Google Opens Certified Ad Networks To All AdSense Publishers

[engine]

Google Opens Certified Ad Networks To All AdSense Publishers [adsense.blogspot.com]

Back in August, we announced plans to give publishers the ability to allow multiple Google-certified ad networks to compete for display ad space on your site. While this feature was initially available only to publishers located in North America and Europe, we're happy to announce that all publishers will now have access to these participating ad networks.

Allowing these ad networks to compete for your display ad space means that more ads will be eligible to appear on your pages, leading to potentially higher earnings in the long run. Our system will show the ads that will generate you the most profit, whether they're from these Google-certified ad networks or the AdWords program. As a reminder, all Google-certified ad networks are required to adhere to our standards for user privacy, ad quality, and speed. In addition, you can use the controls in your Ad Review Center to specify which ad networks can appear on your pages.

[Lame_Wolf]

I blocked them since day one.

[travelin cat]

Lame Wolf, why would you block potential income?

[Lame_Wolf]

Hi TC,

1: Google has not given us any info on what each of them do or who they cater for.
2: What steps are in place to stop banned adwords customers from reappearing from another network ?

[inactivist]

I just blocked all partner ad networks. I'll watch and see what happens.

One thing to consider: Google opened up the network to partner networks because it felt it had to in order to expand (or preserve) revenues -- in a way, it's an admission that other ad networks are eating into Google's pie, and G wants to get a piece of that action. So: if G is facing increased competition, blocking partner ads is probably going to hurt publisher revenues.

[Sally Stitts]

Lame Wolf, why would you block potential income?

From AdSense Advisor-

One quick clarification: this launch only impacts image-ad-enabled ad units. To reap the benefits, you do need to have image ads enabled for your inventory.

That quote is from -
[webmasterworld.com...]

All 90 Certified Ad Networks are for IMAGE ADS only, which are all CPM, and not CPC. CPM ads pay a fraction of a cent, whereas CPC ads pay 10 to 100 times as much.
I blocked ALL CPM ads 4 years ago, by emailing Google. I have no intention of ever turning them on again. Why displace CPC ads with CPM ads, when there is real money to be made?

The weird thing is that Google AdSenseAdvisor WARNS us not to block these ads. Why? Will we be algorithmically punished for not serving the "el cheapo" CPM ads?

[aish1108]

The new AdSense Interface doesn't give you the option to block Google Certified Ad Networks.
Anybody else noticing this?

why would you block potential income?

I have been a direct publisher with some of the Google Certified Ad Networks listed. Their ads are the bottom of the barrel. Scams, belly fat and yellow teeth, flogs and other crap. Plus they usually don't offer the ability to block creatives or advertisers.

The only Ad Network with worse transparency then these Ad Networks is Google. Why would I allow these same Ad networks to show ads AND hide behind Google's wall of no information?
I will never know which Ad network is serving ads to my audience, I will never get to see the ads they are displaying.

Plus do I really to be in business with a company called [X+1]

[aish1108]

CPM ads pay a fraction of a cent, whereas CPC ads pay 10 to 100 times as much.

The new AdSense Interface lets you view data by Bid Type.

Obviously every industry is different, but my eCPM for CPM bids is double that of CPC bids.

[Lame_Wolf]

To reap the benefits, you do need to have image ads enabled for your inventory.

Ah, good. I turned them off before the dawn of time.

[Future]

We have a whole new gigantic list of networks including this:

