KerPlunk – Dropping Google AdSense Earnings
I was wondering what I did wrong, but then I realized, it wasn’t me, it was Google.
I’ve noticed that my AdSense earnings across the board have dropped quite a bit since last November. Part of the reason for the drop is that the traffic to one of my sites has dropped by about 50% (I think it’s because I changed the format). The other part of the reason is that Google advertisers are paying less (at least they’re paying less for one of my niches; I still have more analyzing to do).
Blog Analyzing
I have a few sites/blogs so it takes me a while to analyze them all. On one blog in particular, I noticed that although the traffic remained steady, the click through rate stayed pretty much the same, the earnings dropped by over 40%.
A Few Sobering Stats:
| Month | Impressions | Clicks | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| December, 2009 | 1772 | 77 | $83.33 |
| January, 2010 | 1554 | 71 | $47.72 |
I know there are still a couple days left in January that aren’t included in the above numbers, but I don’t think a few more days will make much of a difference.
To supplement AdSense, I tried fooling around with other sources of revenue. I already use Chitika, but I decided to increase the size of my Chitika ad to compensate for the loss of AdSense revenue. I’ve found that I did earn more with Chitika, but it still didn’t makeup the difference in lost AdSense revenues.
Will the AdSense Revenue Return?
Who knows? I referred to my trusty Serenity Prayer and changed the things I could, accepted those things that I couldn’t change, brushed the dust off of my feet and moved onto the next. Who knows, maybe things will pick up later on in the year. This particular blog is new so I’m still learning the monthly and seasonal fluctuations.
In the meanwhile, to keep myself occupied, I created 3 new blogs. Hmm, 3 new blogs…I’m not so sure if I’m keeping myself occupied or punishing myself.
Just curious, has anyone else undergone a noticeable change in AdSense revenue lately?
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Comment by Deborah (21 comments.) on 29 January 2010:
Oh Felicia,
You are still doing quite a bit better than me with adsense! But that’s most likely because I haven’t really done all of that much with it. I have it on my freelance blog, my video game blog, and a couple of other sites but I will admit I am highly inconsistent. Not to mention I’ve had my account for over two years and still have under $1…
Anyhoo, I haven’t been full-time freelancing even a year yet so I am still learning seasonal fluctuations and such myself. What I can tell you is that it’s likely your choice of niche. Perhaps you may want to place more time into marketing, tweak your niche a bit, or experiment with other niches. If there’s one thing I have learned in the short time I have been blogging, it’s that everything is an experiment.
Comment by jen (37 comments.) on 29 January 2010:
Hey Felicia,
I noticed the same thing with my adsense earnings and I made a change that someone recommeded and it picked back up.
A couple of months ago, google decided to do search related ads…meaning if you search for a certain item, when you look at a website later in the day, you will see ads on that site related to that item. You can change your preferences in Adsense and turn off the Interest Based Ad Preference. (It’s in the “my account” section.) That way, your readers are seeing ads related to your site and not ads related to their interests.
So far, it seems that my adsense earnings are back up.
jen´s last blog ..How to Make Money with a Blog- OIO Publisher
Comment by Felicia on 29 January 2010:
Deborah, you said it perfectly, everything is an experiment.
It’s good that you learned that early on.
Guess I’ll keep experimenting until I finally get it right (if I ever do).
Comment by Felicia on 29 January 2010:
Thanks Jen. I made the change about 2 weeks ago but I don’t really see much of a change. Maybe I have to give it more time?
Comment by prerna (49 comments.) on 29 January 2010:
Oh Felicia, I hope Adsense jumps for you:-) Was in fact hoping you’d share some adsense-specific tips for blogs in one of ur newsletters or posts.. Since I finally have it up on my blog was hoping to gain from your experience.
Do keep us posted
Best wishes always.
prerna´s last blog ..Embracing Change and Loving It!
Comment by Breanna (1 comments.) on 29 January 2010:
Can you add more than one blog to your Adsense account? I have one blog added on mine, and I also tried to add my HubPages account to it, I don’t know if that worked or not!
I’ve only made 20 bucks with adsense, and can’t seem to get above that! And I hate how the minimum payout is so high!!
Breanna´s last blog ..Mayday!!!
Comment by Felicia on 30 January 2010:
Breanna, you can add several blogs/sites to your AdSense account. Just make sure to list each blog under your “Allowed Site” list. You’ll find the link under the AdSense Setup tab.
I made the mistake of adding one of my blogs and forgetting to add it to the Allowed Site list and wondered why hundreds of clicks earned $0.
The Allowed Site list is a way of protecting your publisher ID from being used without your approval.
Comment by Kidgas (31 comments.) on 30 January 2010:
Sorry to hear that you have suffered in this way. Overall, my AdSense rates are about the same but then I don’t have as many variables as you. My biggest problem for the month has just been a decreased level of activity overall. But that was of my own doing.
True that everything is an experiment. I guess that sums up the internet experience. I can’t imagine the effort involved for 3 new blogs.
Kidgas´s last blog ..Webinar from the Keyword Academy
Comment by Diane (1 comments.) on 30 January 2010:
My adsense has done exactly the same thing. I usually have a page view drop in Jan & Feb, but my revenue is about half what it should be. It dropped significantly this month, especially in the last two weeks. It helps to know it is not just me. Keep us updated.
Diane´s last blog ..Get Quoted- Promote Your Business by Providing Expert Information
Comment by Master Dayton (6 comments.) on 7 February 2010:
Hi,
I noticed a dip in AdSense earnings for December, even before the normal Christmas to New Year holiday crash, but January was back to normal and February is kicking butt so far. I have noticed from past experience that sometimes if the advertisers bidding on your keywords change, then the value of the clicks can change radically. So it wouldn’t surprise me if that was the reason for the drop on the one website you mention as an example. Hope it picks back up for you in the rest of 2010!
Master Dayton´s last blog ..Freelance Writing College: The 4 Year Writing Plan
Comment by Felicia on 8 February 2010:
I’m glad your numbers are improving Master Dayton. Mine are still in the flusher.
I was just looking at them this morning while shaking my head. I’m glad I have other sources of income because I’m not impressed with my AdSense numbers.
Comment by Maria (WriterGig) (7 comments.) on 9 February 2010:
My overall Adsense earnings jumped in January and I didn’t notice much change in traffic (I’ll check more closely to be sure). It was actually my highest month to date for Adsense earnings, most of which are from one niche site I made last year, but I think advertisers increase their spending for this particular niche in the early spring through summer.
Maria (WriterGig)´s last blog ..My Online Residual Income: Sources
Comment by Litch (1 comments.) on 14 February 2010:
From my travels around the net, it seems that people in general are seeing a decline in revenue. My monthly has been half or less across the board for the past few months, and seems to be getting worse rather then better.