AdSense Earnings and Observations - March 2024

[gatormark]

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System: The following 3 messages were cut out of thread at: https://www.webmasterworld.com/google_adsense/5101109.htm [webmasterworld.com] by engine - 7:52 am on Mar 1, 2024 (utc 0)

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1.7 million page views in a month used to get me a lot more money back in the day. I’ll finish February down 8% from 2023.

[gatormark]

For the first time in a while, I am up when compared to the previous year. So far this March I’m up 9% over March 2023.

[MMedi26]

For the first time in 8 months, I am down. Down 30%.

[CommandDork]

Closed the gap from -44% in Jan to -18% this month.

[loboblahz]

In March, there was a 14% increase compared to 2023. CPM remained stable with a number of page views similar to the previous year.
Additionally, daily revenues were very irregular for February, March, and April of last year.

[Sissi]

Today is quite so far not sure the Offerwall combined with Ad blocking recovery is helping at all

[nova88]

I lost 90% compared to the year 2023 I don't understand anything

[hatre]

"I lost 90% compared to the year 2023 I don't understand anything"
I have an explanation: my site is about music, games, movies .. entertainment. Google shows me cheap ads with download buttons that lead to questionable programs (even some take money from phone charges via sms). According to Adsens CTR should be 1%, but on me it is 2-5% because of the ads. Since 2014 it's that much and I don't have money deducted for invalid traffic or clicks (because all traffic is from google). No matter how much I block questionable ads, Adsens keeps showing them. Now I get paid at a CTR of 1% according to the number of impressions, resulting in 2-5 times less revenue. In my country the CPC is 0.04€, if it's not the high CTR I can't have any revenue.
Years ago Adsens was giving 0.7$ per thousand hits if traffic was from facebook, now it's worse for traffic from google. It's just that advertising has become cheaper to gather advertisers for the display network, which has a reputation for crappy advertising. Presumably the authoritative sites with over 1 million hits a month won't have these problems. I failed to develop my site and that's my problem.

[Sissi]

After an excellent Feb and good start in March yesterday has been the beginning to the return to the abyss
My interpretation: the new system consumes the advertisers budgets faster than with clicks

[hatre]

I was hoping it would be cheaper and start making websites. Which country are you from and how much $ 1000 impressions cost?

[nova88]

hatre + I think I too am in the same situation a year ago I could earn 150 to 200 Euro with my 10-year-old site (academic site, human science niche) with 2000-5000 visits/month but since last summer I lost income every month until last month when I only gained 7 euros, it's incomprehensible during the summer I added RGPD-CPRA..maybe it's because of that?

[hatre]

I am from Europe and I have no visits from America. I had my own GDPR, then I put this on adsense and always 99-98% agree, but California's might be different. From Oct 2023 to Feb 2024 google updates hit me for the first time and reduced my visits 3 times. The adsense ad prices just changed - small sites will earn less.
Google Chrome will stop using third party cookies and will switch to Privacy Sandbox (or so I understand). This will create a chain of events on many web developers. Probably doing it in response to European requirements with cookies. Google will muddy the waters a lot and it seems to me that it will be the biggest corporations banding together to create a legal framework in their favor. Without third party cookies, no one would be able to log in with a facebook account on other sites, not FB - this is one of many examples of what these cookies are used for.
There are articles <snip>, but I can't find them saying how GDPR will give big companies an advantage and they will kill their competition. They talk about how smaller networks won't be able to meet the requirements which will lead to their closure.
For the first time in 10 years I am unhappy with adsense , but there is a storm developing around the huge corporations as in the politics of the states.

[edited by: not2easy at 3:18 am (utc) on Mar 10, 2024]
[edit reason] Please see TOS [webmasterworld.com] [/edit]

[not2easy]

To learn about the AdSense change from CPC to CPM, you can read what was announced in November here: [webmasterworld.com...]

The changes are rolling out in different markets at different paces and it appears it may be not quite finished with a new normal yet. This change has nothing to do with a Privacy Sandbox, but it is related to browser changes because most modern browsers do not set third party cookies - to improve your privacy. Also there are new privacy laws for EU traffic. That announcement about Google Compliance With Digital Markets Act is here: [webmasterworld.com...]

