1. Home ›
2. Blog ›
3. Entrepreneurship ›
4. 14 Adsense Alternatives That Will Make You Money

14 Adsense Alternatives That Will Make You Money

Well, it’s happened. For whatever reason, Google AdSense has surprised you with a Dear John letter and now you’re walking this cruel World (Wide Web) alone, head down, with zero ads on your website or blog, missing out on all that revenue from those sweet, sweet clicks while you’re blindsided, trying to figure out what to do now.

Hey, chin up! Just because you were rejected by AdSense doesn’t mean you should give up. There are plenty of advertising networks in the sea, as they say. And even though AdSense isn’t an option for you anymore, you need to get back out there and check out some of the attractive, available AdSense alternatives listed in this post.

Once you have some distance and perspective, you may start to see the downsides of AdSense that you overlooked while things seemed to be going so well. The truth is, AdSense really is no good for you unless your site sees a substantial amount of traffic (at least 300-400 unique visits per day).

If your website is still a work in progress, but you already have some content on there that you’re proud of and you’d like to start getting paid for the traffic that’s already starting to find you, AdSense would likely not even work with you (yet). AdSense has quality standards that might disqualify a website that appears to be fledgling.

Another drawback of AdSense is that advertisers pay only when an ad is clicked on. That means all those ad-view dollars are just sailing by you without even waving. Yes, AdSense’s high payout is nice (publishers get 68 percent, while Google gets 32 percent, of every dollar an advertiser spends), but monetizing only clicks, and not simple ad views (also known as impressions), means ignoring a potential revenue source.

Of course, an unexpected ban isn’t the only reason these AdSense alternatives may appeal to a publisher like you. You may be using AdSense and are simply looking for a second or third network to work in tandem with it so you can bring in even more money.

If you want to learn more about AdSense and display advertising as a business model in general, then check out this video:

The following AdSense alternatives may complement you well, no matter what your current relationship with Google’s network might be.

14 Adsense Alternatives

These advertising networks have good reputations and, while they might not match AdSense’s payout or popularity, they do offer a range of services while perhaps expecting publishers to jump through fewer hoops.

That’s not to say approval for all these is easy or automatic (although, for some of them, it is), but they can make you money, whether you’re looking for a service to shore up your revenue from AdSense or replace it.

1. Media.net

This one is widely considered the best choice … after AdSense, that is. There’s no denying that AdSense is on top because of its reliability and ease of use. But Media.net, with the strength of the Yahoo! Bing Network behind it, is well-respected in its own right, and it’s considered by many to be the closest of all the alternatives to AdSense in quality.

Plus, it takes only about two days for account approval (or rejection) with Media.net, versus AdSense’s weeks-long waiting period.

However, like many ad networks on this list, each website or blog must be approved by Media.net before it will flood your site with lucrative text and banner ads, and the network can be picky.

Another potential downside is that Media.net has a $100 minimum payout, which is among the highest on this list, and supports only Payoneer.

2. Infolinks

Another widely popular alternative is Infolinks. It has ad blocks that are similar to the ones AdSense creates, and it works best for text-heavy websites, such as sites with lengthy blog posts.

That’s also one of the drawbacks. If your site isn’t heavy on text, you may find Infolinks doesn’t produce the results you want. The service will pick words in your posts or articles and create hyperlinks to ads that can be frustrating to visitors if triggered inadvertently.

You can set a limit on this so Infolinks doesn’t overdo it, but too many wrong moves with the cursor and suddenly the content you’ve painstakingly written ceases to be helpful to your visitors and becomes a nuisance.

Also, Infolinks has watchdogs to enforce its own quality standards, and sites that don’t have what Infolinks considers a sufficient amount of content can find themselves on the “rejected” pile.

Those who use the service can expect a $50 minimum payout, which is about mid-range for this list. It utilizes PayPal and Payoneer, and will also let you opt for wire transfers. However, like AdSense, Infolinks pays only for clicks, not impressions.

3. Chitika

This one may be the solution for sites that were rejected by other ad networks for various reasons. Chitika, which means “in a snap” in Telugu, will work with you regardless of the size of your site or how heavy or light your traffic may be. If human beings are visiting your website, Chitika can help you monetize it.

Chitika works best with sites that get most of their traffic from search engines. Viewers who get there by other means, like following links or simply typing in your URL, will be greeted with somewhat generic ads that may be less likely to appeal to them, and thus may be less apt to get a click.

One potential drawback is that in 2017, Chitika raised the minimum payout from $10 to $50 (via PayPal or check). So your small-but-growing website or blog might see fewer paydays for the time being.

4. PropellerAds

This company specializes in pop-under ads, which they claim offer the highest cost-per-thousand (CPM — the “M” being the Roman numeral for 1,000) rates in the industry. Pop-under ads are similar to pop-up ads, but they load behind the window and will appear when the window closes. PropellerAds also supports video banner ads, which are especially effective for a company that has moving images to show your site traffic — like movie or video game trailers, for example.

There is no minimum site traffic for PropellerAds, and there’s no waiting period for account activation. Once you’ve confirmed your email address, you’re in.

Payout minimums skew relatively high, at $50 for PayPal and $100 for Payoneer.

5. BuySellAds

The good news is this one pays. You can expect 75 cents of every dollar generated by the ads BuySellAds places on your site. That’s the highest rate of any on this list, even AdSense. Also, the minimum payout is only $20 with PayPal, but it goes up to $50 if you wish to be paid by check.

