If you’re a small publisher with little to no traffic, finding ad networks that will work with you can be tough.
The good news is, there are several ad networks that don’t require any minimum traffic requirements. In this post, I’ll list 14 of the best ad networks for small publishers.
So if you’re just starting out, or your website isn’t seeing the traffic you’d like, these networks may be a great option for you. Keep reading to learn more!
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Best Ad Networks for small publishers
- Google Adsense.
- Ezoic.
- Revenue Hits.
- OutBrain.
- Propeller Ads (Now Monetag)
- Infolinks.
- Adsterra.
- Rich Ads.
- Smarty Ads.
- Magenet.
- Bitmedia.
- Hooligan Media.
- Hilltop Ads.
- A-Ads.
Now let’s look in detail at each of these ad networks.
1. Google AdSense
Google Adsense is probably the biggest and one of the most popular ad networks in the world, and it’s no surprise why. It offers high-quality traffic and a variety of ad formats to choose from.
And because it’s such a large network, you’re likely to find many advertisers who are interested in promoting their products or services through your website.
Another great thing about Google Adsense is you don’t need a lot of traffic to get its approval as a new publisher. Your site just needs to have at least 15 to 20 high-quality posts published to get approved.
And it’s even easier to display ads on your website once approved, you just need to add a few lines of code to your website.
If you’re looking for an ad network that can provide you with high-quality traffic and a wide range of ad formats, Google Adsense is a great choice.
Features and Requirements:
- Ad formats – Auto Ads, In-Feeds, In-Articles, Multiplex, Interstitial, Shopping links.
- Monetization type – CPC and CPM model.
- Traffic requirement – None. (Unique and original content)
- Minimum Payout – $100 minimum threshold.
- Payment methods – EFT (Electronic Fund Transfer), Wire transfer.
- Extra features – A/B Testing option.
Although, Google Adsense is accessible to small publishers. Make sure you are creating high-quality and original material before applying for Adsense, and that your site is in accordance with Google publisher standards.
There are many websites that don’t follow these standards and are subsequently rejected.
If you’re having trouble getting accepted on Adsense, here’s a post where I explain how I was accepted with only 19 (Nineteen) Posts.
However, even after following all the guidelines if you don’t get approved, there are lots of alternatives to Google Adsense. You’ll find them below.
2. Ezoic (Best Adsense Alternative)
Ezoic is typically not an ad network, rather it’s an intelligent AI-based technology that provides publishers access to various ad networks.
They are also a Google Ads Certified Partner, and one of the best ad networks for small publishers.
They used to have a minimum traffic requirement of 10000 visitors per month, but lately, they have opened up their service for websites with less traffic under the Ezoic Access Now program.
They work with a wide range of ad types, including display, video, and native ads.
Plus, Ezoic offers a wide range of features that can help you improve your website’s earnings, such as real-time bidding, ad testing, and automatic optimization.
Features and Requirements:
- Ad formats – Display banners, video ads, interstitial ads and native ads.
- Monetization type – CPC, CPM and Hybrid (CPC+CPM) based model.
- Traffic requirement – None.
- Minimum Payout – $20 minimum.
- Payment methods – Paypal, Payoneer, and Wire transfer.
Have less than 10k website visitors? Sign-up for the Ezoic Access Now program here and start earning early.
If you meet these criteria, Ezoic is a great choice for small publishers who are looking for an alternative to Google Adsense and it can also be used alongside Adsense which almost doubles your earnings.
You can learn more about getting approved for the Ezoic network and the other requirements for Ezoic approval here.
3. Revenue Hits
Having the most simple sign-up process, Revenue Hits is also a great ad network for small bloggers. They have a clean and safe ads policy with over 5000 plus direct advertisers which makes it a good alternative to Adsense.
You can easily get started with Revenue Hits and they also have a wide range of ad types available.
The best part is their system even has solutions for ad blockers and you’ll be able to make money from each and every visit to your site.
Features and Requirements:
- Ad formats – Display banners, Popunders, In-page push, buttons, footer, floating banner, shadow box, slider and dialogue.
- Monetization type – eCPM based.
- Traffic requirement – None. (Unique and original content)
- Minimum Payout – $20 minimum and $500 if it’s a wire transfer.
- Payment methods – Paypal, Payoneer, and Wire transfer.
4. Outbrain.
Outbrain is a native ads platform and has recently introduced contextual advertising. They have one of the best quality ads available, and they work with a wide range of advertisers.
The best thing about Outbrain is that they approve almost all types of websites. You just need high-quality and original content on your website to get approved by Outbrain.
Features and Requirements:
- Ad formats – Native ads, carousel ads, ad installs for apps and video clips.
- Monetization type – CPC, CPM-based model.
- Traffic requirement – None. (Unique and original content) A bit hard to get approved.
- Minimum Payout – $50 minimum threshold.
- Payment methods – Bank transfer.
