I have wondered for a long time how web pages in foreign languages would perform with AdSense. I recently implemented the automated translation script by Interlogic and DCT. Here are the results that I have seen from various languages. Due to the AdSense ToS, I can't publish action CPC (Cost Per Click) or CTR (Click Through Ratio) numbers, so I will publish ratios -- how each of these languages compares to the average. Language: CPC Ratio Korean : 1.55 Japanese: 1.49 English : 1.01 German : 0.96 Italian : 0.90 French : 0.73 Portuguese: 0.44 Chinese : 0.44 Spanish : 0.37 Average: 1.00 What do these numbers tell me? They tell me to build more Korean and Japanese web pages, and fewer Portuguese, Chinese and Spanish web pages. Of course, CTR is also important. CPC doesn't matter if no one is clicking. Here are the CTR ratios: Language: CTR Ratio English: 1.01 Korean: 0.85 German: 0.83 Italian: 0.82 Chinese: 0.81 Portuguese: 0.77 French: 0.74 Spanish: 0.69 Japanese: 0.57 Totals: 1.00 The conclusion for this section might be that no one clicks ads like English speaking people click ads -- or it might be that there is a shortage of good ads in these foreign languages. But perhaps CPM (Cost Per Thousand) is the best guide. Let's look at the final CPM ratios: Language: CPM Ratio Korean : 1.32 English : 1.03 Japanese: 0.85 German : 0.80 Italian : 0.74 French : 0.54 Chinese : 0.36 Portuguese: 0.34 Spanish : 0.25 Totals 1.00 Koreans still look like a good target audience, Japanese people less so. Chinese, Portuguese, and Spanish readers still look like a bad target market.
A very interesting post, and experiment. I've never worked with Interlogic and DCT, but based on what I've seen of automated translators, they leave a lot to be desired. Do you think it's possible that the script may translate into some languages better than others, and that this may be a factor in the results? Sam
There's no way for me to tell. Interlogic and DCT (DP members) are simply calling Google's translation engine. The script has a good effect on traffic and revenue, so I don't care so much about it's grammar.