Benchmark drop: session RPM by traffic source

Benchmark drop: session RPM by traffic source
Where the visitor comes from prices the session before any ad loads.

— Organic search $1.00 (index) ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮
— Direct $0.92 ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮
— Email $0.81 ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮
— Referral $0.64 ▮▮▮▮▮▮
— Social (FB/IG) $0.41 ▮▮▮▮
— Social (short-video) $0.23 ▮▮

n=150 sites, 28d, indexed. Search visitors arrive with intent and longer dwell → higher viewability → richer demand. A viral social spike can crater blended RPM while traffic 'looks great'.

So what: when RPM dips after a traffic surge, check source mix before blaming the ad stack. Search vs short-video: RPM ▲ +335%