12 Best AdSense Alternatives For Your WordPress Blog
Google AdSense is ‘THE’ advertising tool for monetizing your WordPress blog. But what if your account gets suspended, banned, or you can’t access it? Even worse, what if you’re not a fan of the Googs?
There has to be an alternative to Google AdSense – and lucky for you, we’ve found 12 of them.
But First…
When did the Google AdSense platform start, and why/how did it get so popular?
Because let’s face it, before you can choose a solid alternative to AdSense, you need to study the originator first.
Continue reading, or jump ahead using these links:
- What Is Google AdSense and How Does It Work?
- 12 Adsense Alternatives To Monetize Your WordPress Website:
What Is Google AdSense and How Does It Work?
AdSense is an online advertising program launched by Google back in 2003.
Initially there were some doubts about the platform, and in 2004 poor results and complaints forced Google to allow advertisers to opt out of the AdSense network.
But that’s where the trouble ended.
And in the years since, it has become the go-to advertising platform for bloggers and website owners looking to monetize their websites.
How Does AdSense Work?
Here’s the simplified version:
You start by creating a Google AdSense account, selecting the type of ads you want to show on your site, and then pasting the HTML code where you’d like the ads shown.
Google does the rest, and automatically shows relevant ads on your website or blog.
From this point on, visitors to your website will see ads, and every time someone takes action (click, conversion, etc) you get a cut of the advertising revenue.
Straight From AdSense’s Mouth
I don’t think we could explain it any better than this:
*For more information on inserting ads into WordPress do check out our article: “11 Quick Ways to Insert Ads into WordPress… and Increase Your Income This Year.”
Phew!
Now all the (bori..) informative stuff’s out-of-the-way, I think we’re ready to get into some AdSense Alternatives.
Here Are 12 Adsense Alternatives You Can Use To Monetize Your Website Or Blog Today:
1. Media.net
First on our list is one of Adsense’s biggest direct competitors.
Media.net lets you to ride the wave of the Yahoo! Bing Network – one of the largest marketplaces for keyword-targeted advertisers.
The company boasts one of the most advanced portfolios of advertising technology. Offering users a number of on-site ad solutions including search, display, native, video, and more.
Implementation is easy. All you have to do is drop a short snippet of code on your website or blog. Activating and running contextual, video, and native ads can also be done without extra code or integration work.
Because Media.net is a contextual ad network, the advertisements displayed on your website or blog are always relevant to your content.
So if your blog is all about cats… yep, your visitors are getting slapped with more cat ads than they can handle.
Without it feeling spammy of course.
Their customer support is also top-notch. For example, once approved you’re immediately given a customer representative to help optimize your site’s ads.
2. Infolinks
Infolinks is the third-largest publisher marketplace in the world, generating income for over 100,000 website and blog publishers across 128 countries.
The company also works with several big-name brands including Nike, Virgin Airlines, Target, and Netflix.
Infolinks lets you monetize your site without having to overhaul its look and style. Their ads blend in perfectly with your content, including customization to increase engagement.
The ad types you can choose from include: InFold, InText, InArticle, and more. These ads and who they’re shown to are also supported by an intelligent algorithm. This keeps the ads displayed relevant.
Integrating Infolinks ads into your website is simple. Once approved you’ll receive a unique script you can add to your site’s HTML. Paste the code anywhere on your website and you’re ready to start earning dollars.
Also, if you use Google Analytics or other JavaScript tools, insert the Infolinks JavaScript right before their code.
3. Amazon Native Shopping Ads
Who wouldn’t want to leverage the behemoth that is Amazon?
After all, more than 197 million people from all around the world visit the eCommerce store.
To put this into perspective, that’s more than the entire population of Russia!
Amazon’s native shopping ads give your users direct access to the eCommerce giant’s millions of products.
Even better, they fit seamlessly with your content, with highly relevant products.
The ad units Amazon offers fall into three different types:
1. Recommendation ads – These ads show recommended, relevant Amazon products at the bottom of your content. All of these units are also mobile responsive and will adapt based on the container.
2. Search ads – This ad unit allows your visitors to view search results from Amazon directly on your website. This includes recommended Amazon products based on search phrases and keywords.
3. Custom ads – Handpick specific Amazon products you’d like to promote to your visitors. These units are highly flexible, offering personalization to feel more natural. E.g. “My favorite headphones to use in 2019.”
4. Propeller Ads
More than 150,000 publishers use PropellerAds and the company has over eight years of market expertise and experience.
If you’re worried about your site showing annoying or spammy ads… the good news is, all they offer ad moderation 24/7.
