7 Best Ad Networks for Small Publishers (Make Immediate Passive Income)

If you’ve ever been online and seen an ad pop up, that publisher works with an ad network. Displaying ads is how many freelancers and business owners earn extra income. In this article, we’ll share the best ad network for small publishers to make an income, whatever the size of your audience.

Online advertisements are better than ever because so many platforms use technology to display only ads that are meaningful to your audience. Ads are also a reasonably straightforward way to earn passive income in almost no time.

What are ad networks?

An ad network is a platform that allows publishers (for example, a blogger) to display advertisements for their audience. Advertisers and publishers both work with ad networks to earn revenue. When a publisher uses an ad network to show ads on their publication, there’s a potential to earn money based on ad clicks and impressions.

Website traffic is necessary for decent ad revenue. Many of the bigger ad networks, such as Mediavine and AdThrive, have higher traffic requirements. However, the ad networks we’ll share below also work for websites with fewer visitors.

6 Best Ad Networks for Small Publishers

Ad networks are a great way to monetize a blog or earn extra income from your website or YouTube channel. Below, we’ll share the best ad networks for small publishers. These also work well for larger publishers, so you can keep using these even when your audience grows.

1) Journey by Mediavine

Mediavine is considered the gold standard for bloggers monetizing their websites, and as someone who has been a member of Mediavine for over four years with another website, I have nothing but good things to say.

This is to say that when they recently launched their platform for smaller publishers via their Grow software, people were very excited. Instead of the 50,000 sessions required by their standard Mediavine platform, Journey requires 10,000 sessions, allowing bloggers and publishers to earn income much earlier.

Journey by Mediavine pros

Launched by a trusted award-winning ad platform
Mediavine values user experience, so ads are typically less invasive
Opportunity to switch to their current Mediavine platform when you reach 50,000 sessions
Excellent customer service when there’s a problem
They contact you once you have enough sessions — monitored on the Grow platform.

Since it’s very early days for this platform, there are no cons yet, but if it’s anything like the traditional Mediavine platform, it’s a sure winner. Some may hesitate if they don’t want to run their Grow Software, which is a requirement; this is how they will reach out to you.

2) Ezoic

Ezoic is an award-winning ad network that’s been helping publishers of all sizes make passive income since 2010. It was also the first in the industry to use AI and machine learning for its features and products.

It’s important to note that Ezoic doesn’t call itself an “ad network.” Instead, it focuses on technology just for publishers. Ezoic streamlines the accessibility, implementation, and optimization of various ad networks and ad-related technologies for publishers to monetize their sites.

Ezoic Pros

There’s a free trial.
Approval usually only takes 48 hours.
Ezoic works with every CMS, host, or website configuration, including WordPress, Squarespace, Shopify, and more.
There’s a special feature for sites with low traffic so that any size publication can work with Ezoic.
The minimum threshold for payment is $20.
There’s a fully automated solution for income, including automatic ad placement, audience segmentation, etc.
Assigned account managers make suggestions for more revenue.
Comprehensive analytics give valuable information.
Customer support can help with any questions or concerns.

Ezoic Cons

Ezoic requires 10,000 page views per month but does offer a feature for sites with less traffic.
Setup can be very challenging, but the customer support team can help and will even jump on a video call with you if you need extra help.
Ads seem to slow your website down more than most

3) Monumetric Propel

If you’re an emerging publisher looking to grow your following and revenue, Monumetric Propel is an excellent ad network option. Propel prides itself on being a revenue partner who works with you to set up and test what works best for your goals.

Monumetric Propel Pros

The monthly pageview conditions are much less than those of many other ad networks, with a requirement of 10,000- 80,000 pageviews per month.
Monumetric offers comprehensive advertising management and a custom reporting dashboard with all plans.
There’s a support team to help with setting up, problems, etc.
Monumetric works with most blogger sites, including WordPress.
Users report excellent revenue potential with Monumetric.

Monumetric Propel Cons

Monumetric only works with a WordPress or blogger site.
You must have a minimum of 50% website traffic from the US, UK, Canada, & Australia.
Your site must be approved by major ad providers.
Unlike other ad networks, Monumetric Propel doesn’t show your revenue until the following day.
There’s a one-time $99 setup fee for smaller sites.