Adchemy
Invite Media
Specific Media
Turn
[X+1]
OwnerIQ, Inc.
Adconion Media Group
Adtegrity.com
AudienceScience Inc.
Dapper Inc.
Dedicated Media
FetchBack
LucidMedia
NetSeer Inc.
NextAction
QuinStreet, Inc.
ReTargeter
RichRelevance, Inc.
Teracent Corporation
ValueClick, Inc.
Aggregate Knowledge
Atrinsic
Brand.net
BrightRoll
Chitika
Collective Media
CPM Advisors, Inc
DataXu
Datran Media
Dotomi
Efficient Frontier, Inc.
InterCLICK
Media6Degrees
MediaMath
OpinMind
Quantcast Corporation
Rocket Fuel Inc.
Semantic Sugar, Inc.
Sooth Software Corporation (dba AdBuyer.com)
TellApart
Traffic Marketplace
Triggit
Acxiom Corporation
Advertise.com
Ad Pepper
AdReady
AOL Inc
Xtend Global Media LTD
Goodway Group
Innovation Interactive
Cyberplex, Inc
Didit
Announce Media
Media Innovation Group
VivaKi
AppNexus
Epic Advertising
AccountNow, Inc.
People Media, Inc
Bizo
EchoSearch
MaxPoint Interactive
Mpire
Pinnacle Dream Media
Pulse 360
Radius Marketing Inc.
Reply! Inc.
Criteo Europe
Criteo UK
Infectious Media
The Exchange Lab
Mixpo
Mexad
Adpepper Germany
ClickDistrict NL
DSNR
Hurra Germany
Criteo US
Cossette Communications
Pennyweb, Inc. (DBA Ybrant Digital)
Spongecell
OpenX Technologies
Red Aril, Inc.
Redux Media Inc.
ShareThis, Inc.
HTTPool
DQ
Mediaplex
Veremedia
ValueClick International Ltd
Struq Limited

[Cancellara]

All 90 Certified Ad Networks are for IMAGE ADS only, which are all CPM, and not CPC. CPM ads pay a fraction of a cent, whereas CPC ads pay 10 to 100 times as much.
I blocked ALL CPM ads 4 years ago, by emailing Google. I have no intention of ever turning them on again. Why displace CPC ads with CPM ads, when there is real money to be made?

For our account, its about 5 cents CPM for image ads with no clicks. You get additional "bonus" for every click from CPM ads.

[martinibuster]

CPM ads pay a fraction of a cent, whereas CPC ads pay 10 to 100 times as much.

The system makes advertisers bid an amount that would best what would otherwise be made via a click as measured by the average impressions between clicks and the cost per click. It's not difficult to calculate. The calculation is in your control panel. That number you see in your control panel is what CPM ad buyers are bidding against.

If one thinks about it, the idea that Google would give away your inventory to make less money doesn't make sense at all.

[fearlessrick]

I'm trying to make sense of this, but I have serious reservations about these "Certified Ad Networks" which are presented to us.

It's really a blind crap shoot, IMO, because all we know is that these networks will show image ads and we don't know how much G is taking, nor do we know the content or our share of revenue.

<rant>

Seems to me that Google is leveraging itself in a pretty aggressive manner. My screen shows: 92 Google certified ad networks always blocked. I intend to keep it that way until somebody can convince me that I'll make more money showing ads from third parties.

My tiny, pea-brain figures that if G is splitting revenue with these companies and us, somebody's going to get short shrift, which, from all indications of past performance, would be the publishers.

The world doesn't need to be any crazier than this. I recall that in my days as a newspaper publisher, I set the rates for advertising, not vice versa. Google, by dominating the space, has reversed the traditional arrangement. At some point, content providers (yes, us, the web publishers of the world) should gather up some gonads and demand better treatment, as in, more transparency, ability to block ads below a certain threshold, or, in a perfect world, to set our own rates.

I realize that I can depart from the Google world any time I like, but they still are the best-paying network available. However, as time goes on, Google's influence should diminish, not expand. Google still frowns on content providers who sell their own advertising, as if we should be happy - after allowing them to make billions indexing our sites and using them as search ad fodder - with whatever they allow us to earn.

Sadly, Google is tethered by the hip to Wall Street, which demands continual profit and revenue growth, whereas the normal functioning of a private business would be quite a bit more cyclical, more focused on client satisfaction, which would lead, naturally, to a stable revenue and profit stream.

