Are linkunits useless, or is it just me?

Discussion in 'AdSense' started by DonaldJ, Apr 24, 2010.

  1. #1
    I usually don't pay much attention to my adsense - things just trickle in over time. But as I am about to redo my site I was looking at the performance of different units, and I was very surprised by the abysmal performance of my link units. To the point that I am wondering if I am doing something wrong.

    Over the past several years my link units had about 50,000 clicks, and from those I have made a total of less than $10. It this normal? This year I have made nothing from 7,000 clicks...

    I realize that the link units requires two clicks for me to make anything off them, but I would think that at least someone out of 7,000 people would make that second click...

    My ad units have a lower ctr, but they have a much higher earning. Could it just be that my topic is a very bad one for link units?

    Thanks!
    Donald
     
    DonaldJ, Apr 24, 2010 IP
  2. JamesColin

    JamesColin Prominent Member

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    #2
    I believe the clicks counted and shown in adsense stats for linkunits are only the ones that pay (that is the second click) so no, it's not normal to earn less than $10 for 50,000 clicks!
     
    JamesColin, Apr 24, 2010 IP
  3. cujo

    cujo Well-Known Member

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    #3
    My top linkunit does better than all others.

    I also use to do the same as this site (with a linkunit after the 1st post of a thread) on my old Forums, which worked well also.
     
    cujo, Apr 24, 2010 IP
  4. DonaldJ

    DonaldJ Peon

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    #4
    Nevermind :) Seems it might just have been a glitch in the AdSense system. When I displayed the data for all my channels it said 0 earning for the linkunits, but when I display the specific link unit channels individually they do have a dollar amount on them. It must have timed out or something when I was searching for all.

    When looking at the correct numbers, I see that I get about 40% from the link units and 60% from ad units.

    Thanks!
     
    DonaldJ, Apr 24, 2010 IP
  5. hans

    hans Well-Known Member

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    #5
    if properly placed linkunits are high earners
    my yesterday stats show just for linkunits some 23+$. thats about 12-14 or so % of total and this has been in that % range for past years across all topics of my site

    just test proper placement and colors to get top results for your linkunits
     
    hans, Apr 24, 2010 IP
  6. Nystul

    Nystul Well-Known Member

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    #6
    Link units are all about placement, if they can blend in nicely with your template, you will definitely profit from these little guys!
     
    Nystul, Apr 24, 2010 IP
  7. stone88

    stone88 Peon

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    #7
    1 click for 23++, 12-14? please give me your opinion on my site i-techz.com hope i can reach there. Thanks.
     
    stone88, Apr 24, 2010 IP
  8. gameutopia

    gameutopia Peon

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    #8
    Some people have good luck with them. I too think they are about placement. Many times if you just glance over a page fast, they can look very similar to other links on a site, which people will click on because they think they are site links. But I do think it depends on where they are at, and how well they look like the rest of the site or page.
     
    gameutopia, Apr 24, 2010 IP
  9. sultanofseo

    sultanofseo Notable Member

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    #9
    usually text ads pay more than image ads and link unites. but from time to time i see people saying they get paid more form image ads or link units. it all depends on your site design, topic, and visitors. visitors from different region with different ethnic background will have different mindset for which their click pattern can be different
     
    sultanofseo, Apr 25, 2010 IP
  10. FavorMob Czar

    FavorMob Czar Member

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    #10
    For links you only get paid on the 2nd click. It has its ups and downs. For example sure it takes 2 clicks, but often when the user clicks the link and sees the page of ads, they sometimes go back and forth so you can get multiple clicks with link units as opposed to just 1 with regular text/banner ads.
     
    FavorMob Czar, Apr 25, 2010 IP
  11. craig105

    craig105 Well-Known Member

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    #11
    All ad units are good it's more about what suits your site best.
     
    craig105, Apr 25, 2010 IP
  12. Quidditas

    Quidditas Well-Known Member

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    #12
    Based on my limited experience, putting a horizontal link unit near top of the page (so that it kind of resembles normal site navigation links but without being deceptive) gives a pretty good CTR. The PPC rate won't be as high as with banner ads, but the good CTR compensates for that somewhat.
     
    Quidditas, Apr 25, 2010 IP
  13. vazon

    vazon Member

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    #13
    Link Units works very well if you know how to blend it, but how much you will earn per click depends only on your website content, not on type of ads.
     
    vazon, Apr 25, 2010 IP
  14. Quidditas

    Quidditas Well-Known Member

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    #14
    Well, I at least tend to earn more per click from banners as compared to link units on the same page. So it would seem that the format is relevant though obviously the content is even more so.
     
    Quidditas, Apr 25, 2010 IP
  15. lifeplayer

    lifeplayer Notable Member

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    #15
    link unit normally dont provide good income compare to ads unit
    However, it still have portential to make good money if the link is targeted enough
     
    lifeplayer, Apr 25, 2010 IP
  16. Doollar

    Doollar Guest

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    #16
    Link unit is not useless its help full if the placement of our link unite is at the right place ...
     
    Doollar, Apr 26, 2010 IP