Alternatives to Adsense that don't drop cookies.

[fretfull]

I'm looking for a cookie free ad network. Any suggestions?

[keyplyr]

Because of recent events, there may be ad networks coming that don't use cookies, but AFAIK they all do currently.

Understand that in addition to brokering ads, (some/most?) ad networks are also in the business of data collection. This is one of the main points of the recent attention towards privacy.

[Jane_Doe]

I just took Adense off my sites. I haven't really been updating them as much lately anyway. It was still nice just collecting the revenue, even though it had been dropping off over the years. They weren't making enough these days to implement a programming solution to the EU cookies issue or to risk a big fine. I'm also in the market for Adsense alternatives now and or maybe just closing up shop altogether unless some low cost, easy to implement solution shakes out for the EU issue.

[keyplyr]

Ad networks, presumably all using cookies:
• Google AdSense
• Adx (Google)
• Doubleclick (Google)
• Adblade
• Advertising.com
• Chitika
• Clicksor
• Infolinks
• Media.net
• PulsePoint
• Tribal Fusion
• Vibrant Media

[QuaterPan]

Since, by next year, web browsers will have to ask users if they accept or not cookies (everybody will likely refuse), ad networks will have to quickly get ride of their cookie, if they want to continue their business.

Will they? For ad networks, which are focused on the North American area, they might not mind much, if the EU doesn't represent a significant share of their incomes.

Like usual, this will be small and average publishers which will suffer the most.

It might sign the return of affiliate programs, but since major sites are now well established, they no longer really need us to promote their products and services ...

[tangor]

just closing up shop altogether unless some low cost, easy to implement solution shakes out for the EU issue.

Might have to do that, sad to say. Advertisers AND publishers need to track things. The current method is cookies. It has worked well, and will continue to work well, though for EU folks you MUST get informed consent.

Therein lies the rub. Expectations and realities are essential. Adsense is not the only method of web income. Serve/host your own advertising (DIRECT SALES). Subscriptions, donations, etc, are revenue streams which don't have any problems.

These are HARD things to do since work is required.

[QuaterPan]

It might sign the return of affiliate programs,

No, I am wrong with this assumption, because, since the upcoming ePrivacy Regulation, will cause nearly all cookies to be blocked, this is going to kill affiliate programs too, since it will no long be possible to track from where users are coming !

[QuaterPan]

Because of recent events, there may be ad networks coming that don't use cookies

Sure! There is definitively a frame for this innovation. I wish DuckDuckGo (for example) would open an ad network, to compete with Adsense. Or eyeo GmbH (Ad block plus). I would sign immediately.

[Steven29]

Users like you allow a company to block YOUR ads and everybody else's until they have a name for themselves. Then you look to them for a solution for your ads problem? Maybe you should now pay them too? They just pooped all over your internet business and you want anything to do with them?

[QuaterPan]

Users like you allow a company to block YOUR ads

No, I get my sites whitelisted (free) a while back. So my ads (adsense) are showing to people using Adblock plus. As long as your ads are not invasive, they whitelist you; this is not different from what Google Chrome is doing since last March.

[NickMNS]

Without cookies or any other form of tracking, it will be impossible to track the performance of ads, thus making advertising at scale impossible.

[QuaterPan]

I think that fretfull is talking about cookies written by just displaying an ad. These cookies are not needed. Then once an ad is clicked, yes, there can be cookies to track , but that is no longer a problem.

In all events, ad networks will have to deal with it, since the upcoming ePrivacy Regulation will make that web browsers will need to ask users if they accept or not marketing cookies, and I bet that nearly everybody will check "no".

[fretfull]

Yes, I'm talking about dropping cookies just to display an ad. They aren't needed. I'm surprised Google already doesn't give us that option.

Jane_Doe, have you thought about just not using Adsense in the EU? Of course that only works if a bulk of your Adsense revenue is outside the EU.

[Jane_Doe]

fretfull - Good suggestions but I don't know how to block users from only the EU. Is there an easy way to do that? We just found IP solutions which would need constant updating and seemed like a lot of work for low earning sites.

I just saw the WSJ had a banner on cookies and a link to web browser instructions on how to block cookies. Maybe that is the 80/20 solution? Of course if it is not deemed good enough they have an in house legal department and I do not. I was going to just leave the ads off for a couple of months and see what other companies end up doing and what shakes out with the regulations.

[fretfull]

Try [ipstack.com...] It's the same geo locator that that cloudflare script uses to geolocate. Cloudflare is well respected. If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me. It's free. Just don't show ads with any IP address that has country code "EU". You can either do it client side but will have to make a third party call and thus expose PII, the visitor's IP address, or you can do it server side and psuedo-anonymize the IP before querying. Thus there is no PII sharing.

[keyplyr]

Cloudflare is well respected.

Ah em... speak for yourself. Most every admin I know blocks all cloudflare ranges, as do I.

[azlinda]

Most every admin I know blocks all cloudflare ranges, as do I.

What are the advantages to doing this?

[keyplyr]

What are the advantages to doing this?

Blocking all server farms (including Cloudflare) is an effective filter to stop unwanted traffic, which is mostly bots.

We want traffic from humans. In most cases humans come from ISPs. In some cases humans come from aps hosted at server farms, but those are exceptions.

Helpful links:

Most of Your Traffic is Not Human [webmasterworld.com]

Search Engine Spider & User Agent ID Forum [webmasterworld.com]

Server Farm IP Ranges [webmasterworld.com]

Blocking Methods [webmasterworld.com]

[azlinda]

Thank you, keyplyr. I appreciate the information.

[tangor]

I block cloudfare because they are hypocrites without a clue. And because of all the above, too.

[QuaterPan]

It's indirectly related , (but still). I can't find any ad network claiming to be GDPR compliant.

For example, someone said at another topic, that media.net was GDPR compliant, since they are contextual advertising, but that is just a guess. Serving non personalized ads , doesn't mean they (or their partners) aren't collecting data, to feed the system.

[QuaterPan]

Ad networks, presumably all using cookies:

What's the point, in a topic asking for ad networks which are not using cookies, to post a list of ad networks which are using cookies?

So, to not-help, I'll add that:
- adbrite
- criteo
- valueclick
- and hundreds of others are also using cookies.