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So you’ve started your blog, and things are going pretty great. But you’re ready to make money. Which are the best ad networks for bloggers to get started with?
That’s a great question and you’ve come to the right place!
The good news is, choosing the best ad network for bloggers is actually pretty easy. It’s driving the traffic that is the hard part.
Ads are usually the first place most bloggers start with monetization because they’re the easiest to set up and require the least amount of effort.
And that’s a good thing because you’re SUPER busy in the beginning stages (and frankly all stages in the first couple of years) and don’t have time for much else.
Ads can be a really great way to earn a quick buck on the people that are already visiting your site.
But putting ads on your blog isn’t always the right thing to do. There is 100% a time and a place to put ads on your site.
We chose NOT have ads on our health blog for over a year, despite having TONS of traffic at the time.
We also opted not to have ads on THIS blog for YEARS and still don’t have them on every article.
We had some good reasons why, and I’ll share those in this article along with everything else you need to know about the best ad networks for bloggers.
But first, let’s go over the basics about what ad networks are and exactly how you make money from them so you know what you’re getting yourself into when you start shopping around for a good ad network.
How Do You Make Money From Ads?
This is a great question because there are a lot of myths and misconceptions out there surrounding ad networks and how businesses make their money.
I, for one, am definitely the person that SWEARS Facebook is listening to me because they serve up ads about a product 5 minutes after I have a conversation about them.
But contrary to this popular belief, Mark Zuckerberg, Alexa, Siri, or whatever tech god you pray to, is NOT listening to your conversations.
Companies — and more specifically the data that they have access to — are just that good.
You know the general gist of it: Your online search habits and activities are monitored to some extent and these companies are able to put together an entire profile or avatar for someone like you.
(The Social Dilemma, anyone? Highly recommend it!)
Companies create ads for their products and then pay ad networks to push those ads in front of a targeted audience.
This is why every website you visit and app you use asks you to approve the use of cookies, which track your data and search info so ad networks can send you personalized ads.
And you get served with ads for all the things you’ve already looked at and for all of the things that you don’t even know that you want yet!
How great! This is why we’re all broke with houses full of shit we don’t need.
Anyway, this is also great for you just like it’s great for the companies that pay for these ads.
Because these are the ads that are also placed on your website — that target the wants and needs of the people that visit your website.
As an online content creator, you have developed a targeted audience, and those ad network agencies want to pay you to put ads in front of your audience.
Or, alternatively, some ad networks place ads related to the context of your content and niche, so that even when someone has their cookies turned off, they can still see relevant ads.
So, if your blog is about training dogs, there might be ads related to dog training, puppy food, etc.
The ad networks specifically act as a middleman between you and the advertisers — bringing a large number of digital publishers together with a vast selection of advertisers, and pairing them up based on niche.
This is why your spare website space is valuable to ad networks and advertisers. Keep reading below for how exactly the money is determined and paid.
How Ad Networks Determine Payments
In most cases, how much you get paid depends on either how much traffic your website receives, or how many clicks or actions the ad on your website generates for the advertiser.
Each ad network has different qualifications and criteria, but here are the three most common ways payments are calculated:
CPM (cost per mille, or cost per thousand impressions)
With CPM, you get paid a set amount per 1,000 impressions (views) on your site.
This is one of the most common payment formulas for ad networks, and the average payout ranges between $1 – $15 per 1,000 impressions.
CPM is great if you have a lot of traffic, but you won’t make much money if you’re only getting a few thousand visitors per month.
One of the greatest benefits of using an ad network with a CPM payment format is that it can make your ad income relatively predictable, assuming you have stable and consistent website traffic.
CPC (cost per click)
With a CPC payout method, you get paid a set amount for each time someone clicks on an ad on your site.
The average pay range for CPC payout types is $1 – $5 per click.
Success is pretty variable by niche–meaning some niches (like fashion, fitness, etc.) have an audience that is more likely to actually click on an ad, while others might be less likely to do so.
Traffic plays a role here, but having a highly engaged audience is most important.
And since your ad income depends on your readers taking action, it is not as easy to predict how much you’ll earn each month.
CPA (cost per acquisition or action)
As you can guess from the definition, a CPA payout type means you get paid each time someone makes a purchase or takes a specific action (like signing up for an email list) after clicking on an ad.
This is less common for ad networks and is more similar to affiliate marketing.
The biggest difference between the two is that you can earn money from someone signing up for an email list or another similar action, whereas most affiliate marketing agreements don’t allow for that.
