This article was originally published on Jo4 Blog . We built a suite of free developer tools: JSON formatter, JWT decoder, QR generator, UTM builder, and about a dozen others. Then we added AdSense to every page. Then we removed it from most of them. Here's why. The Original Plan The logic seemed sound: Free tools bring traffic (SEO) Traffic sees ads Ads generate revenue Revenue funds development We added a simple <AdSlot /> component to our UtilityPageLayout : // Before: Ad on every utility page export function UtilityPageLayout ({ children }) { return ( < main > < AdSlot position = "top" /> { children } < AdSlot position = "bottom" /> </ main > ); } Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode Every tool page now had ads at the top and bottom. What Actually Happened Week 1: Impressions up, RPM decent. Week 2: Noticed something odd in analytics.…