5. Propeller Ads (Now Monetag)
Propeller Ads now changed to Monetag for publishers is another great option for small publishers who want to monetize their websites without worrying about traffic requirements.
They offer a wide range of ad formats that work well on both desktop and mobile devices.
Furthermore, Propeller Ads (Monetag) is a very user-friendly platform with extensive reporting and real-time stats.
If you meet these criteria, Propeller Ads (Monetag) is a great choice for small publishers who are looking for an alternative to Google Adsense. You can sign up for the network today!
Features and Requirements:
- Ad formats – Popups, Pop-unders, In-page pushes, Interstitials and direct clicks.
- Monetization type – CPC, CPM based.
- Traffic requirement – None.
- Minimum Payout – $5 minimum payment threshold.
- Payment methods – PayPal, Payoneer, Skrill, Wise and Webmoney Z.
6. Infolinks
Infolinks is a popular ad network that can be a great fit for new and small blog websites that hasn’t gained enough traffic yet. They don’t have any traffic requirements and they accept almost all types of websites.
Infolinks is a very user-friendly platform with extensive reporting and real-time stats. You can easily get started with Infolinks and they offer a wide range of ad formats that work well on both desktop and mobile devices.
Features and Requirements:
- Ad formats – In-fold (Footer), In-top (header), In-cube (Ads inside a cube box), In-article, In-frame, In-text-ads and shadow box.
- Monetization type – CPC, CPM-based model.
- Traffic requirement – None.
- Minimum Payout – $50 minimum threshold.
- Payment methods – PayPal, eCheck, and Payoneer.
7. Adsterra.
Adsterra is a self-serve-based ad network that can provide you with high-quality ads. They have many years of experience and are currently working with more than 20000 publishers worldwide.
Their extensive variety of ads makes them one of the best Adsense alternatives for small publishers who need to display native ads and pop-unders as well as standard banner ads.
Features and Requirements:
- Ad formats – Display banner, Native ads, Pop under, Web push notifications, Social bar and In-page push.
- Monetization type – CPC, CPM, CPI, CPL and CPA model.
- Minimum traffic requirements – None.
- Minimum Payout – $5 minimum threshold.
- Payment methods – PayPal, WebMoney, Bitcoin, and Paxum.
8. Rich Ads
Rich Ads is a self-serve ad network that provides publishers with an easy-to-use platform for advertising their content. With over 20,000 publishers in over 200 countries, Rich Ads has something for everyone.
They also have an extensive range of ad types that you can use to monetize your traffic. Rich Ads is a great choice for small publishers who are looking for an alternative to Adsense.
Features and Requirements:
- Ad formats – Push ads, Direct click, Pop-under and In-page formats.
- Monetization type – CPC, CPM based.
- Traffic requirement – None.
- Minimum Payout – $10 minimum threshold.
- Payment methods – PayPal, Capitalist, Webmoney ($50 minimum) and Wire Transfer ($500 minimum withdrawal).
9. Smarty Ads
Smarty Ads is a unique ad network with monetization options not only for websites and digital publishers but also for app developers as well.
As a blogger or a website owner, you can take the advantage of the best eCPM traffic rates in the market.
Features and Requirements:
- Ad formats – Native ads, Banner ads, Rich media and video ad formats are available.
- Monetization type – eCPM-based model.
- Traffic requirement – None.
- Minimum Payout – $50 minimum threshold.
- Payment methods – PayPal and Wire transfer.
10. Magenet
Magenet has been around since 2007 and is one of the best contextual advertising platforms with more than 87000 publishers in their network.
Magenet’s ads are based on the content of your website and are displayed as native ads, which makes them less intrusive for your visitors.
Magenet also offers a very generous revenue share for their publisher partners, making them one of the most attractive options for website owners looking to monetize their traffic.
To use Magenet ads on your website, all you have to do is use their WordPress plugin if you have a website built in WordPress, or use the universal plugin for other platforms.
Once your site is connected with Magenet, they’ll directly show ads on your website as per your website category.
Magenet is a great option for website owners looking for an easy way to monetize their traffic without compromising on user experience.
Features and Requirements:
- Ad formats – Contextual ads so you don’t have to worry about ads not related to your niche.
- Monetization type – In-demand ads according to your content and niche.
- Minimum traffic requirement – None.
- Minimum Payout – $60 minimum threshold.
- Payment methods – PayPal, Webmoney and USDT TRC20 (Tron Network).
11. BitMedia
Bitmedia.io is a great AdSense alternative for sites that are related to Bitcoin or Cryptocurrency in general.
Bitmedia only works with advertisers that need crypto-related promotions, so you can be sure that all of the ads served on your site will be relevant to your site’s content.
In order to be approved into Bitmedia’s publisher program, your site needs to have only organic traffic and no paid traffic is allowed.
However, once you are approved, you can start earning revenue right away!
So if you’re looking for a new way to monetize your crypto-related website, Bitmedia is definitely worth checking out.