Usually, these campaigns have much higher payouts per acquisition or action, compared to CPC or CPM models, because it’s much harder to actually make a sale or get a reader to complete an action.
And of course, that means much less predictable income–but with the right partnership, you can make a pretty penny.
What are the Top 6 Ad Networks for Bloggers?
1. Ezoic
Ezoic is one of the best ad networks for bloggers to get started with (after Google AdSense). Let’s call it the best of the more premium ad networks for bloggers to get started with.
To get started with Ezoic, you only need 10,000 sessions per month. It’s totally free and the integration and setup are pretty easy.
There is a plugin that you can download to walk you through most of the steps. This plugin will automatically place ads for you and test the best placement with user behavior on your site.
OR you can do like we did and use the easy browser extension to place ads where you want them or remove any unwanted ads if you think there are too many.
It’s also super easy to go into your dashboard and exclude certain pages from ads, like articles that are more important for affiliate marketing or your static legal pages.
Most importantly, though, they have one of the lowest commission rates in the industry at just 10%, compared to the industry standard of 40-60% commission–which means you make more money from each ad campaign.
Alternatively, you can select a pricing plan in which they keep 100% of the profits from just one ad on each page of your website.
What you need to know:
- Payout Type: CPM
- Minimum of 10,000 sessions in 30 days to sign up
- No minimum ad slots
- Net 60 days payout schedule
- Lowest commission of 10%
Because of the ease of getting started with Ezoic and the super low commission, this is our #1 recommendation for ad networks for bloggers to get started with.
As I’ll explain more in this article, the ad networks for bloggers with a minimum number of page views of around 10k are the best to start with before switching to a more premium network with a higher traffic requirement.
2. Monumetric
Monumetric is another great option for ad networks for bloggers just getting started. It also only requires 10,000 sessions to get started.
The catch is that they charge a $99 setup fee if you have fewer than 80,000 page views per month, which they deduct from your earnings.
They first started out as publishers, and then moved into an ad agency, which gives them a unique perspective and understanding of the needs of publishers, not just advertisers.
They have personalized support, offer lots of customization, and ensure mobile optimization of their ads on your site.
Most importantly, though, they have one of the lowest commission rates in the industry at just 15-30%, compared to the industry standard of 40-60% commission–which means you make more money from each ad campaign.
Additionally, Monumetric has four different tiers of service and ad management based on the number of page views your site receives–from their entry-level tier which starts at 10,000 monthly views, all the way up to their top tier, which is anything over 10,000,000 page views per month.
That means Monumetric can truly grow with your online business–and you can continue to grow your ad revenue, without skipping a beat.
Also, they offer a free site audit and consultation if you meet their minimum requirements. It’s a great place to get started and chat with someone to see if this is the right ad network for you.
While Monumetric takes a higher commission than Ezoic, it’s still pretty low (15-30%) and lower than the industry standard of 40-60%.
I’ve also read that they charge a fee to leave if you don’t give them 30 days notice, so be aware of that if you decide to “try” them and then change your mind. You’ll have to wait the 30 days or incur a fee.
What you need to know:
- Payout Type: CPM
- Minimum of 10,000 page views in 30 days to sign up
- $99 setup fee if your site has less than 80,000 views per month
- A minimum of 6 ad slots is required
- Net 60 days payout schedule
- Low commission of 15-30%
This is the first stepping stone before…
3. Mediavine
Mediavine is honestly, in my opinion, the absolute best ad network for bloggers.
Getting accepted into their ad management program is often seen as a milestone achievement.
That’s because there is a higher barrier to entry with a minimum of 50,000 sessions in 30 days — and they also require long-form, engaging content to get accepted.
On top of that, they are also known for their high earning potential.
With Mediavine, your revenue share actually increases based on the number of impressions you receive, not just site traffic–which means the more engaged your audience is, the more you earn.
This is important because it means you’re getting rewarded for the high-quality content that you’re creating that keeps people clicking over to other pages on your website.
One of my favorite features of Mediavine is that they use advanced “lazy loading” software that won’t slow your site down.
And if you create video content, their video player allows you to easily showcase and monetize your videos (or other people’s videos if you don’t have your own). This can also lead to increased ad revenue.8
I personally love that Mediavine totally supports my “find a balance” approach and takes a similar “less is more” approach to ad placement — fewer, higher-quality ads with the right placement.
They do extensive testing and optimization to make sure you make the most money with the least amount of ads possible–which improves site speed user experience.
And as an added bonus, they accept publishers from just about any niche–which makes them a great fit for many of the more specific niche blogs out there that might otherwise struggle to find a compatible ad agency.
