Proxies are often installed and then forgotten about. The webmaster makes some initial attempt to get some traffic, and then enjoys some revenue. While this approach will make money (as most proxies do), it’s always possible to improve earnings. While much optimization can be done and then forgotten about, there are elements that should be reviewed.
Remember that your traffic is not static. It can decrease or increase with little warning. But most importantly, the make-up of your traffic will be constantly changing. Are your adverts and template targeting the correct audience? Maybe when you started your proxy the traffic was predominantly teenagers at school. What if it now people in the office? Maybe your traffic was initially American, but has since been overtaken by Chinese visitors. There is no need to monitor these factors 24/7, but knowing who is visiting your proxy (and what they want to do) will help you to make the most money from them. Do you need to redirect resource hungry traffic that is not making any money? These aren’t huge issues, and they don’t take more than a couple of minutes to sort out. However, they can affect your profit, and that’s all that really matters.
It does no harm to occasionally try a new template, or to play with the advert placement. If the results aren’t good, you can always switch back. It’s better to reinforce your original decisions, rather than just presuming that you were originally right. Also consider new forms of monetization. Perhaps your site has gained PR, and you can think about banner or link sales. Maybe you’re consistently not using your bandwidth allowance. Can you reduce your hosting plan and hence the cost? Maybe your click values have decreased. Do you need to target new keywords? I’m sure you get the point. Just keep an open mind, and maximise that profit!