Website Ad Revenue Calculator
Estimate how much money your website can make from display advertising based on your traffic and ad performance metrics.
Enter your website's monthly traffic and typical ad revenue rates to calculate potential earnings.
Enter Your Website Metrics
Understanding Website Ad Revenue
How Website Ad Revenue Works
Website owners earn money from ads primarily through these models:
- CPM (Cost Per Mille): Earnings per 1,000 ad impressions (what RPM measures)
- CPC (Cost Per Click): Earnings when visitors click ads
- CPA (Cost Per Action): Earnings when visitors complete actions (purchases, sign-ups)
This calculator focuses on CPM/RPM-based earnings, the most common model for display ads.
Key Factors Affecting Ad Revenue
- Traffic Volume: More page views = more ad impressions
- Traffic Quality: Some audiences are more valuable to advertisers
- Ad Placement: Well-placed ads perform better
- Website Niche: Some topics command higher ad rates
- Ad Network: Different networks (AdSense, Mediavine, etc.) pay different rates
Basic Ad Revenue Formula
The fundamental calculation is:
Monthly Revenue = (Page Views × Fill Rate × RPM) / 1000
Where:
- Page Views: Total monthly page impressions
- Fill Rate: Percentage of views that show ads (usually 70-100%)
- RPM: Revenue per 1,000 impressions (varies by niche)
Example Calculation
Website with 100,000 monthly page views, $5 RPM, 90% fill rate:
Revenue = (100,000 × 0.90 × 5) / 1000 = $450/month
Real-Life Ad Revenue Examples
Click on an example to see detailed calculations:
Example 1: Small Blog
Scenario: Niche blog with modest traffic.
1. Metrics: 25,000 page views/month, $8 RPM, 85% fill rate
2. Calculation: (25,000 × 0.85 × 8) / 1000
3. Result: $170/month ($2,040/year)
Note: Typical for newer blogs in competitive niches.
Example 2: Established Content Site
Scenario: Authority site in profitable niche.
1. Metrics: 300,000 page views/month, $22 RPM, 95% fill rate
2. Calculation: (300,000 × 0.95 × 22) / 1000
3. Result: $6,270/month ($75,240/year)
Note: Higher RPM reflects premium advertisers in niche.
Example 3: Viral Content Site
Scenario: Site with mostly social media traffic.
1. Metrics: 500,000 page views/month, $3 RPM, 80% fill rate
2. Calculation: (500,000 × 0.80 × 3) / 1000
3. Result: $1,200/month ($14,400/year)
Note: Lower RPM typical for social traffic.
Example 4: E-commerce Resource Site
Scenario: Site helping online shoppers.
1. Metrics: 150,000 page views/month, $15 RPM, 90% fill rate
2. Calculation: (150,000 × 0.90 × 15) / 1000
3. Result: $2,025/month ($24,300/year)
Note: Shopping-related sites often have above-average RPM.
Example 5: Tech News Site
Scenario: Popular technology news publication.
1. Metrics: 2M page views/month, $9 RPM, 98% fill rate
2. Calculation: (2,000,000 × 0.98 × 9) / 1000
3. Result: $17,640/month ($211,680/year)
Note: High traffic compensates for moderate RPM.
Example 6: Personal Finance Blog
Scenario: Blog about investing and money management.
1. Metrics: 80,000 page views/month, $35 RPM, 92% fill rate
2. Calculation: (80,000 × 0.92 × 35) / 1000
3. Result: $2,576/month ($30,912/year)
Note: Finance niche commands very high RPMs.
Example 7: Recipe Site
Scenario: Popular cooking and recipe website.
1. Metrics: 1.5M page views/month, $12 RPM, 95% fill rate
2. Calculation: (1,500,000 × 0.95 × 12) / 1000
3. Result: $17,100/month ($205,200/year)
Note: Food niche has solid RPM with good traffic.
Example 8: Gaming News Site
Scenario: Website covering video game news.
1. Metrics: 400,000 page views/month, $7 RPM, 88% fill rate
2. Calculation: (400,000 × 0.88 × 7) / 1000
3. Result: $2,464/month ($29,568/year)
Note: Gaming niche has passionate audience but lower RPM.
Example 9: Health & Wellness Site
Scenario: Authority site about health topics.
1. Metrics: 600,000 page views/month, $18 RPM, 97% fill rate
2. Calculation: (600,000 × 0.97 × 18) / 1000
3. Result: $10,476/month ($125,712/year)
Note: Health niche balances good RPM with strong traffic potential.
Example 10: Local News Site
Scenario: Regional news publication.
1. Metrics: 200,000 page views/month, $6 RPM, 85% fill rate
2. Calculation: (200,000 × 0.85 × 6) / 1000
3. Result: $1,020/month ($12,240/year)
Note: Local sites often struggle with lower RPMs.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is RPM in advertising?
RPM (Revenue Per Mille) represents how much you earn per 1,000 page views. It's calculated as (Estimated earnings / Number of page views) × 1000.
2. What's a good RPM for websites?
Typical RPMs range from $1-$50:
- $1-$5: Low-value niches, social traffic
- $5-$15: Average content sites
- $15-$30: Finance, insurance, legal niches
- $30+: Premium niches with high-value advertisers
3. How can I increase my ad revenue?
Strategies include:
- Increasing traffic (more page views)
- Improving RPM (better ad placements, premium networks)
- Optimizing fill rate (reduce ad blockers, improve latency)
- Focusing on higher-value niches
- Balancing ad density with user experience
4. What's the difference between RPM and CPM?
RPM (Revenue Per Mille) is what publishers earn per 1,000 impressions. CPM (Cost Per Mille) is what advertisers pay per 1,000 impressions. Your RPM is typically lower than the CPM because ad networks take a percentage.
5. Why is my fill rate less than 100%?
Common reasons include:
- Ad blockers preventing ads from loading
- Not enough advertisers bidding for your inventory
- Slow page loading causing ads to timeout
- Geographic restrictions on certain ads
6. How does traffic source affect revenue?
Different traffic sources typically have different RPMs:
- Organic search: Highest RPM (valuable intent)
- Direct: Moderate RPM
- Social media: Lower RPM (less commercial intent)
- Referral: Varies by source
7. When should I consider premium ad networks?
Consider premium networks (like Mediavine, AdThrive) when:
- Your site has 50,000+ monthly sessions
- You're in a brand-safe niche
- Your traffic is primarily from US/UK/CA/AU
- You want hands-off ad management
8. How accurate is this calculator?
This provides estimates based on industry averages. Actual earnings depend on:
- Your exact niche and content quality
- Seasonal advertising trends
- Your ad placement strategy
- Visitor demographics
- Current ad market conditions
9. What percentage do ad networks take?
Typical revenue shares:
- Google AdSense: 32% for display ads
- Mediavine: 25%
- AdThrive: 25%
- Ezoic: Varies by plan
10. How many ads should I place per page?
Best practices suggest:
- Above the fold: 1-2 ads
- Mid-content: 1 ad per 300-500 words
- Sidebar: 1-2 ads
- Below content: 1 ad
