I pretty much quit the internet game for about 7 years and have recently started getting back into it. In the time I spent away, a lot of the ad networks I used to use have bit the dust (ie, Yahoo, Fastclick, Azoogleads). So what are the good ad networks these days? I’m currently only using Adsense, but I feel like there have got to be other ad networks worth looking at.
By the way, I am aware that there is a stickied thread for this topic, but it hasn’t been updated in over 2 years.
I suppose it all depends on how you define “best” ad network, and what exactly you try to achieve. Can you give more details?
Searchengines are now infinitely better than they were 7 years ago with the biggest difference probably being that in 2005 locality was hardly counted, whereas today it is one of the most dominant factors.
The tread being about ads, it is somewhat obvious that you are trying to make money out of ads, but without details of the how, what, where and when, you have no more chance of getting any useful than those that post stuff like: “how do I get my site to #1”.
I have tried admob, miva, 7search, adbrite for my seo website but I didn’t get satisfied results from any. So currently I am focusing only on Google content network because I think its shows ads on more relevant pages.
You say you are currently using AdSense. Do you have any special reason not to continue with it? Is there something about AdSense that’s not meeting your needs?
The reason I ask is that AdSense is by far the largest network of its kind. It attracts the most advertisers, and is the most competitive from the point of view of the auction process. It’s also likely that its relevancy algorithms are better, which means you are likely to get the most relevant ads and therefore the highest click-through rate.
By all means shop around for other networks. You might well find something that’s a better fit for your sites. Just keep in mind that you might already have the best one.
Fastclick are sort of still around, they were just bought by and swallowed up by ValueClick Media - still a great network to work with.
Similarly Tribal Fusion and Casale Media are still great networks that have been going since back then.
You might also want to take a look at Federated Media, Adconion, Technorati.
There are now, however, new networks that focus more on targeting specific countries or niches such as technology or finance.
What site are you selling ads on?
Thanks for the responses everyone. My site is <snip>. Adsense is working fine for me, but I thought it would at least be worth trying some other ad networks just to see how the rates compare. I used to be with Burst Media and from time to time they were able to sell targeted campaigns that paid great rates that far exceeded what I could earn with adsense. However, these targeted campaigns were few and far between and it’ll be a cold day in hell before I work with Burst again (probably the least courteous and professional company I’ve ever dealt with. Period.).
Yes, you’re right to keep an eye on the market. Something better than AdSense might well come along.
But just looking at the rates won’t tell you anything. A high cost per click is of no value if the ads are non-relevant to your site and you therefore don’t get any clicks. The only metric that really counts is the total income, and you can’t know what that will be until you test the various networks.
In any case, good luck with your search. Let us know if you come up with anything.
In the mobile phone niche, you might do better joining the affiliate program of one of the comparison engines - you can get a fair few quid for each referral that signs up for a 12month+ mobile contract. With a bit of coding you could add the best deals to each article about every phone… Targeting is key as ever!