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:
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. ----
Best Google AdSense Alternatives
1. Media.net
Media.net is a leader in contextual advertising. The service is run by Bing and Yahoo, and it is widely considered the go-to AdSense alternative. Media.net offers multiple types of display ads and native ads for desktop and mobile, and you can expect to earn about the same from these ads as you would with AdSense.
As with all AdSense alternatives, pay attention to Media.net’s approval requirements. To be accepted, your blog must offer high-quality content and adhere to a clean, professional design. Your traffic source also matters: Media.net requires that the majority of your visitors are located in the U.S., U.K., and Canada.
2. PropellerAds
PropellerAds is a fast-growing platform that provides monetization opportunities for both new and old blog sites. PropellerAds is known for pop-under ads, which load behind the current browser window and appear when this window is closed.
If pop-unders seem too aggressive for your blog, PropellerAds provides other targeted and non-targeted ad options for desktops, including native ads, banners, and video ads. PropellerAds also serves mobile sites and applications, and even offers a push notification ad type for these channels.
3. Monumetric
Monumetric (formerly The Blogger Network) is a blogger-centric advertising network that pays special attention to its content creators and ensures the ads shown on your site are high-quality and appropriate for your readers. They do this in part by talking directly to their, and are available for support when you need it.
Monumetric runs a cost-per-impression model instead of a cost-per-click model, meaning you’re paid when visitors see ads on your pages, not click them. While earnings from impressions are lower than clicks, Monumetric makes up for this with highly-targeted ads.
Monumetric is also notable for its four monetization programs, which are tiered by monthly pageviews — these increase your level of support as your blog scales. While there is a minimum of 10,000 monthly page views to be approved, this threshold is lower than some other networks on this list, and can be achieved by mid-sized blogs. Also, note that blogs under 80,000 monthly pageviews pay a $99 fee upfront for setup.
Monumetric’s minimum payout is $10 via PayPal or direct deposit.
4. Revcontent
Revcontent is a leader in native ads, which are designed to match the look and feel of your blog content. These ads are highly targeted to help them blend in on your site’s pages. Revcontent also offers ads in other formats like display, mobile, and video. Revcontent has a reputation for exceptional clients on both the publisher and advertiser side. It partners with publishers that are likely to generate a lot of hits on ads, which attracts advertisers who are willing to pay higher commissions.
5. AdThrive
AdThrive is another acclaimed ad network that takes good care of its bloggers. This cost-per-impression network works closely with both its publishers and its advertisers to ensure your blogging site is only showing ads for exceptional products by exceptional businesses. The AdThrive team works with you on a monetization strategy and will help you place your ads in the most optimal spots.
6. Mediavine
With its 75% revenue share to bloggers and highly-tailored ad-placements, Mediavine is comparable to AdThrive, but only requires half the amount of monthly page views (50,000). This ad network pulls from a large pool of lifestyle advertisers, meaning this service is oriented toward lifestyle bloggers — if you write long-form content within this niche, definitely consider applying.
Mediavine also brings empathy to your partnership, which is surprisingly hard to come by in this space. It was started by bloggers who understand the importance of fast-loading, high-quality ads, as well as transparency: The organization will answer any questions you have about ads on your website.
Mediavine’s minimum payout is $25 for PayPal and direct deposit (or $200 for international direct deposit).
7. InfoLinks
InfoLinks provides a viable alternative to display ads — its specialty is in-text advertising placement. InfoLinks searches for keywords in the body of your blog text, and automatically associates ads with relevant text snippets. When a visitor hovers over this special text, a relevant ad appears next to it. In-text ads work well on blogs since more words on a page mean more opportunities for relevant ads.
InfoLinks can monetize any blog, old or new. It requires no setup fee, and there are no minimum requirements for page views. Once set up, you can quickly implement in-text ads (as well as targeted display ads, if you’d prefer) and gain insights from the reporting dashboard.
InfoLinks pays every 45 days via PayPal (the minimum payout is $50), Western Union, and Payoneer.
8. Bidvertiser
Bidvertiser operates on a bidding campaign system. Rather than placing ads automatically, Bidvertiser sells display ad space on your website to whichever advertiser pays most.
There are pros and cons to a system like this. If your site brings in enough traffic, advertisers will try to outbid each other for space, and you might end up earning much more from the auction than you would from AdSense. But, if advertisers are unaware of your site, you might not receive any bids at all.
9. SHE Media
SHE Media is a digital media company that produces content for and by women — it’s known primarily for its blogs SheKnows, Blogher, and StyleCaster, which combined garner tens of millions of monthly views. SHE Media also operates a partner network that matches female-focused advertisers with female-focused bloggers and content creators.
If your blog targets an audience of primarily women, consider SHE Media for monetization. If approved, you’ll share the same advertisers as its acclaimed blog properties, and associate with an organization that seeks to amplify female voices.
10. RevenueHits
A relative newcomer to the industry, RevenueHits is gaining traction as a reliable monetization platform. RevenueHits highlights its advanced ad optimization tool, which learns from your ad performance and shows you where to best place ads on your site.
There’s no minimum traffic restriction to get started with RevenueHits. However, it’s important to note that ads through RevenueHits are performance-based, not cost-per-click. This means that you won’t earn money from clicks alone.
11. Adcash
Adcash serves more than 200 million active users and 850,000 app installs each month. It supports nearly all ad formats, from standard display ads to more premium units like pop-unders and instream video ads. It’s easy to place and customize any ad unit, and you can view real-time reports of your ad performance via the admin panel.
12. BuySellAds
If your blog generates consistently high traffic, consider BuySellAds, a self-serve ad portal for publishers. BuySellAds is highly exclusive — you’ll need at least 100,000 page views per month to join, and it only accepts English-language websites with excellent content and design. If you can reach this high bar, you’ll enjoy a 75% commission per click. This is very competitive for the industry and significantly higher than Google’s commission rate of 62% per click. And, the minimum payout is just $20 with PayPal.
13. Skimlinks
Skimlinks specializes in affiliate marketing, making it unique from other options on our list. It works by scanning text on your blog for links to other sites. If a link leads to one of its advertising partners, Skimlinks turns it into an affiliate link and you’ll receive 75% commission when a visitor clicks on it. You also earn additional revenue when users purchase products through your affiliate links.
14. Amazon Native Shopping Ads
You’ve heard of Amazon, but did you know about its display ads program? Amazon Native Shopping Ads, a division of the Amazon Associates program, allows you to place native Amazon product listings on your blog pages. These ads are targeted based on the surrounding page content.
15. Sovrn //Commerce
Closing out our list is Sovrn //Commerce (formerly VigLink), one more option for beginner publishers seeking out an AdSense alternative. This option provides blogs with a variety of display ads, video ads, and affiliate links to insert on their pages, and Sovrn //Commerce automates relevant ad selection based on your content.
16. Setupad
If your website's monthly visits are at 100,000 or more, you should consider partnering with Setupad. This platform provides a selection of ad formats — like rich media ads (interstitial, sticky, expandable, native, and amp) as well as video ads (outstream and instream) and standard ad formats like display ads. Setupad provides an easy-to-use Google Chrome extension where users can report unwanted ads and review real-time data like winning SSP, CPM price, and average eCPM up to the last minute.