What you need to know:
- Payout Type: CPM
- Minimum of 50,000 sessions in the previous 30 days (per Google Analytics)
- Original content in ANY niche as a lifestyle publisher
- Long-form, engaging content is a must
- Revenue share grows as impressions (not unique visits) grow, which allows you to focus on increasing engagement, not ad clicks
- Advanced “lazy loading” software that won’t slow your site down
- Optimized for video content
- Automatic, optimized ad placement (not customizable)
Mediavine is what we put on our health blog after switching over from AdThrive (next). We saw an immediate increase in revenue after making the switch.
This is our top recommendation for ad networks for bloggers once you hit 50,000 sessions per month. They’re a fantastic company and one that is truly growing with its audience.
We’ve loved working with Mediavine!
4. AdThrive
AdThrive is another one of the best ad networks for bloggers with a very high reputation.
They have very high standards for both their advertisers and their publishers, and they take a hands-on approach during each step, from setup to rotating ad campaigns, to creating personalized ad layouts and more.
In fact, AdThrive is so confident that you will earn more ad revenue through them, that they promise to raise your RPM (revenue per thousand impressions) by at least 20% within two weeks, or they will pay you the difference.
On top of that, they also guarantee that you will get paid your share of the ad revenue, regardless of whether the advertiser pays up for their ad campaign or not.
But… The approval process is pretty rigorous.
You need a minimum of 100,000 monthly pageviews, which is a LOT! And you’ll also need unique, original, and engaging content in order to be approved (which I hope is something you have anyway).
If you apply and are not accepted, AdThrive is known for providing a detailed explanation of what needs to be corrected in order to be approved–so you can always make those changes, and apply again in the future.
But maybe get some more traffic first!
What you need to know:
- Payout Type: CPM
- Minimum of 100,000 monthly pageviews
- Unique, original and engaging content
- Rigorous approval process
- Personalized ad layout recommendations
- If you’ve been working with another ad network, they promise to raise your RPM (revenue per thousand impressions) by at least 20% within two weeks, or they will pay you the difference
We used AdThrive for years and really liked working with them. They placed all of the ads for us and would contact us when they identified areas with higher earnings potential. I have nothing but good things to say about them, although we did eventually switch from Mediavine.
This was primarily due to concerns over site speed and Mediavine being known for being very page speed-friendly. That being said, it’s possible that you can still earn more with AdThrive.
It depends on how you’re monetizing your site and what is most important for you. If you’re optimizing for ad clicks and money, AdThrive might be the way to go.
If you’re optimizing for email subscriptions and clicks to your product sales pages, page speed is going to become much more important to you.
If you have enough traffic to qualify for AdThrive, pat yourself on the back. You’re doing GREAT. We hope you’re monetizing all that traffic! It would definitely be worth it to reach out to AdThrive to see whether or not it might be worth the switch from Mediavine.
5. Google AdSense
Ah, Google AdSense…
This is the ad network that most bloggers start with, and while they aren’t considered a “premium” network, they are sometimes you’re only option.
And that’s because they have no minimum traffic requirement.
So, if you really wanted to and I don’t know why you would, you could get started with Google AdSense ads immediately after launching your blog.
BUT having a lot of Google ads can slow your site speed, which will increase your bounce rate and lead to earning less money. And with a minimum payout amount of $100, you ain’t gonna be paid any time soon without much traffic.
Another thing I dislike about Google AdSense is that because it’s on so many sites, users are seeing the same ads everywhere. It just makes your site look spammy and so much like everyone else’s.
And because they aren’t a premium ad network and are open to everyone, you’re going to have to set the ads up yourself.
Premium ad networks for bloggers generally set them up for you (because you already have the traffic that proves your worth to them as a client).
You want your blog to look amazing and unique and stand out from the rest! Don’t make it even harder to build trust and gain an active, engaged audience.
I’m clearly opinionated on this topic, but I will say that there are a lot of creators who earn quite a bit of money from Google AdSense AND it can be a great way to score some early wins on your website to keep you motivated.
What you need to know:
- Payout Type: CPM
- No minimum traffic requirement
- High payout minimum of $100
- Not a lot of real human support
- You can choose auto-placement for ads or customize placement yourself
- Not considered a “premium” at network and therefore has lower-quality ads
- This will take some work to set up yourself.
Google AdSense isn’t a bad starting point, but we recommend waiting to put ads up until you reach at least 10k/month and can start with Ezoic or an alternative premium ad network.
The peanuts that you make from Google AdSense just aren’t worth it.
