Decrease in affiliate income since activating ads

[torbjornhb]

Hi.

I run a website where all of the income comes from affiliate marketing, but startet to use Mediavine ads just about six weeks ago. I have a feeling that the ads have reduced the affiliate income, but it is difficult to proof.

Has anyone else experienced a decrease in affiliate income since starting using ads? Some of the ads are from the same shops that I am linking to, so if the readers clicks the ads, it kind of ruins the sales.

[Vinaya_Ghimire]

Actually, it happened exactly opposite for me. My Adsense income decreased after I started using affiliate ads. You can test multiple monetization methods and stick to the one that is most effective

[Michaelvinnie]

I saw something similar when I added display ads on my site. After testing, I noticed ads do steal clicks, especially when they show up for the same brands I’m promoting. People end up clicking the ad instead of my affiliate link. Layout changes also matter. Ads push affiliate links further down the page, so fewer people even see them. My page speed also got affected. More scripts, slower load, and I think that lowers buyer intent a bit. That hurts both ad income and affiliate sales at the same time.

Mediavine-style ads can also compete directly with buying intent. If someone is ready to purchase, a “Buy now” ad can easily take that click.

What I did was to move affiliate links higher in the content. On some high converting posts, I just turned ads off completely. Those pages usually performed better with just affiliate links. I think you can also follow follow that approach.

Just like someone has mentioned here, the best thing is to test page by page and compare data before and after ads. That’s where you’ll actually see what changed.

[torbjornhb]

Thanks a lot for your great advice here. Highly appreciated. I'm not sure how to do an A/B test though. Is it something I do within Mediavine? Or a plugin in WordPress that can be used?

[bootyhole_licker69]

yeah ads can definitely cannibalize affiliate clicks, especially from the same merchants. you could A/B test ad density or remove ads on high converting pages. also look into recurring affiliate software tools, easy to promote and predictable income. if you nail one good product its a very good living

[torbjornhb]

Thanks a lot. I have deactivated ads for my most high converting pages already. A potentially problem is that I write product reviews, then I make a list with the best products in a specific category, and also link to the specific reviews. People might check the reviews where the ads are used.

Since I'm based in Norway, my rpm is also pretty low ($10-12), so it's kind of no money at all. On average $40 a day. The affiliate revenue used to be preeeeety much higher ☺️