x250 ad?
3. SHOULD I change the ad back to a hard-wired 300x250?

I find the responsive ads to be very flaky, inconsistent,
undesired ad sizes (vertical collapse to minimum), etc., etc. No control.
.

[Evan Salamanca]

Damn, I would kill for an RPM like that! As for who is serving it, the only thing I could think is that someone cloned your page and didn't change the ad. But if you don't have some weird, random URL under the list of URLs served by your account, then no clue.

[NickMNS]

WHY does the new page/new responsive ad pay LESS THAN ONE HALF the old page/old 300x250 ad?

Sample size. Your are basing your evaluation on 273 impressions, that is nothing. Even 1,200 impressions, it is better, but likely not representative. Look at the numbers over 10k impressions or 100k impressions. Then compare the RPM's my guess is that the difference will be much smaller.

Also, where did the impressions come from. Non-responsive ads are probably only showing on desktop whereas responsive ads are seen mostly on mobile. You are comparing apple to oranges.

I find the responsive ads to be very flaky, inconsistent,
undesired ad sizes (vertical collapse to minimum), etc., etc. No control.

This is most likely because you have not correctly implemented the ad code. There are attributes and CSS than can be used to control how the ads are displayed.

[Sally Stitts]

@Evan -Yes, but my overall RPM is closer to $5, although today it is about $10. I also subscribe to the recent positive update theory, as I am seeing several VERY positive effects, for 2 days now. Also, I was recently able to get my bad SSL Cert replaced, with lots of help (mid-December).

@Nick - All I know how to do, is paste in the code they give me. I am a retired hardware guy, with only a little self-taught HTML 4.01 knowledge, just enough to get me in trouble. Ha. But in 2013, it was good enough for me to tap Google for $180K. Straight downhill from there. I tried to teach myself CSS, but I could never get past the middle of Page 1. Utterly clueless, so I don't even try to use it.

UPDATE Today -
OLD channel - 1 click for $1.59.
NEW channel - 2 clicks for $0.12.
I understand your sample size discussion, but I watch this every day, and it is a pretty solid result, day after day.
The NEW channel ALWAYS pays a little, the OLD channel, a lot.
.

[tangor]

The incidence of ad blindness is growing exponentially as smart phones hit websites converting to responsive ... makes it easier to separate content from ads. :)

[Sissi]

@ sally

Just a coincidence.
Moving to responsive ads has increased the RPM to middle 2 digits for some of the websites.

All depending on your niche
Some of non responsive pages without SSL certificate NOR sitemap brings more than ‚sophisticated‘ websites.

Google ‚himself‘ doesn t understand.

I ve stopped long time ago to follow the crowd and go after my intuition... and Google will help.

[Sally Stitts]

I was done with this, but ...
This morning, I got 10 clicks for $11 (total) on my NEW (responsive) page. No impressions on OLD page.
A half hour later, it became 8 clicks for $10 (total).
A half hour later, it became 8 clicks for $4.39 (total).
Tonight, I looked again, and it became 1 click for $0.54 (total).

Don't they realize that this sucks the confidence right out of your bones?
If they're so darned smart, you would think they would HOLD THE DATA until it is ready to stick.
But no, I have been witnessing this behavior for YEARS now.
All you have to do is check your earnings every half hour, during your heavy traffic. There it is, for you to behold. Disappearing dollars.
The "quick" algo is NOT BAKED. The actual "slow" algo tells you what you will get, before your MONTHLY claw-back.
NEVER AN EXPLANATION, just gone. "Invalid Clicks". Right. The invalidity definition is running WILD, and YOU CAN'T SEE IT!

I am contemplating doing something else to waste my time. Much more of this, and I am gone. I almost earned them $1,000,000, just 22K shy.
The game has changed for me, and it is starting to wear me down.
My best year, 2013, they paid me $180,000. And I did it by breaking all the rules.
Just one ad per page. A 250 square. All synchronous. No SSL. Using an editor from 1997. Bounce rate 88%. ZERO email "marketing". ZERO link "building".

OHHHH, for the old days of TARGETED ads. That's what made them THE KING.
I don't think ANYBODY knows what's going on, anymore.
I just can't shake the "Download Crud" ads, and "Download Cr@p" ads, even with aggressive "Ad Balance" settings. And page after page after page of blocked "Download" ad URLs. The deck is stacked against me. How about you?

The rapacious bean counters are so focused on MAINTAINING CONTINUING RISING PROFITS, that they have ruined the whole thing for everyone. This is unsustainable. After ad saturation, tricks MUST be used, since there are fewer and fewer ad buyers. And many who are becoming disillusioned with AdWords, because of THEIR issues. Eventually, the party will be over. Sooner for some, later for others.
.

[tangor]

All you have to do is check your earnings every half hour, during your heavy traffic.

