I think Panda took a big bite out of their bottom line and instead of rolling back Panda they're being highly more aggressive with their remaining publishers still doing well.

FWIW, when Panda hit the AdSense team sent an email in days asking how to get more coverage on my site, um, duh!

Idiots.

I just got that too, I received one a week ago and see the message in my control panel too and was wondering the same.

Got the follow up email, too.

Why on earth should I give the left hand more space when the right hand slashed my earnings by 60%?

+1

+1

I couldn't have said it better!

What Google should do is give publishers more control over the ads that show!
1. Give us the option to block interest based ads completely.
2. Give us the option to block ads from showing to specific countries.
3. Give us more ad DESIGN options.
To name a few.

I think every Publisher who does not include all 3 ad units on their pages will receive this Message.
It is simple marketing. The more space we as publishers make available the more Ads Google can sell.

I keep getting lots of emails from the AdWords team wanting me to sign up again and give them more money. No thanks. So yeah, they sound desperate to me. As an AdWords advertiser they want me to spend more money, and as an AdSense publisher they want me to put up more ads. Greedy Google. They gotta look after their shareholders!

Just came onto Webmasterworld to make the same comments - my earnings from Google Adsense are now at a 4-5 year low, the Panda update also hammered other earnings - if is affecting Google Adsense / Adwords earning in the same way it is affecting me (and others) then I think the Google shares are about to take a tanking!
Google has messed up Google Search with lots of ... manipulation of organic search results, now they are going to feel the same pain they have happily dished out to webmasters, a huge drop in earnings is my prediction ... and they deserve it when the s**t hits the fan!
So I get the same e-mail with "There's space for more AdSense earnings on" - well get lost Google, sort out the mess you have created first then ask us to put on more Adsense.
Mr Grumpy (tonight)

+few (got 2 this week, and reminders in Adsense console)

My feeling is adding more ad units could potentially drop your earnings. The highest bid ads are at the top of the list -- more units means more lower PPC ads, means potentially someone gets to bottom of page and clicks the last one earning you $0.02 -- and that's MY $0.02

@lexipixel, not just lower PPC ads, but ANNOYED visitors.

not just lower PPC ads, but ANNOYED visitors

Yes -- that's a given (which is why I didn't mention it).

Most sites I run (1) ad block, and in a very few instances a second at the bottom of the page.

And, I have NEVER run "Link Units" -- those have to be the most deceptive things they ever came up with... When I see sites that lay them out horizontally to look like navigation I think... oh, well -- I can't say what I think, Brett has a $ % & * & # @ ! filter.

And, I have NEVER run "Link Units"

Neither have I. Not only are they deceptive, but the idea of having to click ads AFTER clicking the link is USELESS. I can't see how anyone could make a cent off ad units.

I can't see how anyone could make a cent off ad units.

You're missing money - link units have gone as high as 33% of total income for me at times

Don't use them, just more for the rest of us ;)

You're missing money - link units have gone as high as 33% of total income for me at times

I'm sure people could generate 100% of revenue from link units... if that's all that was on the page -- or shoot for 50% of revenue by using half ads and half link units -- so I have to ask:

Did you test to see if NOT having them on the page would have resulted in more/less earnings?

Did you do any testing, e.g.-

- Same pages with 1, 2 or 3 blocks of ads only?

- Same pages with blocks of ads and Link Unit(s)?

- same pages with only Link Units?

Also wondering if you place them so they look like site navigation....

Did you test to see if NOT having them on the page would have resulted in more/less earnings?

Yes; extensively. While earnings on them have dropped in the past couple months, they are still make a significant contribution to the bottom line. They're also labeled "Ads by Google" the same as all the other ads.

If you don't like them, don't use them. For some of us, they work just fine. I have sites where they are the only ad. They are not deceptive when implemented according to TOS, and Google labels them as ads. Never gotten any complaints from a user.

Well ad units were not effective for my site in the past...I'm not sure I want to re-visit them anytime soon, unless payout continues as it has lately.

I guess Google is on the path of decline already.

They make big money from Adsense and in the recent times, the click thru is low. The payouts (at least to publishers) are low.

Adsense team is just trying to increase earnings by making people put more and more ad units.

I can't understand....
when the traffic online is increasing,
online purchasing numbers are increasing,
more people are buying online,
why the publisher revenue is decreasing ?

Publishers need someone to replace Adsense.

All good questions dhaliwal. The abysmal Adsense performance some of us have observed in 2011 defies explanation.

I have removed Adsense from my main site for a while. The 70-80% reduction in revenue since late 2010/early 2011 means that Adsense is not viable for me.

Lately I have been thinking of giving Adsense another go on my main site, but when I come here and read posts like these it just makes me realise that the outcome for me is going to be predictably bleak.

Two weeks ago I got a phone call from someone in the AdWords department. He asked for access to my account after I told him I would be amenable to running some AdWord ads. He told me that he would call me back "in the morning" after he and his team reviewed my site and recommend an ad. He also told me that he would give me a code to use for $100 of free advertising. Two weeks later I'm still waiting for his call. I removed his access to my AdWords account also. I did have a credit for AdWords so used it for two days. My stats went to rock bottom those two days. As far as I'm concerned, the only one who benefits from AdWords is Google.