HubPages Ad Program CPMs Are Down, Hurting Earnings

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   Rock_njposted 11 years ago

   The rate for the HubPages Ad Program CPMs are down about 50% over the past month, from around  $6.00 on an average day in July to around $3.00 now.  Is this a seasonal fluctuation or is it due to HubPages' recent traffic drop and advertisers paying lower rates?
   
   This certainly is not good for earnings at a time when many are seeing an overall drop in their Page Views.  Should the CPMs pick up as the fall wears on and the holiday season approaches?

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      yougotmeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I don't have an explanation for this, as well, but I just want to share my CPMs are experiencing the same thing too.

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      TIMETRAVELER2posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      When word gets out that views are less than half of what they were in a site, advertisers take their dollars someplace else.  That is what is happening here...less competition means lower payments...and all of us here suffer for it!

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         Rock_njposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         We'll have to see what happens when advertisers come back in the fall and winter.  I do have to say with CPMs like the ones that are currently occurring, I have to weigh where my writing efforts are best spent.

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      Writer Foxposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      What am I missing here?  I show an average CPM for July of $3.73.

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         Rock_njposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         What was your average CPM in June or May?  My averages were around $6.00 a few months ago.  A drop to $3 and change is a big percentage drop from $6 and change. You really notice the impact on high view days. 
         
         I remember a while back, I was having $9, $10, and $11 CPM days.  It has come down all the way to the $3 range now.  Probably just part of the summer doldrums.  Advertisers know that Internet viewers aren't engaged this time of the year.

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            Writer Foxposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            "A few months ago" – I only had 3 Hubs on this site until I started publishing more in May.  Now I have 31 and get 550 views per day.  So my real history doesn't go back as far as yours. And, isn't CPM (the payment for 1,000 views) the same for everyone???

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               Rock_njposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               I think CPM are similar for everyone, but not the same. If someone writes topics that garner higher CPM, then their daily CPM average is going to be skewed higher,

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                  Writer Foxposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  Well, that's a horse of a different color.

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                     wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                     Rock_nj is correct; topic plays a large role in what you will be paid.  HP has, in the past, contracted with particular companies (Drano comes to mind) that paid a huge CPM, but Drano ads were placed only on hubs in the "home" category which makes perfect sense for Drano.  I still wish they could repeat that - my CPM's were stratospheric for the weeks when they ran those ads.

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               psycheskinnerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               No, people have different CPMs

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         lobobrandonposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         My CPM is down around 75% too. I just switched to Adsense for now. Past week CPM is really horrible same story as Rock_nj

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      Cardisaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      My earnings here are down as well.  I also noticed my Adsense earnings are also down for HP. The only revenue I am getting through Adsense are clicks from my blog. The HP earnings are virtually non-existent.

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         jansharesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Oh no, when a successful hubber is going through it, I know we have rough summer to get through. Cardisa, thank goodness you have success outside of HP. I look forward to the fall and winter months when we will all hopefully see better times. What do you think?

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            Cardisaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Hi Jan, hopefully we will see an increase. I saw a surge in traffic yesterday so hopefully earnings will pick up.
            When I view my Adsense account there is nothing happening for HP. My blogs and websites are seeing better results. The only HP earnings comes to the HP Ad program here. I use to get a few clicks but haven't in a few months.

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               jansharesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               Hi Cardisa, I saw a decrease in views yesterday, again. I will hope as well that things will improve this week.

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                  Cardisaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  I don't know what's happening but I hope something positive happens soon. For many people Summer is the lowest earning period. Can't wait till Christmas. lol

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                     jansharesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                     

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      mepperlyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      $1.93 for this month so far... Past months have been 10 times this... I am out... going to take my content elsewhere.

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         jonnycomelatelyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Does anyone know where I could go to for technology and science blogs?   I was brand new to this forum sort of thing when I can to HP, and like everyone else, I am finding it somewhat a waste of time.
         Reluctant to forsake old pals here, but I would like to spend my time more productively and have a better social life.

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            WryLiltposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            There is no reason you can't write on half a dozen sites and have your own websites.
            
            Wizzley, Squidoo (currently also being Google slapped), Zujava, Infobarrel, Bubblews etc
            
            I'd recommend blogspot blogs or hosted Wordpress for larger groups of content.

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               jonnycomelatelyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               Thanks for that.

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                  jonnycomelatelyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  Thanks everyone for being here as part of the community in HubPages.   I have been looking in here for almost 2 years and got lots of very kind and supportive comments and flags from so many people.
                  
                  I have become very disillusioned with HubPages now.   Several of my Hubs, which I felt (and others felt) were deep and meaningful, were marked as substandard.   So, I have deleted those now completely, after saving to my archives.
                  
                  Earning money on this Site is not part of my objective.  Just over $3.00 Australian over 4 months is not something one would cry to the bank about, lol.  !!!    It has just been the feeling a sense of belonging which has kept me here.
                  
                  Good luck to you all, I will continue to "drop in" now and then.

