Why every backup ad network sucks so far

Hypothesis

[Evan Salamanca]

This applies to both Adsense and Sulvo so far. They all blow so far for one reason: because the top network (Adsense/Sulvo) is grabbing all of the most valuable impressions by both device type and nationality. This also seems to be why Adsense sucks when Sulvo is first and Adsense is second - because it's not getting the higher dollar impressions. Now maybe this is not entirely universal but this is what I've noticed so far. That's why people are doing well with CPA and internal ads.

[anefarious1]

Yes it is true. Sulvo is more selective than Adsense in that they don't fill nearly as high a percentage of ad slots. In any case, most networks have become very good at being selective which would explain the new ad slider feature (Google as an example). It is certainly difficult to come up with a solid plan for unfilled ad slots. For sure!

[Dimitri]

If ad slots are unfilled, there is a reason, simply because there is no inventory for the profile of the visitor.

Google has the biggest knowledge database about the profile of visitors. They collect information, from their SE, but also from all sites which are using Analytic, and Adsense. So Google has the ability to profile each visitor better than anyone else. And since they have the biggest inventory in the world (beside the fact Media.net claims the same, ... but use Google's inventory), if Google can't find ads to display to a given visitor, there is extremely few chances an other ad network could.

Also, we can assume that even if other ad networks have advertisers which are not with Google, it's because it's advertisers which have been excluded from Google ad network, or who are too small to pay something significant.