What did this mean? At a recent meeting with partners on our largest blog, we couldn’t make heads or tails of a recent trend. For the past few months we’d focused on traffic-building, since we had plateaued. Along with that we figured revenue would increase as well. That’s usually the way it goes. But not in our case.
Our revenue actually fell since we started gaining traffic again. As we dug deeper into our stats, the reasons became clear. Unfortunately, many bloggers are likely experiencing similar trends in both visitors and in revenues.
Mobile traffic on the rise
While many blogs choose to create mobile apps for Android and iPhone, we decided against it. We had gone through pains to create an attractive and functional mobile site, and we could offer little more in app form. Readers apparently agreed, as they visited our mobile site in droves. And therein lies the problem.
More than 32 percent of our readers visit the mobile site. That number really crept up on us, too.
Yet we were doing nothing to monetize our mobile traffic. And because a greater percentage of our readers were visiting through the mobile site, we were losing revenue from all forms of advertising. I imagine many other bloggers are finding themselves in the same situations.
Additionally: Why Mobile Traffic Growth Is So Sudden
Smartphone users spend 70%+ of their online time on mobile, creating a natural shift in browsing habits.
Google’s mobile-first indexing also forces blogs to be more mobile-friendly, which increases mobile visibility—and consequently increases mobile traffic rapidly.
Adding mobile advertising
The problem with blogs implementing ads on mobile sites is that there is no surefire way to do it. And where there are ways to do it, there are problems left and right.
Platforms such as BuzzCity and Google’s AdSense for mobile serve ads on mobile sites, but they’re little more than nuisances. In fact, as I’ll explain in just a moment, they can be detrimental to a mobile website.
Adding these mobile ads might add some money to a site’s bottom line, but it won’t be much. Why? Because mobile ads just haven’t reached the level of other online ads. And considering the overall depressed state of the web ad market, that really says something.
I won’t go into specific numbers, but we saw only a minuscule rise in revenue after adding ads to our mobile site. As you’ll see here, there is good reason for that.
Case Study: A Fitness Blog Losing Mobile Revenue
A popular fitness blog received 120% more mobile visitors in one quarter, but their RPM dropped by 40%. After analysis they discovered:
Their mobile theme pushed ads too close to content, frustrating users.
85% of accidental clicks came from mobile banner ads.
Session duration dropped from 3 minutes to 55 seconds.
When they replaced banner ads with native ads & in-content recommendations, mobile revenue increased by 27% in two months—without harming user experience.
How a mobile reader behaves
There are certain things we know about mobile website readers, because I am one myself. As a certified tech head, I got TMO’s newest Samsung Galaxy S the minute it dropped. As I did with my previous Galaxy S, I use it to read when I’m away from my computer. So allow me to outline a few things.
Mobile readers click fewer links than normal users.
Mobile readers are less likely to leave a comment.
Mobile readers will leave the moment something goes wrong.
Because there are so many distractions on a mobile device, it is harder to retain mobile readers for more than a few minutes.
All of these points make mobile ad engagement difficult. What makes matters worse is that many, if not most, mobile ad platforms work on clicks, not page views. If mobile readers aren’t clicking on links, they’re surely not clicking on ads.
Yet that doesn’t hit the single biggest reason why mobile ads don’t translate into revenue. It’s quite simple, really:
Mobile ads take up too much of the screen.
Smartphone screens are relatively small. Even my Galaxy S, which has a large screen, still doesn’t give me a lot of screen real estate. A mobile banner ad takes up between 1/10th and 1/8th of my screen real estate. That is obnoxious. It also makes it easier to accidentally click the ad. While that’s good for publishers in the short term, it’s bad in the long term. It makes me less likely to return.
Additionally: Smarter Mobile Monetization Options
Native ads blend with content and reduce the intrusive feel of banners.
Affiliate links, when used contextually, often outperform CPM ads on mobile because users expect recommendations rather than display ads.
Waiting is the hardest part
Unfortunately, there’s not a lot publishers and bloggers can do at this point. To not place mobile ads on a site is to leave revenue on the table. But to place them on the site is to risk alienating readers. Neither is ideal.
Because of the sharp increase in mobile visitors, publishers have no choice. We all must find ways to capitalize on that traffic as we do on our normal websites. At some point we’ll get a better solution. But until then it’s going to be tough sledding.
Conclusion
Mobile traffic brings massive opportunities, but it also exposes revenue gaps that many bloggers overlook. Until ad technology adapts, the best approach is to balance user experience with thoughtful monetization and continuously test what works.
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