If you want to make a bit of extra income from your blog, you might consider placing advertisements on your site. To do this, you’ll need an advertising network — a service that connects online advertisers with website publishers.
Most ad networks use an automated system to place advertisements in designated areas on your website. When users engage with these ads — for example, by viewing them, clicking them, and/or making a purchase through the ad — you receive a share of the commission, and the rest goes to the network.
During your search for an ad network, you’ve likely come across Google AdSense. It’s the most popular pay-per-click (PPC) program on the web, used on over 10 million websites. AdSense is lightweight, reliable, and offers publishers a fair share of revenue generated from clicks. But, it’s not the only solution.
In this post, we’ll discuss why you might prefer a different ad network for your site. Then, we’ll explore the best ad networks outside of AdSense you can use to quickly begin monetizing your blog.
Why Use an AdSense Alternative?
There are a handful of disadvantages to Google’s platform that make it unsuitable for certain blog sites. Here are some common and valid reasons to pick a competing ad network over AdSense:
Eligibility Requirements
Many networks, including AdSense, require that applicants hit certain metrics on their website before they can be a partner. If Google won’t authorize your blog for an AdSense account, you’ll need a network with more lax approval requirements to get started.
Because of the platform’s rigorous click fraud control, you might also have had your AdSense account disabled. For example, you accidentally placed an ad on a page you shouldn’t have, or you unintentionally clicked one of your own ads. It’s easy to violate the terms of service if you’re not paying attention, and you might need a more forgiving alternative.
Revenue Share
With AdSense, publishers receive 68% of the revenue generated by ads on their website. This is a competitive rate, but some alternative networks offer an even greater share. You’ll need a top-notch website with steady and high traffic to qualify, but it’s worth it if you make the cut.
Ad Customization
Some ad networks let you tailor the look of your ads to your website’s theme to help them fit in more naturally with your original content. The level of customization varies by service, but many let you adjust the color and sizing of a unit, which is more flexible than AdSense allows