Features and Requirements:
- Ad formats – Text ads, Image ads, Responsive ads and HTML5 ads.
- Monetization type – CPC, CPM and Floor CPC-based pricing model.
- Traffic requirement – None. (Organic traffic and Crypto-related blogs only).
- Minimum Payout – 0.01 BTC.
- Payment methods – Only Bitcoin withdrawal through wallet transfer.
Bonus Ad networks
Want to check out more ad networks? here are additional ad networks you can check out.
12. Hooligan Media
Hooligan Media is an ad exchange platform that is a bit different from other ad networks.
They have hundreds of ad networks which compete with each other on their platform and the highest bidder wins the ad placement.
And hence, the publishers get higher ad revenue.
Hooligan’s official website also boasts they offer a higher CPM than Google AdSense. However, the downside is they don’t allow multiple ad networks to work with them on the same website.
Hooligan is clever though, by pitting ad networks against each other, they create a bidding war of sorts that drives up prices for advertisers but also provides publishers with higher revenues.
Hooligan may not be the best option for everyone, but if you’re looking for an AdSense alternative that offers higher CPMs, Hooligan is definitely worth considering.
Features and Requirements:
- Ad formats – Banner ads, In-feed ads ad format.
- Monetization type – CPC, CPM from Google Ad Exchange and other ad networks.
- Traffic requirement – No minimum traffic requirements.
- Minimum Payout – $100 minimum threshold.
- Payment methods – Payoneer and Bank transfer.
13. Hilltop Ads
Hilltop Ads is one of a kind advertising network which is best for any kind of low-traffic website including download websites, MP3 websites, and even movies and streaming websites.
Your site gets instant approval if it has unique and quality content, and doesn’t involve any illegal or pirated content. They also have a very low minimum payout of only $10, which is great for small website owners.
Features and Requirements:
- Ad formats – Push notifications, Direct links, Display banners, Pop-ups, Pop-unders and Video ads.
- Monetization type – CPM and you can request your personal account manager for CPA and CPC offers.
- Traffic requirement – None.
- Minimum Payout – $10
- Payment methods – PayPal, Bitcoin, Webmoney, Capitalist, Wire transfer, Tether (USDT).
14. A Ads
A-Ads is a crypto ad network that allows any kind of website to place ads directly on its platform.
Unlike other ad networks, A-Ads pays its publishers in Bitcoin, making it a great option for those looking to get involved in the cryptocurrency space.
A-Ads offers a variety of features that make it an attractive option for both advertisers and publishers, including low fees, high-quality traffic, and a wide range of ad formats.
Whether you’re looking to promote your own cryptocurrency project or simply want to earn some extra Bitcoin, A-Ads is worth considering.
Features and Requirements:
- Ad formats – Different types of ad banners for every corner of your site.
- Monetization type – Self-serve ads platform and CPD, CPA, CPM based.
- Traffic requirement – None.
- Minimum Payout – None.
- Payment methods – Payment in Bitcoin through wallets.
This is it for the list. Now let’s have a look at how to choose the best ad network for your website.
How to choose the best Ad network?
There are many ad networks that publishers can choose from. However, the best ad network I typically recommend for low-traffic websites is Google AdSense or Ezoic.
These networks offer a long-term solution for a blogging business and are the most trusted networks by far.
Ezoic is great because it offers high CPMs, low minimum payouts, and a wide range of ad formats. AdSense is also a great option as it offers a similar CPM to Ezoic (A bit lower) but with higher minimum payouts.
To work with them, however, requires quality content and organic website visitors.
If a publisher can provide value to their audience and generate organic traffic, then these networks will be the best option for them.
Adsense and Ezoic both have high-quality standards for the ads they accept on their network, so a publisher can be assured that they will only be running quality ads on their site.
In addition, these networks have a wide reach and are able to connect publishers with advertisers from all over the world.
This gives publishers a much larger pool of potential advertisers to work with, which can lead to more revenue.
Ultimately, choosing the best ad network for a publisher comes down to finding one that offers a long-term solution and has high-quality standards.
Google Adsense and Ezoic are two of the best options available and should be considered by any publisher looking to run ads on their site.
However, if you are looking forward to attracting website traffic through paid ads and earning some quick buck through ads arbitrage, you can select one of the ad networks listed above.
Pro Tip: Apart from displaying ads using different ad networks, Affiliate marketing can be a great way to start monetizing your website fast. You just have to sign-up for some Affiliate programs or Affiliate networks and start promoting products related to your niche.
Conclusion
These were the best ad networks for small publishers. If you are looking for an additional source of revenue or just want to test out different ad networks, then I suggest giving these a try.
However, always keep in mind that what works for someone else may not work for you.
That’s why it’s important to test out different ad networks for a period of time and see which one gives you the best results.
Do you have any questions about choosing an ad network? Leave me a comment below and I would be happy to help.
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