6. Media.net
Media.net is another one of the best ad networks for bloggers with no minimum traffic requirement.
It’s also a great way to earn ad revenue even without cookies because their ads are all context-based–which means advertisers choose to place ads on your site based on what your content is about, and not by tracking your audience.
Contextual ads also help your ads feel less spammy because the ads are relevant to your content, and no cookie tracking provides extra security for your audience.
And don’t worry–Media.net, while a little different than the other ad networks listed above, is super legit. They’re powered by Yahoo and Bing, so they have a wide base of trusted advertisers to bid on your ad space.
The biggest drawbacks for this ad network are that the ad revenue typically isn’t very high, and the minimum payout amount is $100, so they might be holding your monies hostage for a while…
What you need to know:
- Payout Type: CPM
- No minimum traffic requirement
- Contextual ads–no cookies necessary
- Powered by Yahoo and Bing
- High minimum payout of $100
- Very customizable, and can be adjusted to match the look and feel of your website to avoid the copy-paste stock look of many ads
While we haven’t used Media.net ourselves, I would give this one a go before I chose Google AdSense.
7. Revenue Hits
Revenue Hits is different from the other ad networks on our list because they use a CPA (cost per action or acquisition) payout method.
That means that your site traffic, ad impressions, and even ad clicks are not relevant–only your reader engagement matters.
This also means there is no minimum traffic requirement to sign up for Revenue Hits.
As we mentioned earlier, CPA payout methods work more like affiliate sales, since the reader has to complete an action (like signing up for a mailing list) or actually purchase something in order for you to make money.
BUT there is a much higher payout per acquisition — often anywhere from $10 to $50.
Think of this more like playing a longer-term game where you aim for fewer, more targeted actions on your ads. Rather than the shotgun approach of tons of impressions and clicks.
What you need to know:
- Payout Type: CPA
- No minimum traffic requirement
- Payouts of $10 to $50 per acquisition or action
- Minimum payout of $50
- Great customer support
- Reader engagement is a must in order to make any money, since clicks and impressions won’t earn you anything.
We’ve also never personally used Revenue Hits before. But it’s also a good idea to test out different networks if you aren’t satisfied with the one that you have. For example, if you decide to start with Google AdSense or Revenue Hits, see how they work for a month or two.
Then maybe consider trying out Media.net or a different ad network.
Just make sure to compare any revenue earnings to actual traffic so you can get an idea of how much you’re making per visitor.
How do ad networks work?
Before we get into the best ad networks for bloggers, it’s important to understand how they work and what they are looking for from you.
First of all, you have to apply to ad networks and get approved first. More on the conditions for applying later on in this artice.
Many of the better ad networks for bloggers will generally ask you for information on your site performance so they know how much traffic you get to your website.
Occasionally, you’ll find that there could be a setup fee to get started, but most applications and setup are free and/or fees are often waived if you have enough traffic.
Generally, ad networks want to partner with websites that have a LOT of traffic, because those will be the most profitable partnerships.
The way ad networks make their money is by taking a commission from each ad campaign that advertisers purchase from them. Think of it as their cur for doing the networking and negotiating for you.
You can always approach companies directly on your own to see if they’d like to purchase ad space on your website, and some people do.
But then you have to do all the invoicing, monitoring of ads, figuring out dimensions, and keeping a steady rotation of ads on your site so you continue to earn money.
It’s more work than it’s worth for most people — us included.
Ad networks (and premium ones at that) are the best way to go if you want to make any serious money from ads on your website.
Are ads right for my website?
Well, as exciting as all of this sounds, there is a catch. A big fat catch.
Ads, to put it simply, just look like sh*t.
They ain’t pretty, right? Also, I’m writing this from Germany, so that’s why you’re seeing ads in German. 😅
Any blog or website will ALWAYS look better and navigate easier without ads. 100% of the time.
I mean… this is a blog for weight loss for WOMEN — and this is the ad that gets served up to me:
I mean… 😒😒😒
Some ads definitely look a lot better than others, but they’re still ads… They look tacky and unprofessional and they divert attention away from your content.
In fact, the entire point of ads is to divert attention away from your content — to get people to click on other people’s products and websites.
And this can be great, of course. Because this is how you make money.
But you need to consider it relative to the other ways that you can make money with your blog. If it means fewer people are signing up for your email list or clicking links to your products, it might end up doing more harm than good.
Or there is just the overall impression to consider. If your website is littered with ads, people might think it’s less trustworthy and simply leave for a more reputable source of information.
But the more ads you have in the more obtrusive and obnoxious places, the more money you will make.
