9 Top Ad Networks to Monetize Your Blog

Brand new bloggers and experienced bloggers alike are always looking for new ways to monetize their website.

If you’re doing the work to build an audience, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind seeing some fruits from your labor coming in sooner rather than later, amirite?

There is one way to monetize early with your blog that will get you some modest results starting out—advertising networks.

First, let’s define what an ad network is for the newbies…

A Digital Advertising Network is a company the connects advertisers to bloggers who want to host ads on their site. 

Although monetizing with ads on your blog is a pretty easy thing to do, don’t expect right away to rake in enough funds to quit your job or reach whatever dreams you hold.

Significant revenue from website ads is a long game…the more traffic you get, or the more engaged (active on the site) your audience, the higher your ad revenue will tend to go.

So in this post we will take a look at some ad networks that are available for you to consider when it comes to placing advertisements on your site.

But first, let’s look at some different digital ad network pricing models. 

4 Ways to Get Paid by a Digital Advertising Network

The blog advertising network industry uses four primary pricing models to calculate your earnings. It will be good to understand this before choosing an ad network. You need to decide which one is best for YOUR blog. 

Here’s a helpful graphic. Feel free to swipe it for your reference. Better yet, please share it or use it on your blog. 🙂 

CPM

This payment model focuses on the number of impressions an ad receives. CPM stand for “cost per mille”, or cost per every one thousand impressions.

The term “impressions” may sound deep, however it is just marketing-speak for how many people see the advertisement. This is similar to tv ads—these ads are great for companies who want to spread awareness of their brand. 

So what do you as the blogger get in return? This model can work well if you are getting lots of eyeballs to your site. For example, if your ad network is paying you $11 per CPM, this would mean you the blogger make $11 every time a particular ad gets 1000 impressions. 

CPC

This pricing model can be a winner for the blogger who has a highly engaged audience. CPC means “Cost Per Click” and it means exactly how it sounds: every time an ad is clicked, you payment total increases.

This pricing model is adored by advertisers who care how effective their ads are performing.

The average CPC earnings is $1 to $5 per click. But be aware that each network may measure CPC differently, so make sure you know what you are signing up for before you use a particular CPC ad network.

Fixed Rate

Just like it sounds, a fixed rate is a flat rate. This pay model is for people who want a consistent amount of payment, but if your ads are doing well, you could be losing a lot of money that the other models would have provided. 

Awhile back, in the “good old days” of blogging, the fixed rate model was more common. If you are interested in selling your own ad space, maybe have a banner ad or an ad in the side bar, for example, then you could essentially earn a fixed rate from the companies who advertise on the blog. But you’ll have to find the businesses yourself and handle the transaction. 

Or, you can pick an ad network that still offers this model. 

CPA

CPA means “cost per acquisition”, and in this model, your blog visitor must do more than simply click on the advertisement. They must also purchase, opt-in or sign up. 

This may sound like a tougher model to make money, and on paper that is true. However, a seasoned blogger who also monetizes with affiliate marketing should consider this option, because advertisers love it. They are happy to share a larger commission payment with those bloggers who can gather clicks that lead to actual sales. So the income potential here is generally much greater than with the other models. 

Which Ad Network is Right for You?

I don’t recommend putting all your monetization eggs in the ad networks basket only….you will need a sizeable amount of traffic to make enough income on ads to quit your job. 

Choosing the right advertising network could be a nice compliment to your other monetization goals.

But for those looking for a simple, low maintenance way to make some extra cash from your blog, using an ad network as an income stream is definitely an option.

And there are plenty of options out there.

Ad Networks You Can Use to Monetize Your WordPress Blog

1. SOVRN

Pronounced “Sovereign”, this ad network is one I recently discovered while helping a blog coaching student choose an ad network. 

They offer many different tools to help you generate income from your content. 

Pay Model: CPM

Adding SOVRN is easy. There is no code involved. 

SOVRN also supports fair and transparent advertising and net neutrality. 

2. Hilltop Ads

Has anti-adblocker technology, so you can get paid for virtually all the traffic that comes your way. 

Pay Model: CPA, CPM and CPC models are available. 

