Google Improves AdSense Reporting And Bolsters Smart Pricing With New Research

Google has introduced several new reporting improvements for AdSense publishers, and it has released new research that shows publishers make more money with “smart pricing” — even though their revenue-per-click is discounted as compared with search ads — than they would without it. One reporting improvement is that AdSense publishers can now view “all time” […]

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Google has introduced several new reporting improvements for AdSense publishers, and it has released new research that shows publishers make more money with “smart pricing” — even though their revenue-per-click is discounted as compared with search ads — than they would without it.

One reporting improvement is that AdSense publishers can now view “all time” stats, meaning they can view all earnings, impressions, and clicks ever accrued over the life of the account. This is a feature that existed in the previous AdSense interface, and it’s now been brought back.

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Google has also made reporting information easier to access. Within the My Ads tab, each specific line item will have a “View report” link — users just need to click through to see performance data for that particular ad unit or channel.

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The exporting of reports now is customized based on the publisher’s language preference, with numbers now being shown in the manner that’s customary in that language. A dollar amount written as $1,000.00 in the US or UK would be written as $1.000,00 in most of Europe and South America. Previously only the US or UK version was available for downloading.

AdSense publishers also got another treat from Google this week, in the form of research that shows that “smart pricing” really is better for publishers, as well as advertisers. Though “smart pricing” typically discounts advertisers’ bids for the Google Content Network — because content sites usually perform worse, in terms of conversions, than ads on search results pages — the research contends that it’s really better for publishers in the end. Because advertisers are getting greater value overall, they’re more likely to bid higher overall, creating revenue for Google and the publisher.

“The main implication of this analysis is good news for networks and publishers alike — under reasonable conditions Smart Pricing, and its non-Google analogs, can significantly grow the pie,” wrote Guy Calvert, a product specialist and decision support analyst within AdSense Online Sales and Operations.


About the author

Pamela Parker
Staff
Pamela Parker is Research Director at Third Door Media's Content Studio, where she produces MarTech Intelligence Reports and other in-depth content for digital marketers in conjunction with Search Engine Land and MarTech. Prior to taking on this role at TDM, she served as Content Manager, Senior Editor and Executive Features Editor. Parker is a well-respected authority on digital marketing, having reported and written on the subject since its beginning. She's a former managing editor of ClickZ and has also worked on the business side helping independent publishers monetize their sites at Federated Media Publishing. Parker earned a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University.

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