This ensures no viruses or inappropriate content gets through, and you’re showing clean and relevant ads only.
The ad units can also bypass ad blocking software. Even though this might seem a tad sneaky, you can increase ad revenue up to 20% by getting past ad blockers.
I mean, it’s sneaky of the visitor to block ads in the first place, right?
To set up Propeller ads, simply register for an account, and then wait to hear back for approval.
Once finished, all you have to do is paste the shortcode of Propeller’s ad units on any page of your website.
The types of ad units you can display on your website include: push notifications, on-click ads, widgets, interstitials, and smart links.
The platform also offers decent payment terms. Giving users weekly payouts every Thursday, and a minimum withdrawal amount of $5.
(AdSense has a threshold of $100 for reference).
You can add a “plug n play” payment integration to your account to help you keep track of your earnings.
Propeller Ads also play well with other ad networks, so you can diversify and add more income streams if you wish.
5. Revcontent
Revcontent specializes in “native” editorial content, which means the ads shown on your website will be relevant articles and blogs – as opposed to product or service ads.
As the name suggests, the idea behind these kinds of ads is they naturally blend in with your content.
In most cases, this means higher engagement rates as native ads tend not to interrupt the UX as much as pop-ups.
Another thing that sets Revcontent apart is their specialized ad system – which uses highly responsive widgets, gallery implementations, infinite scroll, and unlimited API customizations.
You also have a nice range of ad types to choose from including media, technology, and entertainment widgets.
However, Revcontent has a minimum traffic requirement of 50,000 visits per month. So you fledgling WP site owners, mark it off for when you meet their criteria.
When it comes to payment, Revcontent pays on Net 30 terms (the full amount is payable within 30 days). Their minimum payout threshold is $50 and can be paid via PayPal, wire, or ACH transfer.
FREE EBOOK
Your step-by-step roadmap to a profitable web dev business. From landing more clients to scaling like crazy.
FREE EBOOK
Plan, build, and launch your next WP site without a hitch. Our checklist makes the process easy and repeatable.
6. Evadav
Evadav is an advertising network that offers you a number of different ad units – including video sliders, banners, native content, and more.
However, their specialty is push notifications.
Yep, we’ve all seen them… the automatic notifications that appear as small pop-up windows on your device screen – whether it’s your PC, tablet, or mobile phone.
Netflix for example often uses push notifications to let users about newly released shows or films they might be interested in.
Visitors who agree to receive push notifications from your website will continually make you money every time they interact with an Evadav ad.
Another great thing about Evadav is it connects you with a global advertising exchange. Which means you can reach visitors all around the world.
The advertisements that appear on your site are also all verified and come from Evadav’s own domain.
In terms of payments, they pay weekly, with a $25 minimum payout. You can also choose between CPM, CPA, and RevShare models.
Set up easy and you’re provided with tutorials and documentation to help you get started.
7. Adsterra
Adsterra is a fast-growing advertising network for publishers that specializes in “popunder” ads.
After all, why be “okay” at everything when you can be awesome at one thing?
However, if you really need they do offer: video ads, direct links, push notifications, banners, pre-roll videos, and more. Ads can be run over both mobile and desktop devices.
You also don’t have to worry about showing your visitors spammy ads that send site visitors packing. Adsterra offer protection against malware and inappropriate ads through a third-party fraud detection system.
If you need assistance the team has your back ASAP. They have a ticket system and you’ll usually hear back from them within a day. If it’s urgent you can also get in touch with someone instantly through Skype.
In terms of how and when you’re paid…
You get a payout every two weeks (NET15), but they do require a $100 minimum to be eligible. The payment integration options include Bitcoin, PayPal, ePayments, and more.
As expected, the setup process is also super easy: Register – get approval – place code on-site – start monetizing.
8. PopAds
With a name like PopAds it wouldn’t be a wild guess to say the ad types they specialize in probably include the word “pop” in them.
And if you guessed this you’d be right!
PopAds are an advertising network that specializes in “popunder” ads for publishers and advertisers.
As well as their love for popunders, they also offer popups, tab ups, tab under, and more (yep, all the under and ups).
Something unique about PopAds (that you often don’t get from other platforms), is they can pay you daily providing you earn more than $5 each day. This means you don’t need a ton of traffic to meet their minimum payout limit.
Your ads can reach an audience spanning more than 50 countries using the PopAds network, and you can adjust their frequency if you want to give your visitors a break.
You can contact the support team anytime via email or instant messenger. If you’re not a fan of NET30, NET60 payment terms, you’ll also enjoy the fact you can request to withdraw your PopAds earnings at any time.