The bottom line is that you need to find a balance between the aesthetics and navigation of your website and the money you want to earn from ads.
I think that the decision of whether or not to put ads on your blog boils down to a few things:
- How much traffic you’re getting to your website
- How desperate you are to make a quick buck NOW
- What niche you’re in and whether they make sense for your overall strategy
We chose to wait a year before putting ads on our health blog until we had enough traffic to partner with a premium ad network.
And when we did, we earned as much as $4,500/month with ads on this website at the height of its traffic and this turned out to be a GREAT way to diversify our monetization strategy.
But we chose to wait even longer to put ads on this blog because we monetize in other ways that are more profitable.
We earn enough through our blogging course and affiliate marketing strategies, and we prefer that to be the focus.
But after some time, we decided to throw ads into the mix for this website as well when we started getting more SEO traffic.
Some articles will never be able to be monetized in any other way than putting ads on them, so we wanted to capitalize on those articles that were getting more traffic.
What to Consider Before Choosing an Ad Network
When choosing between some of the best ad networks for bloggers that we’re about to mention, the very first consideration is whether or not you even qualify…
Whomp. Whomp.
Much like college, you don’t automatically get accepted. But there is a space for [almost] everyone!
Many ad networks have strict traffic requirements, only work with specific niches, and require a certain quality of website and content before allowing you to put their ads on your site.
You will have to research these requirements for each company that you look into to see if you qualify because it varies by company. But we’ve done some of the initial groundwork for you in this article.
Generally, the biggest one that you will have to worry about is the traffic requirements.
The higher your traffic is, the better the ad network you can partner with, and the more money you will make.
That being said, this is what we advise our students about getting started with ads:
If your blog is brand new and the visitors are still barely trickling in, there isn’t any point in putting ads on your site. Don’t sacrifice the look and credibility for $1/day. It ain’t worth it.
Instead, wait until you get some steady and consistent traffic to your site (100+/day at least) and then partner with a better ad network.
Check out our article on the best SEO tools if you need some help with your traffic and SEO strategies.
Ads can also slow your site down and the higher bounce rate is not worth the $16 you might make over the course of a month.
Additionally, most ad networks typically have a minimum payout amount, so you might have to wait a while to receive your earnings if they’re that low.
They also differ in how they pay you: direct deposit, PayPal, etc. The PayPal fees can add up, so it’s something to consider.
Of course, every blog is different, and so is each ad network; so let’s take a look at our favorite ad networks for bloggers, and what you need to know about each of them.
How to Get Started with Ads on Your Blog
Hopefully, at this point, you’ve decided which ad network sounds like a good fit for your website and you’re ready to get started!
Remember to consider our earlier advice about whether it’s actually the right time for you to put ads on your blog or whether it will ever be right for you.
Putting ads on your blog does mean that you will make some compromises, including a less professional look, perhaps reduced credibility, slower site speed, and increased bounce rate.
But you make some monies, and that’s super important too!
Now that you’ve set some proper expectations, here is a summary of our recommendations:
- We recommend waiting until you reach 10,000 pageviews per month and then starting with a premium ad network like Ezoic (no cost and easiest setup).
- Once you’re getting 50,000 views, you can and absolutely should upgrade to a higher-paying ad network like Mediavine. Or consider AdThrive if you are able to reach the 100k mark.
- If you absolutely have to start with something before you reach that 10,000 pageviews per month mark, then Revenue Hits, Media.net, or Google AdSense are all good options.
Just make sure you don’t place too many ad spaces on your site, and monitor your page speed to make sure you’re not losing traffic thanks to slow load times.
Check your page speed with a tool like Google’s PageSpeed Insights both before and after you place ads on your blog.
One thing I can tell you for sure is that if you are at the stage where you don’t yet qualify for most of the better ad networks on this list because you don’t meet the minimum traffic requirements, you turn your sights to two things:
- Getting MORE traffic (It solves all problems, really.)
- Monetizing in other ways.
Traffic heals all wounds. The more people you have, the more subscribers you are going to get and the more money you are going to make.
Consider increasing your Pinterest traffic or even better… your SEO traffic.
While working on increasing your traffic, make sure that you are also working on building your audience through email — so you can capitalize on every visit that your site gets.
And finally, focus on a revenue stream that will pay you MORE — in both the short and long term… like affiliate marketing.
This is where we started making our money and how we still make a large chunk of it today.
And no matter which path you choose for making money with your blog, make sure you get started today. Your future self will thank you!
Do you have any experience with the best ad networks for bloggers that we mentioned in this article? If so, leave us a comment and let us know!