In episode 692, Megan interviews James Baldwin from Raptive about strategies to increase your ad revenue, optimize your website for better performance, and tackle evolving challenges in the food blogging space—including AI content theft and third-party cookie changes.

James and his team of ad performance experts work to help creators make as much money as possible by analyzing network data, troubleshooting ad issues, and designing ad strategies for industry-leading RPMs. James lives is Fargo, North Dakota with his wife and two kids and farms on the occasional summer/fall weekend.

In this episode, you'll learn how to boost your ad earnings, make sense of RPM fluctuations, and future-proof your content strategy in a shifting digital landscape.

Key points discussed include:

- RPM Variations: U.S.-based traffic consistently earns higher RPMs than international traffic. Understanding audience geography is key to revenue forecasting.

- Smart Ad Placement: Positioning ads in high-visibility areas of your recipe posts—especially where readers linger—can lead to significant income increases.

- Words That Hurt Revenue: Terms like "download," "addicting," and "irresistible" may trigger brand safety concerns and reduce monetization potential.

- Third-Party Cookie Changes: Though the future is still unfolding, Raptive is developing tools to ensure personalized ads remain effective.

- Content that Wins: Google favors clear, user-friendly content with intuitive recipe navigation. Quality and reader value matter more than ever.

- Fighting AI Content Theft: Raptive is actively identifying and combating AI-driven content theft and working with platforms like Pinterest to block monetization of stolen material.

- Building Real Engagement: Authenticity, reader interaction, and community building are key to standing out—and staying relevant.

Connect with James Baldwin

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