9. ylliX
ylliX advertising network serves up a hassle-free registration process and ultra-low payment thresholds for publishers looking to monetize their blogs or websites.
But first the all important ad unit selections… we’re talking: popunder ads, layer ads, full-page ads, and more.
And yes, they also run across both desktop and mobile devices.
If patience isn’t your strong point, you’ll be pleased to know that your account will be activated immediately after you register. No waiting days for your website to be approved.
Once you’re signed up and ready to go, ylliX gives you direct access to a self-serve platform you have 100% control over when running your campaigns.
Another great thing about this platform is they offer daily payments along with a super small $1 minimum payout threshold (remember AdSense’s is $100).
They also operate using a RevShare (revenue share) model. So the more you earn, the more they earn (everybody wins!).
10. BuySellAds
If you’re planning on spending a couple of hours a week monetizing your website or blog, BuySellAds probably isn’t the platform for you.
They focus exclusively on English-language ads for high-volume sites with 100,000+ engaged audiences.
(Yep, they ain’t messing around).
However, if you’re comfortably hitting that number, you may have found your AdSense alternative.
Also, since the (view) cost of entry is higher, you’ll also receive bigger payouts. Expect around 75 cents per every dollar earned by the ads on your site.
When it comes to actual product, BuySellAds offers everything you’d want from this type of platform – non-intrusive, relevant, and brand-safe ad placements. The ad units you can choose from include: display, native, emails, and sponsored content.
They also specialise in niche developer, designer, and tech audiences. So you’re in luck if your blog targets any of those niches.
Their native ads in particular are optimized for user experience and come in many different forms including: “Image + text,” “fancy bar,” “flex bar,” and “sticky box.”
11. PopCash
PopCash offers popunder advertising with a helpful UX twist.
The setup isn’t anything new… but it sure happens fast! Websites can be approved in just one hour on business days, and up to 12 hours on weekends.
Once your domain is approved, individual visitors are then shown a popunder ad once every 24 hours.
You might think limiting ad time limits revenue opportunities, but on the flip side, it provides a better user experience and ensures visitors don’t always have ads in their face.
If you want, you can use PopCash alongside other advertising platforms to diversify and bring in added income.
The platform also comes with a low minimum withdrawal limit ($10), and you can request to be paid through PayPal, Paxum, wire transfer, and more.
Transfers usually take around 24 to 48 hours. You also get to keep 80% of the revenue you earn from advertisers.
If you’re in need of assistance, staff are always on hand to offer fast support via email or Skype.
12. Bidvertiser
Bidvertiser offers website and blog owners an easy set up process, along with a unique payment model.
However, it does present users with a slight dilemma…
When you register for this platform you’ll be approved instantly so long as your website doesn’t breach any basic website standards (explicit, misleading, spammy content etc.).
There is some bad news sadly, another reason it’s so easy to get approved is because the ads shown on your website won’t necessarily be related to your content.
Buuut, hold on, all is not lost.
Although the ads shown might not be relevant, they will be some of the top performing ads the platform has access to. So it’ll be largely up to you to decide whether it’s worth showing high performing ads that aren’t related to your website.
If you do choose to stick with Bidvertiser… something unique about the platform is the fact they mix CPM and CPA payments, along with the traditional CPC model.
This basically means you have the opportunity to earn, not only the per click but per conversion as well.
The ad units you have access to include banners, pop-ups, sliders, and more.
You can also easily integrate with payment providers like PayPal and Bitcoin, and the platform’s withdrawal limit is a low $10.
The ads are also scanned 24/7 by a compliance team, as well as internal and third-party tools. So you know your website is safe from Malware and inappropriate content.
There’s Plenty Of Life Beyond AdSense
If you’ve been thinking about monetizing your blog or website, the best thing you can do is survey all of the options available to you.
Although AdSense is the top player in this department… any one of the platforms mentioned in this article would make a great alternative.
You could even argue that some may be better than AdSense depending on what you’re trying to achieve.
While the platform has been sitting at the top hill for some years, others have been quietly carving out their own niches and catering to specific customer needs.
For example, if you want to specifically run push notifications you might use a specialist platform like Evadav. Or if you want to only show native editorial content you might go with Revcontent.
What you choose will largely come down to the type of blog you’re trying to monetize and the content you’re publishing.
Rick Crawshaw Rick Crawshaw is a writer at WPMU DEV. Before joining the company and learning the ins and outs of WordPress web development, he worked as a freelance copywriter and marketer. You might also recognize his punny style from our weekly WordPress newsletter The WhiP. Follow Rick on Twitter.