Google runs Google Adsense, the most popular ad network for big and small publishers. It allows website owners to make money by showing ads geared toward their niche and target audience.

Although Google Adsense is a favorite, it may or may not be your best option.

Google AdSense Pros

It’s free to use.
You can create 1 Google AdSense account and use that for multiple websites.
Google Adsense works for various publications, including websites, blogs, and YouTube videos.
You can customize the appearance of your ads.
Ads are optimised for mobile or desktop.
Google AdSense uses algorithms to display relevant ads.

Google AdSense Cons

You get paid only after you earn $100.
Your Google AdSense account can be cancelled anytime for various reasons, such as click fraud or inactivity.
Some users claim that the analytics can be difficult to understand.

5) RevenueHits

Over 20,000 worldwide use RevenueHits to show ads on their sites and make passive income. RevenueHits is known for using intelligent algorithms to monetize various online spaces to their fullest potential.

RevenueHits Pros

Not only can users earn money by getting ad views and clicks, but RevenueHits also pays out when your audience takes other actions, including a sale, contact request, newsletter signup, and more.
RevenueHits is one of the best ad networks for small publishers because there’s no minimum monthly view requirement at this time.
An account manager can help you optimise ad placement, but as a self-serve platform, you can make changes as you’d like.
Competitive rates are possible with RevenueHits’ plentiful in-house advertisers.

RevenueHits Cons

There’s no real-time reporting, and updates aren’t available until the following day.
There aren’t any video or innovative ads, only ads with display and animated placements.

6) Infolinks

Infolinks is a completely free ad network that many users like to use alongside Google AdSense. They offer intent targeting, high views, and exclusive placements.

Infolinks Pros

Its ads are compatible with Google AdSense to allow you to generate more revenue.
While many users report that you should have 1,000 monthly views, Infolinks doesn’t require a minimum page view.
Keywords are used to ensure your ads are suitable for your audience.
You can customize Infolinks ad units.
There are no setup fees.
Approval usually takes just 48 hours.
You only need earnings of at least $50 for payout.

Infolinks Cons

Ads through Infolinks are mostly only relevant to certain countries. So, if your audience isn’t from one of these countries, you won’t have the potential to make a good income.
Infolinks ads can be intrusive, so you must be careful where you place them on your site.

7) Media.net

You’ll want to consider using Media.net if you’re interested in working with an ad network used by many Fortune 500s and has one of the largest selections of advertisers. Media.net is all about using technology to auto-learn and optimise to show users the most relevant ads and offers.

Media.net Pros

There is no cost to join.
Media.net’s technology ensures your audience is only shown the most suitable ads, and you can choose which ads are shown.
You can work with Media.net to choose your ads or select what and where ads are displayed.
Keywords are used to show you more about user intent.
Media.net offers a user-friendly interface.

Media.net Cons

Users must have at least 10,000 page views per month.
Payment is only in USD.
Media.net requires most of your traffic to be from the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.

FAQ

To help you better understand ad networks for small publishers, we’ll answer a few common questions.

Which ad platform is best?

These are the best ad platforms for publishers of all sizes: Ezoic, Monumetric Propel, Google AdSense, RevenueHits, Infolinks, and Media.net. Each one offers pros and cons, which we’ve shared above.

Which ad network pays the most?

While earning potential is based on various factors, and all of the best ad networks above can lead to excellent income, we find that Ezoic often pays the most. While many ad networks pay only per click, Ezoic pays per click and impression. You can also use Google AdSense alongside Ezoic to increase your earning potential.

Although Journey has not been launched, if Mediavine RPMs are anything to go by, this could be a better option than Ezoic.

What is the best ad network for low-traffic sites?

Ezoic is ideal for low-traffic sites because it often pays more than other ad networks and their Access Now feature is accessible for users with low traffic.

That said, Google AdSense, RevenueHits, and Infolinks don’t have a minimum monthly pageview requirement.

We hope these top ad networks for small publishers were helpful to you. Displaying ads offers an excellent opportunity to earn a full-time or side income. If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing!