Solved: Website Traffic - Is 40k Monthly Views Enough for Ads?

Hi there,

Happy to give you some initial thoughts and guidance on this. It's a common question when you're starting to see some decent traffic – when is the right time to flick the switch on advertising, and will it be worth it?

Getting 40k page views in 8 months is definitely a positive sign, especially with a good chunk of that being organic traffic and coming from the US. Organic traffic is gold because it generally means people were actively searching for something related to your tool or utility, so they arrived with some intent. US traffic is also usually good because advertising rates (what advertisers pay per click or view) tend to be higher there compared to many other countries. The raw numbers – 40k page views from 3k unique visitors and 6k sessions – mean your average user is looking at about 6-7 pages per session (40k page views / 6k sessions). Wait, hang on, 40k pageviews divided by 6k sessions is nearer 6.6 pageviews per session, not 40k/3k. Okay, so it's about 6-7 pages per session. Hmm. But your site only has two pages? That sounds a bit odd. Unless users are refreshing pages a lot, or clicking back and forth repeatedly, or maybe the sessions count isn't quite right? If it really is only 2 pages people are seeing per visit, then 40k pageviews from 6k sessions would mean around 6.6 pageviews per session, which for a two-page site suggests a lot of interaction on those two pages, which is good for ad impressions. Or maybe the analytics are counting something unusual as a pageview? Worth double-checking that setup tbh.

Understanding the potential for display ad revenue...

Anyway, assuming the numbers are roughly right in terms of overall volume, whether that translates to $100/month from display ads (like Adsense or Ezoic) isn't just about the total number of page views. It's heavily influenced by a few other crucial factors:

• -> Audience Quality & Engagement: This is probably the most important thing. How long do people stay on your two pages? Do they scroll down? Do they interact with the tool? The longer people are actively engaged on a page, the more likely they are to see or click ads. If they just land, use the tool quickly, and bounce, your potential ad revenue per visitor will be low. High bounce rates or very short session durations will kill display ad revenue. We've seen campaigns drive millions of impressions but if the audience isn't engaged or interested, the actual revenue is next to nothing. For a simple two-page utility site, you need to think about how users typically use it and if there are natural points where ads can be displayed without being too intrusive but still be seen.
• -> Ad Placement and Viewability: Where you place the ads on the page matters hugely. Ads need to be "viewable" (a certain percentage of the ad must be on screen for a certain amount of time) to count for many advertisers, and they need to be in positions where people might actually notice them. On a simple tool page, space might be limited, and the user's focus is likely entirely on using the tool.
• -> Niche and Advertiser Demand: The topic of your site matters. Some niches attract advertisers who are willing to pay more per view or click because the audience is valuable (e.g., finance, business, tech). A general utility tool might have broader, less targeted traffic which can mean lower ad rates.
• -> Traffic Origin: You mentioned 50% is US, which is great. Rates from other countries, especially outside Tier 1 (UK, Canada, Australia etc.), are typically much lower.
• -> Mobile vs. Desktop: You have mostly mobile users. Mobile ad units can sometimes have different performance characteristics than desktop, though this varies a lot. Ensuring your site is super mobile-friendly is key anyway, but also think about how ads will display on smaller screens.

Given it's a two-page site, you might face challenges with 'page depth' (how many pages a user views in a session). On a blog, a user might read one article, then click through to another five, generating ad impressions on all of them. On a two-page site, unless the user is spending a significant amount of time on those pages, or the pages load/reload in a way that serves new ads, your potential inventory (total number of ad slots shown) per visitor might be limited.

I'd say you need to give it more time... or rather, just try it out

Honestly, predicting exactly how much revenue you'll make is difficult without running the ads for a bit. $100 a month isn't a massive target, which is achievable with decent traffic volume *if* the engagement and ad placement are right. Sites in certain niches with high US traffic and good engagement can sometimes achieve RPMs (Revenue Per Mille - per 1000 page views) of $5-$20 or even higher. Others might be $1-$3. At a $2 RPM, 40k page views would earn you $80. At $3 RPM, you're at $120. So, you're right on the cusp based purely on pageviews, assuming a decent RPM.

My strong professional opinion here is that you should absolutely just put the ads on now. There's no real downside or cost to you until you actually start making revenue. Both Adsense and Ezoic are free to join (though Ezoic has minimum traffic requirements, often around 10k visits/month, which you meet). Adsense is the simplest way to start and see what happens. Just sign up, get approved, place the ad code, and let it run for a month. See what your actual RPM turns out to be. This will give you a real-world answer based on your specific site and audience.

Ezoic is an ad optimisation platform that uses AI to test different ad placements and types to maximise revenue. It *can* potentially earn you more than pure Adsense, but it adds complexity, requires integrating your site differently (often via DNS), and might be overkill when you're just starting out and assessing potential. I'd reccomend starting with Adsense to get a baseline.

Focus on improving engagement...

While you're waiting for approval or running the first month of ads, focus on anything you can do to make those two pages more engaging. Are there ways to make the tool usage session longer? Can you add any helpful information or related content around the tool that users might browse? Could you add FAQs, usage tips, or perhaps a small blog section (even just a few posts) that links from the tool pages? More time on site and more pages viewed per session will directly increase your potential ad inventory and therefore revenue.

Here's a quick overview of actions:

Ultimately, you have the traffic volume that makes trying display ads worthwhile. The real question is the quality and behaviour of that traffic on your specific site structure. Testing is the only way to get a definitive answer.

Why expert help might be useful...

Navigating the world of online advertising, whether it's display ads for publishers or running paid campaigns to acquire customers, involves a lot of testing, optimisation, and understanding complex data. Knowing which metrics truly matter, how to interpret them, and what specific actions to take to improve performance (whether that's increasing ad revenue or lowering customer acquisition costs) comes from experience running many campaigns across different industries and platforms.

We've helped many businesses, from SaaS companies scaling sign-ups to eCommerce stores boosting ROAS, understand their traffic and turn it into profitable outcomes. While your goal is currently ad revenue from a utility site rather than customer acquisition, the principles of understanding user behaviour, optimising for viewability/engagement, and split-testing approaches are similar. If you decide you want to explore this further, or look at other potential monetisation strategies down the line, sometimes an outside perspective can identify opportunities you might miss.

We offer a free consultation where we can dive a bit deeper into your specific situation, look at your analytics if you're comfortable sharing, and provide more tailored suggestions. No pressure, just a chat to help you figure out the best path forward.

Regards,
Team @ Lukas Holschuh