3 Google AdSense alternatives that will help you monetize your website traffic

Whenever there’s a talk about website traffic monetization it very often comes down to Google AdSense. After all, for many website owners Google AdSense is the best way to monetize their traffic. Some even speak about it, like it is the only way to earn money from your website.

I disagree. Although in many cases AdSense is a very good choice, for many people it is basically not possible to publish ads for the Google’s network. For one, their website may have content that’s not accepted by AdSense policy, and we all know how strict they are. There may be other reasons about which you may read at our blog.

Luckily, the traffic monetization market is a huge one, so basically anyone can find a solution that fits the requirements perfectly. Thus, I present to you, the three alternatives to Google AdSense.

Media.net

If you’re looking for a direct alternative to the Google AdSense, Media.not is probably the best choice for you. It is basically AdSense but for Bing and Yahoo search networks. That means, you’ll still be working with contextual ads in all formats, shapes and sizes.

Media.net is characterized by their attention to detail and UX. There’s practically no chance that the contextual ad will stick out like a sore thumb from your meticulously crafted website. They understand that and try to fit in with their ads as best as possible. This ads are called native ads and if you love a harmonious and coherent design they will be your best friends.

Another thing that makes Media.net stand out from the crowd, is their dedication to customer support. The word is, every publisher get a dedicated account manager that will help him or her set up all the necessary details. They also be sure to suggest some tips if they find that you (and in the process also they) may earn more by optimizing the ad placement and types.

When it comes to requirements, there isn’t one fixed traffic requirement but the legend says, you have to have most of the traffic coming from English speaking countries like USA, Canada or UK. Also, your website has to be an English one.

Affiliate Networks

These are a bit different than AdSense and come in many different, sometimes very exotic, flavors. Some, like VigLink, specialize in in-text links monetization. Other in creating very specific sales funnels and an interesting approach to cookies policy, e.g. ClickFunnels have so-called “sticky cookies” which count a conversion from a user that will start in your funnel but convert on their own. The basic principle with these networks is that you’ll have to pick a product or service that you wish to advertise (and indirectly sell) at your website.

Good thing that comes with affiliate networks is that you can integrate with the network and start earning much faster than with Google AdSense. Additionally, some affiliate networks offer really niche products that aren’t available in other networks and surely aren’t available in AdSense. This creates big earning opportunities for some website owners. On top of that, most of the affiliate networks offer payments through systems such as PayPal, Payoneer and WebMoney. Good when you want to get your payment fast and you prefer anonymity.

The bad side to affiliate networks, is that is much harder to find the perfect network — one that will have a product fitting your audience but will be also a trustworthy partner. Still, when you dive deep into affiliate marketing, you may find it very profitable, as the affiliate ads usually pay better than the contextual ads offered by Google AdSense.

The space between — Interstitial and Intermediate Ads

If your not a big fan of adding contextual ads or you don’t want to spend hours on looking for the perfect affiliate network, these two formats may be the best for you. Interstitial ads are the full-screen banners that cover the whole screen of the host app and are preferred by mobile and app and games developers because of their high conversion rate. After all, the user can do only one of two things — either close the ad or click through it to the target site/app. The interstitial ads were invented with a basically mobile only environment, but it is possible to include them in websites that have a good mobile versions.

The second and the last type of ads I want to talk about are intermediate ads. These ads are placed on the intermediate sites. For example the user comes to your website and scrolls around a bit. Then, he or she finds a content that interests them so they naturally click on the link. Here comes the intermediate ad page with the ad units being properly shown to the users and right after that the user lands at their desired destination. This type of advertising is one of our speciality. For more info please see the Shorte.st website.

There are countless types of ads, networks and ways to monetize your website traffic. Just remember, that what is popular with other people may not always sit well with you and your website. For more articles on traffic monetization and earning money online, please visit our blog or add our Medium publication to followed. We’ll be uploading more exclusive content in the near future.

About the author

I work as a content marketing specialist and one of the community managers at Shorte.st. Content creator at the Shorte.st blog.