Guide · Updated 2026-09-01
How AdSense pays
Google pays publishers about 68% of display ad revenue. AdSense Page RPM is already after that share. How to read it, and when to stop using it as the forecast.
AdSense has no traffic minimum, which is why new sites start there. The reports are easy to misread.
The split
For display ads, Google currently pays publishers 68% of revenue. That split is public. There is no public AdSense RPM. Yield depends on country, niche, ad placement, and whether the traffic came from search or a Facebook meme.
Page RPM vs Ad RPM
Page RPM divides earnings by pageviews. Ad RPM divides earnings by ad impressions. A page with three ads can have a healthy Ad RPM and a Page RPM that is three times larger. When someone says their RPM is $18, ask which one. Our website calculator uses Page RPM because you already know pageviews.
When AdSense is the wrong forecast
Use AdSense rates for a site that is on AdSense. Mediavine and Raptive typically pay a higher Page RPM and about a 75% publisher share, and they reject small sites. A $30 Mediavine RPM is not realistic at 8,000 pageviews. At 80,000 it can be a planning case if the network would accept the site.
Do not subtract Google's 32% from AdSense Page RPM. The report already did.
Questions
Does AdSense pay 68% or 32%?
Publishers receive about 68% of display ad revenue bought through Google Ads. Google keeps the rest. Search ads and some other products use different splits. Check the product you run.
Is AdSense Page RPM before or after Google's cut?
After. If Page RPM is $3.20, that is take-home per 1,000 pageviews, not a number you still need to multiply by 0.68.
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