With so many ad networks how does
one choose the right one? With companies like Doubleclick, Gorilla Nation,
Burst Media, Blue Lithium, 24x7 real media, adBrite, Tribal Fusion and even
Google, there are so many to choose from.
The biggest thing to look for is
their requirements. Nothing says shady like an ad network that will allow
anyone to be part of it. These ad networks will commonly show the annoying and
flashy smiley faced ads that we all love so much. They also pay out very low
CPMs because of this. Sometimes you may only make 5 cents per thousand
impressions. No wonder the sites that use this are usually loaded with ads and
crappy looking because of it.
Most of the reputable ones have
traffic requirements and even privacy statement requirements that are reviewed
by an actual person. This is usually a good sign, anytime I have signed up for
a service and been automatically enrolled and ready to place my ads I have been
disappointed. However, I have signed up for a couple that were almost painful to
become a partner on and they have been the best ones.
One thing to find out before
signing up is what the ad network gives you control over. Do they have an area
where you can update your information, set up your default campaigns and reject
ads that dont fit your site? Most of them I have found do all of this but I
have run into a couple that required me to go through my ad rep to make any
changes and this is a hassle.
Below is a summary of some of the
better networks I have come across.
Burst Media good control over
your ads and campaigns. Decent CPMs but lower inventory fulfillment. (you may
only have 15% of your ads filled by them)
Tribal Fusion Great interface
for the partner area, offers good control of your information and helps you put
your site in front of potential ad buyers. Decent CPM rates.
Doubleclick and Gorilla Nation
Higher impression requirements limit smaller sites, but good selection of types
of ads.
Google Adsense is a great 3rd
tier backup for other ad networks. I wouldnt recommend putting them as your
primary ad network but they do have decent payouts and a good interface to
control your ads.
The best thing you can do is
experiment. Try them out for a couple of weeks and if they dont work out
discontinue them. Most of them do not bind you to a contract that wouldnt
allow you to do this.
Josh is a multimedia specialist that works in the Kansas City Metro Area. He designs and manages a variety of websites including:
LogicBright CRM A web based small business crm software that is both easy to use and affordable