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               Rock_njposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               Writing for HubPages or Squidoo is like being married; you have to abide by someone else's wishes and rules or at least compromise to stay in good standing.  Writing for Blogger or your own website is like being single; you live by your rules.

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                  jonnycomelatelyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  Thanks Rock.... like a true-to-the-tooth "-comelately," I've taken a long time to realise why there are less and less conversations going on in  HP.  I am considering moving some of my best hubs to another site.   Can I do this?  Does  HP own any of my copyright because I first posted them in HP?

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                     Rock_njposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                     No HP doesn't own your articles (Hubs), you do.  From what I understand, if you want to remove them, let at least 48 hours pass before posting them elsewhere to keep Google happy.  This has been addressed in the forums and questions before, so do a search before you remove them to get all your questions answered.

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   younghopesposted 11 years ago

   Yes the earnings are quite low, i am wondering what to do now

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   jansharesposted 11 years ago

   Yes, it is brutal right now. Your position is correct, Rock_nj, all we can do is wait until the fall and hope the CPMs increase.

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   Casimiroposted 11 years ago

   Yes, this past month, I've noticed an earnings drop too. Trying to plan an exit strategy now, to be perfectly honest. I've found better paying writing opportunities elsewhere without having to manage ads, SEO, trackers, and having to keep up with the latest HP rules changes.

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      jansharesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      So sad to hear, but you must do what's best for you.

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      Austin Enfroyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Will miss you casmiro, but i understand i am thinking of doing the same thing any tips?

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         Casimiroposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Austin, well I'm doing a lot more content writing now which is pretty easy and clean. I'm looking for new sites to do more of that. It has really sharpened my writing, and the cash up front without maintenance work is nice though I'd never get rich doing it. My blog about Costa RIca doesn't bring in much directly but it does pull in the occasional writing gig from other sites, some of which pay very well. I think you can do very well at HP or sites like it if you are really good at SEO and make an effort to find a popular niche, which may not be something you are super interested in.

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   Thomas Swanposted 11 years ago

   I don't understand CPM, but if you mean that earnings are less for the same amount of traffic, I'd agree! My traffic has actually gone up a bit recently, but earnings are down!

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      Rock_njposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      That's exactly what I mean.  Each ad impression is worth about half of what it was worth a month ago.

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   brakel2posted 11 years ago

   @Casimiro. Hope you don't leave. I believe you and your writing are assets to this site

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      Casimiroposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks brakel2, that is really nice to hear. I'd like to continue with HP but the payback for me is really not worth it. I know plenty of others are more successful here than I am however.

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   Thomas Swanposted 11 years ago

   I might have been over-reacting. Those weren't finalized earnings. Now they're finalized, they're closer to normal. Is this what you're seeing too?

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      jansharesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      +1 What was showing yesterday did increase by a few more cents, albeit not back to normal for me yet.

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   srsddnposted 11 years ago

   There was a continuous slide down for nearly five days, but it is slowly picking up since yesterday. Let us hope it comes to normal in the coming days.

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      Casimiroposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Mine jumped today, so you might be right.

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   moonlakeposted 11 years ago

   My views were down yesterday, earnings are down. I have hubs ready but I'm not going to put them on now maybe later I want to see what will happen here first. It's not just summer or Google there is something else going on.

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    mepperlyposted 11 years ago

    I am wondering if part of it is bc we can only include 2 amazon/ebay ads on a hub has something to do with it... My earnings are so low.... going to  walk away from this... have more profitable things to do with my time... great while it lasted but I am all about diversified.

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       wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       That is flatly untrue.  You may have one product (not capsule, product) for every 50 words in the hub.  A 3,000 word hub could push 60 products, although that is not advisable.

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          Rock_njposted 11 years agoin reply to this

          They are limiting it to two Amazon or Ebay product ads per capsule, but as you said, you can have more than one capsule per Hub, so you can have many more than two product ads per Hub.

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    mepperlyposted 11 years ago

    well for a hobby writer this isn't worth it and the 2 ads is what I am being told to do. I am not getting any other choice. Usually by this time of the month I have about $10 to $15 in earnings... I have $1.35 WTH.

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    sabrebIadeposted 11 years ago

    Well if its any consolation, the HP Ads are running just a tad higher than straight AdSense.
    About 14 cents higher average so far this month.

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    earnerposted 11 years ago

    I never used HP ad program on this userID, I just stuck with Adsense all along as that was what I'd started with, so felt comfortable leaving it like that. 
    
    My CPM is 40% of what it was for the same period last year.  It's in £ in my Adsense, so roughly works out at $3.50.
    
    My CPM for July 2013 was 50% higher than it is this month.

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    topclassposted 11 years ago

    HP is raking off buckets of $$ via the 'Related Ads" (not shared with authors) - That is why CPM has plunged.

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       Rock_njposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Really?  That's interesting.  No wonder why this site is losing writers in droves.  Not only have they made it a major chore to maintain Hubs in good standing, but they've created a way to steer more money towards the host and away from the writers.  HP certainly seems to be at a critical juncture at the moment.

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