What is a good alternative to adsense?

Best alternative to adsense?

[shadowlight]

What is a good alternative to adsense?

I recently enabled adsense after many years of not using. The ads weren't even topically relevant & received many complaints from users saying that they were clicking on ads when they didn't mean too etc etc.

Wasn't on for long before being disabled.

[tangor]

Adsense is currently the "best" cut and paste ad insert out there. If your users are clicking and COMPLAINING to you about clicking on ads, then you might want to rethink your site layout to CLEARLY set ads away from the content. Might want to do that any way to avoid fighting ad revenue clawbacks by g...

[shadowlight]

I left it up to G to place the AD's, that's why users started to complain. Go figure!

Looked like a MFA site after this. Was soon disabled.

Like I say, not used Adsense for years & considering ads weren't topically relevant and the actual revenue generated was literally pennies compared to what it once was......well there has got to be a better alternative out there.

[tangor]

Even g is guilty of plastering ads automagically. As for revenue, the "hook and thrill" phase ended a decade or so back. It is now "Pennies Not Dollars" and that is not likely to change in the future.

That said, there really is not a good competitor to adsense. That's one of the "good" things about monopolies. (Sigh)

[Kendo]

Before adwords we used "affiliate banners". Instead of getting paid for impressions or click-throughs, we got paid a commission of sales, sometimes as high as 20% and more for the first purchase. "First purchase" meaning that subscriptions and renewals are too difficult to track. 10-20% of a $500 sale is attractive or not?

[tangor]

Ah, the memories!

[youtube.com...]

[azlinda]

Shareasale is still roaring as far as affiliate banners.

[not2easy]

Shareasale was sold to AWin and is currently in transition. You might as well skip the transition and get them from AWin.

[Kendo]

I am currently revising our own affiliate system to bring it into the 21st century.

[azlinda]

Yes, I have been with Shareasale for years, and they are transitioning. However, not all the companies have completed their transfer to AWin yet.

[Kendo]

If I had a website for displaying affiliate banners I wouldn't bother with the affiliate solutions that are available to day. There used to be some good ones back in the day. In fact one of my first hires from an ad agency was to create a banner service. This was when we all used 56k diallup modems so creating a banner server in Australia was important for download speed. Soon after affiliate banners services popped up everywhere and so too did "affiliate software" solutions that one could buy to run from your own website.

Today, what I see from most that are still available, is that they all require a joining fee/subscription before you can participate, and their pay outs are unlikely to be transparent.

If anyone is interested in a no-nonsense solution that pays 20% of all sales tracked from banner click-throughs, just ask.

[Brett_Tabke]

I felt inspired over the weekend and went on a 48hr bender digging into the current crop of alternatives. Posted it over here:

[searchengineworld.com...]

[Kendo]

One problem with any ad service is having control over the ad content.

The worst case scenario is seeing ads for competitors or ads that can degrade the reputation of your website.

[fearlessrick]

A good alternative to adsense?

Become a plumber, carpenter, or general handyman.

[fearlessrick]

@Brett, thanks for the list and mostly for keeping webmasterworld operational for all these years.

I've actually tried most of those services you listed. Only media.net was any good, until they weren't (about 2 years ago).

The problem with many of these alternatives is they still used adsense as a backup, which defeats the entire purpose.

Let's face it. We're owned. I F-ing hate it. Thought a lot about it many times. The only solution is to sell one's own ads or partner up with other websites to offer something that larger advertisers would consider. The problem - and I have been through this in a former life as a newspaper publisher - is that as soon as anything competes with Google they will threaten the advertisers, something along the lines of "if you go with them, we'll cut you off permanently."

Sad, but true, how the world works at their disgusting, deceitful level.

[tangor]

Let's face it. We're owned.

Not true. Lazy, needy, least resistance, risk adverse---pick one or all.

Had it too easy too many years as a myth of money was created, which hooked more to play, and when a critical mass of publishers were on board the money shifted to the house---and the players got played.

HOWEVER, some of us never bought into the free stuff (you get what you pay for) and built durable sites, creative content, some behind subscriptions or paywalls, developed in-house advertising with regional partners and made money hand over fist for years and years. Consistently made money. Predictable income allows for predictable expending and expansion, thus potential for more ROI at the end of the year.

Built communities, cultivated return visitors, brand name awareness, none of which are beholden to any search engine. If in budget: local radio/tv advertising, print as well before that turned to trash around 2008 (so bad general circulations dropped 80% or more).

There are GREAT alternatives to adsense. But ALL of them require HARD WORK, DEDICATION, MONEY, and sometimes a STAFF. One is never OWNED, unless they want to be.