This is frustrating, but commonsense suggests one waits for any REAL reporting period of complete. There are too many moving parts in the ad system that numbers generated in 7 day or 1 month cumulative will be best for accuracy purposes as each of these reporting systems have to update each other over time.

Besides, if you are tracking it that closely you only raise blood pressure and anxiety levels to the point they can affect your health.

[Sally Stitts]

Actually, I am not that obsessed with checking. Only when I am testing my theory, of, what happened to the money?
Penny, penny, who's got the penny?

Heart attack in Aug. 2013. Right at about AdSense "peak money" for me. I had neglected my BP. I ride my BP now like a madman, multiple measurements, etc.
I've lost 45 lbs, and that really helps.


.

[Sissi]

No one is getting the penny, times have changed the difference to the past:
- more competitors in terms of publishers: facebook, youtube
-new geographies: Asia with million of publishers penetrating Western (English speaking) markets
- SEO is becoming hard to beat

You are quite safe if you use other good paying niche European languages and they have kept a high RPM.
However I ve tested some niche English sectors and they are still paying well (just be creative).
Last but not least all the changes related to SSL and responsive ads have disturbed the ads markets.

[Sissi]

Probably such actions in filtering the "good from the bad" will contribute to return to better pricing.
The made for adsense sites belong to the past.
Same with the TV business model: your offer entertrainment with ads and not the reversed.

[tangor]

I've lost 45 lbs, and that really helps.

Off topic ... but kudos are due!

Wasn't kidding about the health stuff ... I got up to 322lbs and it hurt ... Embarked on diet and exercise (and not worrying about adsense, etc.) and lost 161 lbs in two years, almost dangerously fast--but I have always lived "dangerously"! (ha!) Made a difference in quality of life and KNOWING what is important as regards personal and business.

Recognizing what you can control v what is out of your hands is the first step to actually having control over what you do. g is what it is. If you play their game, you play it their way. As I said above, REPORTING takes time ... it all comes down to what the check reads when deposited ... THEN you go back and look at the data.

Yes, you do want to make projections, just know these are not numbers you can depend on ... might be a guide, a direction, a possibility ... but only you can decide if you want to live on the bleeding edge of micro-reporting, or on what actually hits your bank.

Different strokes for different folks.

[ClosedForLunch]

I always look forward to reading Sally Stitts' posts.

[tangor]

Me Three!

Every viewpoint shared, every experience shared, is that much more knowledge for all!

We don't always say this: THANKS!

[Sally Stitts]

Thanks folks. Nice to hear.
As I age, i am getting more and more vocal, because I feel less constrained. Sometimes that is good, other times, I think, "shut up, you idiot".

@tangor - I had you beat by 3 lbs. I started from 325. HA! But I still have about 60 to go. GOOD JOB, an inspiration for me. After Christmas time, it is back to brutal starvation, and highly selective input - up the protein, kill the carbs. Not my favorite, but it must be done.

I moan a lot, but who am I kidding? I'm pretty hooked on this AdSense thing, they've got me by the hopefulness. Piffs me off, sometimes. Great effort, little reward. In 2013, it was $550/day. Now I'm at $10/day, shooting for $20.
Cheers.
.

[netmeg]

Good to read your posts again, Sally.

[Sally Stitts]

Thanks, nutmeg. There are a few posters here that I pay particular attention to, because they have shown that they know what they are talking about.
You are at the top of the list. If I'm at 15% on the knowledge scale, I see you somewhere near 95%.
Kinda like that old E.F. Hutton ad, "When E. F. Hutton talks, people listen." Everything you post, I read twice.
I think that's why most of us are here - the best place to learn. But you've gotta listen up, and toss your preconceptions. Then, think some more.
I'm trying to do more of that now, for a better chance to dig out of my earning's hole.
.

[Sissi]

I have joined this forum just recently.

Since 2004 I ve been monetising with google alone.
I ve learned a few things.
Your ennemy is not SSL or responsive ads or any algorithmus. Your ennemy is yourself if you don t maintain a tenacity along with a smart intuition.
100 000‘s of publisher thought a sophisticated Made for Adsense website will make them to millionaires.
Wordpress allows now to build a website within minutes so every kid and step mother becoming a publisher.
Don t be surprised if you loose revenues by being passive.
I m not saying it s easy but I went through all google troubles by using few keys:
Be unique in what you do
Don‘t follow the crowd
Use niche geographies and languages
They are some many sectors which are not exploited yet, many domain names are still available.
One day you will land with a 3 digits click.

[donjon]

I read this like reading a drama ... hahaha, I'm feeling stressed ...

[tangor]

@!donjon ... welcome to the neighborhood!

The on-going drama is what keeps the heart pumping and the fingers active on keyboards. How to turn that into money in the bank is the ultimate goal ...

WP just means more mouths at the pie in the sky. (sigh)