BuySellAds is another network with a high must-be-this-tall-to-ride (a minimum of 100,000 page views per month!). While the returns are considerable, many otherwise deserving websites and blogs will be rejected at the door.

Another drawback is that BuySellAds will admit only English-language sites, and will reject anything from WordPress or its ilk if you don’t own the domain. Needless to say, these restrictions narrow the requirements to a relatively small pool of eligible websites. But, if your site is among those, BuySellAds may be your golden goose.

6. VigLink

VigLink pays you 25 to 50 percent of revenue from ads it places on your site. It works by transforming existing links on your site into links that will earn you a commission if that clicking leads to the purchase of a product, by creating new links based on key phrases. This is affiliate advertising, or cost per acquisition.

This is another network that could be perfect for sites that have been rejected by other services, since there is no minimum site traffic for approval. Plus, there is no minimum payout. However, VigLink supports only PayPal.

7. BidVertiser

Completely obliterating AdSense’s account-approval waiting period, BidVertiser lets you get started immediately with instant approval. A unique aspect of this network is that it operates on a bidding system, where it essentially auctions off ad space on your website or blog to the highest bidder.

This can work like a dream if your site traffic is coveted by multiple advertisers who are willing to get into a bidding war. Rather than simply earning a flat rate per click from your advertisers, the sky really is the limit on what you can make off of your website.

A downside to this, and one that’s likely already popped into your head, is that flat-rate constraints work both ways, and you can potentially languish through a period of low ad revenue while waiting for higher bidders to find you.

BidVertiser works with text and banner ads, and offers a $10 minimum payout via PayPal or Payza, with options for wire and check payments as well. The low minimum payout may let you see at least some money while you’re waiting for that potentially higher revenue to kick in.

The following alternatives to AdSense might not be as popular as some of the earlier ones on this list, but everyone’s list is different and the important thing is to find the advertising network (or networks) that fits your website.

8. Adsterra

This network offers banner and pop-under ads, and is the only service on this list to offer payouts in Bitcoin, which could benefit international publishers because Bitcoin sidesteps the hassle of exchange rates. However, with a $100 minimum payout, you may be waiting for that first Bitcoin deposit for a while. Adsterra also supports PayPal and Payza.

9. Kontera

Offering text and banner ads, Kontera takes the middle ground on payouts with a $50 minimum. This cost-per-click (CPC) network has no minimum traffic requirement. It supports PayPal and wire payouts, and is one of the only networks on this list that will pay you by check if that’s what you want.

10. Adbuff

This service will pay you by CPM or CPC. The benefit of CPM is that visitors don’t have to click on an ad to make you money; they just have to see it. Naturally, this means a lot of eyeballs need to be on your site — 2,000 of them, at least, for Adbuff to even work with you, no matter whether you choose CPM or CPC. Another potential drawback is the $100 payout minimum, which, whether or not that’s an issue, is of course subjective. Adbuff uses PayPal and Payoneer.

11. RevenueHits

Depending on your opinion of pop-up ads (and your willingness to subject your visitors to them), RevenueHits, which also uses display ads, has a reasonable $20 minimum payout. The network will get you your money through PayPal or Payoneer.

12. Amazon Advertising

Don’t let Amazon Advertising’s position on this list tempt you to ignore it. With Amazon’s household-name status, this service could potentially stock your website with ads for some pretty big fish — and with its CPM policy, ads that could be more likely to get clicks are certainly preferred. With a $100 payout minimum (Payoneer or check), the king of online stores can be handling your ad revenue with this service.

13. ShareASale

This purveyor of affiliate advertising opts for the moderate minimum payout of $50, putting it in a comfortable zone for websites and blogs of a wide range of caliber. And, as the name suggests, ShareASale actually lets you share the sale, meaning if their merchant sells a product, you get a cut. Payoneer and check payout options also suit a range of needs, but the absence of PayPal could be a negative tick for some.

14. MonetizeMore

This is a great choice if you still want to stick with AdSense but you want to “level up” the earnings.

They amplify the performance of AdSense with specific ad optimization techniques like:

• Implement a Google ad server called DoubleClick for Publishers to compete AdSense on dynamic allocation.
• Implement PubGuru Header Bidding to dynamically compete ad networks against AdSense so that the highest bidder wins each ad impression.
• Integrate machine learning technology to dynamically adjust price floors to further boost CPMs.

There are many other optimization techniques and technology that MonetizeMore offers to boost publisher revenues, however, the above three are the largest contributors.

If you are looking to get access to premium ad networks that are the best fit for your sites, MonetizeMore can recommend the best ad networks and provide access. If you are looking for a more complete alternative to AdSense, MonetizeMore is the most ideal.

Try AdSense Alternatives and Excel at Advertising

You can get by in the world without AdSense. In fact, your website or blog can thrive with the help of these AdSense alternatives if you can find the right one, or ones, to complement your goals.

There are many more networks out there, and the ones listed here can change at any moment. So, whether you’re looking for a replacement for AdSense, or an alternative to join with in a new venture, or if you use AdSense currently and are merely looking to supplement it, the right choice for you exists.

You always have options when you are building your online empire. Don’t forget, we’re here if you’re looking to buy instead of build a site from scratch. Give us a call so we can discuss your buying criteria. If you’re in the market to sell we can help with that too. Our business analysts are ready to help you plan your exit and you can set up a call with them here.

Photo credit: wdnet