Can Someone Explain Google Adsense Page eCPM to Me?

[garce]

Page impressions, Clicks, Page CTR are all pretty straightforward. Then I have the "Page eCPM" column.

How does Page eCPM apply?

I've read their explanation, but I don't understand why my Page eCPM is showing hundreds of dollars while my actual Adsense revenue can be measured in pennies.

It doesn't make any sense to me. WTF does this mean?

Date | Page Impressions | Clicks | Page CTR | Page eCPM | Estimated earnings
October 11, 2010 | 14 | 3 | 21.43% | $33.46 | $0.47

Doesn't make sense to me.

The site is only used to test Wordpress installations, themes and plugins, so it gets next to no traffic. Its only a test bed, but these Google stats confuse me. I get about 200 uniques per day, and Google counts 10. WTF?

garce at garce dot org if you don't want to reply here. But I'd appreciate any information you have.

Also, getting a click and not even getting credited for the five cents is a bit discouraging.

[SallyRand]

Originally Posted by garce

Page impressions, Clicks, Page CTR are all pretty straightforward. Then I have the "Page eCPM" column.

How does Page eCPM apply?

I've read their explanation, but I don't understand why my Page eCPM is showing hundreds of dollars while my actual Adsense revenue can be measured in pennies.

It doesn't make any sense to me. WTF does this mean?

Date | Page Impressions | Clicks | Page CTR | Page eCPM | Estimated earnings
October 11, 2010 | 14 | 3 | 21.43% | $33.46 | $0.47

Doesn't make sense to me.

The site is only used to test Wordpress installations, themes and plugins, so it gets next to no traffic. Its only a test bed, but these Google stats confuse me. I get about 200 uniques per day, and Google counts 10. WTF?

garce at garce dot org if you don't want to reply here. But I'd appreciate any information you have.

Also, getting a click and not even getting credited for the five cents is a bit discouraging.

It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.

[PXN]

eCPM is a combo of clicks and impression I believe. Click is easy to track but what difficult to track is impression because since both ads with paid with impression and without impression are both up you don't know which ads are paying for impression.

[garce]

Originally Posted by SallyRand

It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.

That I can understand. I just don't understand how it applies to the real world.

[Houdini]

It's effective cost per thousand impressions, which means it's estimated that if you had 1000 impressions, you'd make $33.46.

[garce]

Originally Posted by PXN

eCPM is a combo of clicks and impression I believe. Click is easy to track but what difficult to track is impression because since both ads with paid with impression and without impression are both up you don't know which ads are paying for impression.

I really appreciate the response. Your first sentence makes complete sense.

I kinda have a feel for for what you're saying here: "Click is easy to track but what difficult to track is impression..." I think I get the jist of it.

Its easy to track clicks, but its almost impossible to track potential clicks. eCPM is what I might earn if the people who visited my page actually clicked on a link? Did I get that right?

[SallyRand]

My latest rep; too tired to do a screenshot:

" It Is Now Offically... 10-31-2010 01:51 AM re-tar-ded(neg)
RogerV has the website... 10-31-2010 12:19 AM (pos)
This is the next... 10-28-2010 08:59 PM FUCK YOU CUNT(neg)
Sally Rand 10-28-2010 05:22 PM generally a moron(neg)
This is the next... 10-28-2010 03:06 AM whore(neg)"

Lots of valuable and intelligent repsonses there, eh, what?

And you got those guys on the Circle Jerk Rep thread jacking each other off in a daisy chain of Rep.

The current system sucks balls and needs fixing.

[PXN]

Originally Posted by garce

I really appreciate the response. Your first sentence makes complete sense.

I kinda have a feel for for what you're saying here: "Click is easy to track but what difficult to track is impression..." I think I get the jist of it.

Its easy to track clicks, but its almost impossible to track potential clicks. eCPM is what I might earn if the people who visited my page actually clicked on a link? Did I get that right?

With respect to click, you don't get paid for potential click. You only get paid if they actually click. So it really all or none.

Now with impression, the problem is not every ads put up are paid for impression. For example if google put up an ads hoping to get the user to click and this ads and this ads only paid if user click then you will only get paid for click, but if the user don't click on it you won't get any paid for impression since that ads only paid for click.

