(2)
Earlier this week, I ran a poll asking AdSense publishers should Google disclose the revenue ad split. Most people in the thread I covered then, did not want to know the revenue split. But I found that to be a bit odd. So I posted an anonymous poll asking publishers their thoughts on the topic.
The majority of Google AdSense publishers do want to know the revenue split. Of the 80 responses, 66% said they want to know. Only 6% said they do not want to know. 27% said they do not care.
So clearly, only a small percentage of those who replied do not want to know. Whereas the majority do want to know.
Forum discussion continued at WebmasterWorld.
Comments:
Andrew
02/05/2010 04:32 pm
I am not an AdSense publisher, but I am curious: of what value is it to know the revenue split? Is it just a natural curiosity, or is there an actual business impact? That is, by knowing the revenue split, do publishers act or behave any differently? If the split shifts up or down from quarter to quarter, what do publishers do with that info? Do they use it as a bargaining tool against Google? Do they use it as a bargaining tool with other search engine advertising models? Clearly, if I were a publisher, I would be with the 27% who don't care. But, I am open to being educated.
Aaron
02/05/2010 09:04 pm
The most obvious reasons why publishers would benefit from the information are that disclosure would help ensure that the split remains relatively stable - a significant change in the split could cause an uproar - and that it would also serve as a gauge of whether a particular site was mature enough to do more in-house ad sales. Of course, the net result is likely to be the same - if your AdSense revenues are insufficient, by whatever measure you apply, you should already be exploring your other options; if they're not, the additional information may be nice to have but is unlikely to change your business model.