I had the same problem yesterday. Unusually good for a Sunday. Best advice I have is, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. G is messing with ad formats heavily these days. Maybe they ran something that really worked or maybe the ads in the system were just what people were looking for. There are too many variables to put a finger on success like that most of the time. Hope you have another day like that tomorrow. ;)

BTW, thanks for posting this in a new thread. This forum could use a thread that focuses on, and celebrates, success.

Webcentric,

Thanks. Yes, I agree that most people are complaining here, but this is usually the case in forums.

So far today is just normal. It's a bit frustrating ;-)

R.

Traffic patterns:
Geographic location of visitors contain clues as to why people are visiting. Could be weather. Could be appropriateness of content. Could be word of mouth from an event or publication.

Referrer patterns
Someone linked to you and is sending traffic.

AdSense side
Possibly an advertiser left their campaign on and it ran out of money on your site.

Search patterns
Sometimes the search engines test algorithms. Check if one of the engines surged (if possible - secure search etc.). But when this happens it's usually one of the engines turned on a hose of traffic for a very good keyword phrase and a sleepy site pops to the top of the SERPs. Then they fix it and it's gone.

It's probably a search test that let your site into the top of the SERPs for a limited time then correct itself but not easily verifiable if referrer data is not passed.

@martinibuster - More variables, eh? The list goes on and on. ;)

One thing that a disconnect between traffic level and revenue can imply is ad appropriateness or inappropriateness. Traffic can be great but users interacting with ads low or vice versa. This often points to the ad market itself. One factor is what I call "takeover ads." In this case, a specific advertisement starts taking over on a site or across the Adsense environment. If that ad isn't producing for you, it's gonna be a tough day (even if it pays exceptionally well). If the ad "clicks" with your viewers, you're gonna have a good day most likely. The ad market is not a stable content environment. It's impossible to predict what a single dominant ad campaign will do to your bottom line but it can have a dramatic effect in either direction.

Also remember, there are end of month "adjustments". They have been known to unexpectedly rain upon some earlier unexpected day's results.

If an ad takes over the site, how am I supposed to know which ad it is so I can block it for awhile? When I look at my site and particularly at certain ad blocks that usually do well but now suddenly aren't, I am not necessarily seeing the offending ad since I cannot see what my visitors are seeing.

I am not necessarily seeing the offending ad since I cannot see what my visitors are seeing

That can be very true but I have also witnessed this directly and when that happens I can take action. I also get feedback from friends and colleges and by looking at other websites. Sometimes this stuff is so pervasive it starts standing out across the entire Internet. Heck, all I have to do sometimes is go over to my GF's computer and look at what she's getting served. Our Internet use is very different and when I see the same irrelevant stuff being pushed at her and me, it starts throwing switches in my brain.

Also remember, there are end of month "adjustments". They have been known to unexpectedly rain upon some earlier unexpected day's results.

Just to set the record straight, I've experienced virtually every negative thing anyone has posted about Adsense at one time or another (but not in some of the extremes reported here) and I don't think I'm somehow immune to worse things happening. Having said that, when 90% of earnings are taken away in an end of month adjustment, something outside the norm is taking place and to just lay the entire blame on Google without exposing the publisher side of the equation leave one with no conclusion to draw. Because I've never experienced a 90% adjustment doesn't mean it can't happen to me but on the flip side, it does make me wonder if there's more to the story than meets the eye. Is it really just about G not wanting larger publishers to experience success or is there a completely valid reason for such drastic action. It's a phenomenon that is surrounded in mystery and Google isn't the only party responsible for that mystery IMHO.

Just to set the record straight, I've experienced virtually every negative thing anyone has posted about Adsense at one time or another (but not in some of the extremes reported here) and I don't think I'm somehow immune to worse things happening. Having said that, when 90% of earnings are taken away in an end of month adjustment, something outside the norm is taking place and to just lay the entire blame on Google without exposing the publisher side of the equation leave one with no conclusion to draw. Because I've never experienced a 90% adjustment doesn't mean it can't happen to me but on the flip side, it does make me wonder if there's more to the story than meets the eye. Is it really just about G not wanting larger publishers to experience success or is there a completely valid reason for such drastic action. It's a phenomenon that is surrounded in mystery and Google isn't the only party responsible for that mystery IMHO.

Take it first hand from a software engineer. Rely too much on an algorithm to do your dirty work, and your users (by users i mean publishers in this case) get kicked square in the behind. The reason that users are seeing things like filtered clicks, stuck stats, 90% deductions, etc. is due to an overly aggressive algorithm removing a ton of clicks that were actually valid.

Want proof? Look no further than Google's lack of customer support. Why is that proof? Let's say i'm writing an algorithm to remove spam clicks for Google Adsense. It seems bulletproof. It's tried and tested...looks great. It's released into the wild...and encounters unsuspecting results. Normally in this case your users would scream #*$! murder and you would revert the change. No, not Google. They automate everything. Nobody can hear you scream. That's why there are generic, canned responses for everything and what little support they offer only repeats those responses. That's why publishers that actually DO have unique, quality websites end up getting banned because they used the word 'sex' in an article. Until Google decides to start taking their Adsense program (not to be confused with the ads on Google Properties) seriously, there will never be changed.

Until that day, publishers like us, with record breaking traffic results, will continue to suffer. It's a pretty sad day when my Disqus revenue numbers trump Adsense. Too bad nobody heard me scream.

I saw very very high CTR yesterday and reported to adsense team. This was very very unusual and never experienced that much CTR in my life.. I thought my account was under attack of invalid clicks.. Let say what adsense team has to say about it.. I was getting that high CTR from United States

Hello guys,

I just want to update that I tried to make sense of that great day in my Analytics account. I couldn't find anything special - not in terms of traffic or any other data.

I did check my AdSense in GA for the first time. Those numbers are way off in any case. GA reports only a third of the impressions and revenue. Not sure why is that. In anycase in GA that great day seems normal at all (and so it reports earnings which are about 7% of the earnings in that day in AdSense!).

So I'm not wiser now...

R.

Please advise if you see a compensating adjustment after the end of the month.