The mistake: crediting the network when your traffic mix changed

The mistake: crediting the network when your traffic mix changed

The claim: "RPM jumped $6 after I switched — the new network is clearly better."

The asterisk: that same month a US-heavy article went viral and shifted your geo mix toward Tier-1. The RPM lift was your audience changing, not the network. The switch just happened to share the calendar.

🚩 Hidden variable: a concurrent traffic-composition shift masquerading as a network effect. Two variables moved; you credited one.

The fix: check whether your country and device mix held steady across the switch. If the geo moved, normalize for it before crediting the network with anything.

Not saying the new network is worse — saying crediting a switch for an audience shift is rigged.