Since you don't know which ads are paid for impression and which is paid for click it hard to track which is why eCPM is hard to track. I think this how eCPM is.

Generally though, I think if your ads is way are at the top then you should go with PPC. If your ads is down below more than 1/3 down the screen from the top then eCPM is the way to go. This is just what I find more effective but I'm sure it won't be for everyone.

[garce]

Originally Posted by Houdini

It's effective cost per thousand impressions, which means it's estimated that if you had 1000 impressions, you'd make $33.46.

Ok. That's an extremely succinct answer - which I understand. I still don't understand how I can get a $33.46 eCPM one day, then a $0.00 on the next.

Monday, October 11, 2010 14 3 21.43% $33.46 $0.47

Tuesday, October 12, 2010 4 0 0.00% $0.09 $0.00

Wednesday, October 13, 2010 20 0 0.00% $0.03 $0.00

Thursday, October 14, 2010 17 1 5.88% $20.00 $0.34

Friday, October 15, 2010 15 0 0.00% $0.17 $0.00

And my favourites:

Friday, October 29, 2010 20 1 5.00% $0.05 $0.00
Saturday, October 30, 2010 31 0 0.00% $0.11 $0.00

On Friday I get one click that's worth 5 cents per click, yet I make nothing. On Saturday I make nothing, yet all of my non-clicks might be worth 11 cents? This makes no sense to me.

Not to mention that there's a disparity of about 200 impressions per day between Google analytics and Adsense.

I'll admit that its over my head. These stats make no sense to me. Its almost as if Google is spitting out random numbers. I'm a dolphin at Sea World who MIGHT get a herring IF I jump through the hoop and touch the beachball with my nose.

The stats adsense pumps match nothing. Not my server stats, or even Google analytics.

[garce]

Originally Posted by PXN

With respect to click, you don't get paid for potential click. You only get paid if they actually click. So it really all or none.

Now with impression, the problem is not every ads put up are paid for impression. For example if google put up an ads hoping to get the user to click and this ads and this ads only paid if user click then you will only get paid for click, but if the user don't click on it you won't get any paid for impression since that ads only paid for click.

Since you don't know which ads are paid for impression and which is paid for click it hard to track which is why eCPM is hard to track. I think this how eCPM is.

Generally though, I think if your ads is way are at the top then you should go with PPC. If your ads is down below more than 1/3 down the screen from the top then eCPM is the way to go. This is just what I find more effective but I'm sure it won't be for everyone.

I posted before I read this. Much appreciated. Someone rep this man.

[KRosh]

Effective CPM represents your estimated earnings for every 1000 impressions you receive.

Effective CPM doesn't represent your earnings - it's calculated by dividing your earnings by number of page impressions, then multiplying by 1000. For example, if you earned $0.15 from 25 page impressions, then your eCPM would equal ($0.15/25)*1000, or $6.00. If you earned $180 from 45,000 impressions, your effective CPM would equal ($180/45,000)*1000, or $4.00.

In your case ...

14 impressions earned you $0.47

.047 divided by 14 X 1000 = $33.57 <--- your eCPM

[garce]

Originally Posted by PXN

With respect to click, you don't get paid for potential click. You only get paid if they actually click. So it really all or none.

Now with impression, the problem is not every ads put up are paid for impression. For example if google put up an ads hoping to get the user to click and this ads and this ads only paid if user click then you will only get paid for click, but if the user don't click on it you won't get any paid for impression since that ads only paid for click.

Since you don't know which ads are paid for impression and which is paid for click it hard to track which is why eCPM is hard to track. I think this how eCPM is.

Generally though, I think if your ads is way are at the top then you should go with PPC. If your ads is down below more than 1/3 down the screen from the top then eCPM is the way to go. This is just what I find more effective but I'm sure it won't be for everyone.

I've already quoted this post, but you've lit the proverbial lightbulb over my head. I sincerely thank you for your time and insight.

Every bit of information is appreciated. You helped me to make a connection. Thank you.

[rowan]

eCPM can vary wildly from day to day if you have a site without much traffic, since it's extrapolating to 1,000 impressions using the data from (in the example you provided) only 14 impressions.