[Breathofair33]

For all those on CPM, did you actually see an update in your AdSense account? I still see clicks and CPM cards the same way I used to.

[allhearts]

I've been checking the threads but not saying much, but you can only stay away from a good thing for so long, so I am back. We are all drowning and trying to keep our heads above water during these tough times, but this community has been there for me for almost 7 years now and I just can't walk away from it, if I can help in any way, I am here for you, like many of you have been there for me during these 7 years.

@Breathofair33,

are you not supposed to see clicks and CPM cards once it's completely switched over?

[CommandDork]

@Breathofair33

None of the card reporting has changed other than the data within them. So my Bid Types card now shows more CPM bids than CPC bids but the card is the same as before.

So you should have seen a change in the data itself, not in any of the presentation of it.

[capulkit]

2024 is better than 2023. After almost 14 months beaten last month, last month of last year.

[allhearts]

@Breathofair33,

Good point, mine is the same as well, only difference is a higher CPM but nothing else has changed and I didn’t know it was supposed to so I just assumed it had already.

@Not2easy has mentioned that it has not fully changed for everyone yet, it seems like a slow rollout, I’m just wondering now how it’s supposed to look like when it’s done.

@sissi,

You have said that your earnings are not reflecting on clicks, mine still are. Do you see a change on the card layout from before or is it still the same?

[Sissi]

@allhearts
There is a change so far that both views and clicks are couting
However some zero clicks with 10 views generate 1 USD ….

[fearlessrick]

February was somewhat encouraging for me, but March is a complete disaster so far.

What I cannot comprehend is how my traffic is down 90% from two years ago. I've been doing some work on my site, but it hardly seems worth it. Any improvements I make seem to have the opposite effect.

Really tired of going backwards.

[allhearts]

@Sissi,

has the dashboard changed at all for you since it was CPC based?

@fearlessrick,

2024 has been a disaster for me as well, you are not alone.

[hatre]

"Really tired of going backwards" and so am I. Now the online movie sites and crappy commercials are ahead of me and they take more money out of me. I have JS code that copies from me, its replaces the letters o/&#1086;, &#1082;/k.. - the text just visually looks the same, but it's not. The idea is, the one who copied to be screwed (tricked). Sites with my "screwed up" text are in front of me, it's just ridiculous.
I often edit texts to make them better and nobody notices this effort. Now google shows sites with copied content and those with spammy download links - blogger, google site, wordpress even soundcloud profiles. It's like someone pushed button and set it back 10 years - many people dream of the "old algorithm"

[breeks]

My Adsense is down 83% compared to this time last year. I had a good run, but the future looks dim.

[allhearts]

Question @Sissi,

You said you were doing well with Contextual ads, do you have everything on the "Personalised ads" section disabled?

[Sissi]

@allhearts
Nothing has changed in my dashboard
Contextual: meanwhile I m testing again the personalised ads und GDPR as I have almost European traffic.

[Sissi]

Also Adsense is quite complex :
- difficult to compare two portfolios ( differrent advertisers, contents, target users)
- level of regular revenues ( is Adsense still using the Gold card / premium publisher based on long relationship amd trust)
- I m sure that quality of content is not only good for SEO for ads as well.
- Finally artificially generated traffic via Facebook and co has no future with Adsense. Advertisers want genuine users and buyers

[Breathofair33]

Yes, same for me for "Bid Types card now shows more CPM bids than CPC bids" so im assuming i am CPM now. And since this, I have seen a modest drop in my overall earnings

[allhearts]

Thanks for the info @Sissi.

With all due respect, I can see how in many cases that can be true regarding Facebook. But in my case, I have a recipes website, and the traffic I get from Facebook if from a recipes group with over 250,000 members.

[Sissi]

@allhearts
Impressive
Never had Facebook nor Insta

[MMedi26]

I haven’t posted lately in the group because there’s really nothing to post about. Things are down and longer than expected. Looks like it’s going from a main source of income to a side source.

[allhearts]

@MMedi26,

yup agree, it's as bad as it's ever been for me as well, hang in there and don't give up.