A nice feature is their real-time tracking statistics. 

You must be a “medium” or “large” publisher. New blogs not likely to get approved. 

3. Propeller Ads

This one appears to be liked by many.

From what I know, getting approval is super quick–like instantly for most. Gamer bloggers and those who have websites that cross pollinate with multiple niches are liking this ad network.

You can choose between the CPM, CPA and CPC payment models. A nice feature is real-time reporting on your earnings. You get to track your performance and income in real time.

Propeller Ads does have a minimum payout of $100 for PayZa and Payoneer and $550 minimum for wire transfer.

4. RevenueHits

Again, if your audience and site visitors tend to be engaged, this one might work well for you.

RevenueHits uses the CPA payment model, which means you get paid for every completed action on the website you own. It pays $10 to $50 for each completed transaction! Keep in mind, you don’t earn any income for clicks or impressions, only actions. But the CPA rates are good. 

5. Adbuff

Getting approved requires a minimum of 2000 unique visitors per day, and once you are in, Adbuff offers a CPm and CPC pay model. The CPM rate is high here. 

You ads will include plenty of big brands with quality ads. The interface is easy and you can track your progress with their mobile app if you like to do that.

Their minimum payout is $100, which can be delivered via PayPal, Bitcoin, Payoneer or wire transfer.

6. Infolinks

You may like the in-text ad formats offered here.

You get to choose which ads to display on your website: in-text ads, overlay ads, banner ads, in-screen ads and in-frame ads.

Lots of trusted advertisers with Infolinks like eBay, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft.

$50 is the minimum payment threshold. You can get paid through PayPal, Payoneer, wire transfer, and echeck.

7. PopAds

These guys specialize in “pop-under ads”, which are similar to pop up ads, only they are not instantaneous. They linger behind the browser window and appear after other windows have been closed.

If you “want yo money” right away without having to wait till you reach a set amount, you’ll like PopAds with their minimum payout of $5. Payouts include PayPal and Payoneer or you can do auto-deposit. Right now their home page says “we guarantee you that no other popunder ad network will pay better than us!” 

8. Bidvertiser

This ad network has been around for years, offering various ad formats to bloggers. You get a choice of ads that look great on YOUR website. The ads you will see are not the best quality, but bloggers like using Bidvertiser for their easy UX, on-time payments and a low payout threshold ($10). You can get paid via PayPal, bank transfer or check.

9. Google AdSense

We can’t leave out good ol’ Google AdSense….that wouldn’t makey any, well, sense. 🙂

Because they’re so big and established, many still consider them the best. It is not super easy for a new blogger to get approved by them with their strict rules, but when you do, they are a brand you can rely on.

They offer CPC pay model. The ad quality is good, which always helps your blog visitors have a better visit on your site.

Many like how AdSense gives you flexibility to show customized ads and they are easy to use once you get approved.

Their minimum payout is $100. Just get your traffic up to the “decent” level and produce fabulous content and you can earn hundreds of extra dollars. You get to choose your payout options: western union, wire transfer, EFT, or check.

Need help getting started with AdSense? Read this: Step 8: Make Money Blogging

Which Ad Network for Your Blog Will You Choose?

All nine of these ad networks can be used with a WordPress self hosted blog. If you don’t have a blog yet, I can help you with that, too.  

All of these nine brands are generally considered quality and trustworthy. Although I personally have not used all 9, they are trusted by bloggers all over the world. 

With any of these choices, you will get variety in your ad choices. Not all of these networks offer high quality ads, but they all deliver as far as getting your blog monetized with ads and paying you on time. 

Keep in mind, you can earn anywhere from $9 to over $200 per day with ads, IF you produce great content, get the needed traffic or engagement, and PICK THE RIGHT AD NETWORK. 

So now, it’s up to you. Time to choose…which ad network are you interested in? 

Or maybe you are already using an ad network, listed here on not. Tell us what you’re up to in the comments, or ask me any questions you have about ad networks here.

Author Bio:
Matthew Kaboomis Loomis is the owner of Build Your Own Blog. Follow him on Facebookand Twitter.

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