Wall Street's distorted view of reality is that revenue and profit should always be increasing, which, in the majority of cases, is simply not possible. For them, there's no limit, there's never enough.

One point that's been constantly missing is the fact that without publishers (content providers), Google would have no purpose. Publishers, as the core of the internet, deserve to be treated with greater respect, not the "here's take this bone I throw" attitude which Google has consistently fostered.

</rant>

[deanw]

My CPM ads earn 12X my CPC ads. I wish I had the option of blocking my CPC's!

[maximillianos]

Sounds like this might be useful for sites that had a hard time getting targeted ads for reasons of inventory shortages?

This opens the flood gates for all sorts of new ads from niches that G might not have been that strong in.

We run one image ad from Google. It appears to pay via click from the reporting, and it does very well right now. How do you know if your ad is running ads from this network?

[BillyS]

If one thinks about it, the idea that Google would give away your inventory to make less money doesn't make sense at all.

I agree, Google is too smart to make that mistake. I can see someone wanting to control what is shown on their website, but from my perspective Google is spot on.

I've gotten some recommendations from Google staff too and making two small changes brought in an extra $70 / day.

[dingloo]

One curious question I have is:

AdSense team had once advised us to remove one of my sites (out of the ten or so sites that I use with AdSense) due to a violation in their terms. We removed this a year ago and are showing AdSense only on the remaining sites.

Will I be able to show the ads of these Certified AdNetworks on this site that does not show AdSense ads?

Does any one know the answer to this one?

If you do, please let me know.

Thanks,
Dingloo

[disgust]

how do you view earnings by CPM vs CPC?

[ken_b]

If one thinks about it, the idea that Google would give away your inventory to make less money doesn't make sense at all.

Here's my speculation on this.

I don't think they'd do that intentionally. But this stuff isn't done manually. It's some program making a "best guess" at what will work on a class of sites.

That means it's pretty much aimed at the lowest common denominator, so it will work well on many sites, but it works better on some sites and works worse on others.

If a site happens to fall into the "works worse on others" category Google isn't likely to to do much about it. It's probably those sites that wholesale blocking works best for.

[tim222]

The system makes advertisers bid an amount that would best what would otherwise be made via a click as measured by the average impressions between clicks and the cost per click. It's not difficult to calculate. The calculation is in your control panel. That number you see in your control panel is what CPM ad buyers are bidding against.

If one thinks about it, the idea that Google would give away your inventory to make less money doesn't make sense at all.

This makes the most sense. Google isn't going to serve an ad with dismal eCPM when they can serve a better one that makes more money for everyone. This is just the way business works... advertisers who are willing to bid higher aren't going to be sitting on the sidelines. But when there's ample inventory then the "bottom feeder" ads are going to get served once in awhile.

[fearlessrick]

Following my rant the other day, I went ahead and approved about a dozen of the certified networks on the 20th. Nothing much to report, but on Monday, the 22nd, I had a huge traffic day, though click-troughs were way down. Yesterday, I had an excellent earnings day on above-average traffic, though I don't have any real idea from where the money's coming.

I'll continue to monitor the results. My initial impression (no pun intended) is that if turning on certified networks somehow results in increased traffic, I'll take that and run with it.

[jhood]

CPM ads pay a fraction of a cent, whereas CPC ads pay 10 to 100 times as much.
I blocked ALL CPM ads 4 years ago, by emailing Google. I have no intention of ever turning them on again. Why displace CPC ads with CPM ads, when there is real money to be made?

This is simply not true. It depends entirely on your site, your traffic, your demographics and the deal you have with your networks. We get CPMs ranging from $1-$4 for below-the-fold positions, not as much as the AdSense produces in above-the-fold positions but enough to add up to five figures each month.

Behavioral targeting has greatly improved the payout for display (graphic) ads in recent years and is likely to be the next big growth area for online advertising. Google has pretty well maxed out the text ad market so it's only logical they would look for growth in other sectors.

[MrBreakEven]

Just have to say "fearlessrick" what a excellent post you made.