A Beginner’s Guide To Choosing The Right Ad Network

Ensuring your website is profitable to you while it offers value to customers is a challenging albeit crucial task. Therefore, if you have already decided to monetize your site, it is highly recommended that you find a reliable advertising network to help you do the job with the utmost proficiency.

But what is an ad network? It is an indispensable part of the online digital world that helps publishers and advertisers to connect and work together successfully. An advertisement network helps manage advertising layouts, fill all possible ad spaces effectively, and generate the highest potential revenue from the ads.

However, finding the right network that suits your specific needs can be quite a challenge as there are numerous options in the market. Instead of fretting over this dilemma, you can carefully check the following information to find the most suitable network for your advertising needs. Here is a quick guide to what is an ad network and how to choose the right ad network.

What is an Advertising Network?

An online advertising network, most often referred to as an ad network, is an establishment (company or entity) that connects advertisers to publishers who wish to host advertisements on their websites. In short, these networks aggregate massive ad inventories, ensuring that supply sources are perfectly matched with demand sources looking for prime ad spots.

Many networks enable advertisers to sign-up and manage their own campaigns when it comes to the demand side. Certain other agencies offer managed services, where clients can use their expertise and approach to ensure the campaign brings in optimal results.

Any ad network’s role depends on the inventory exchange, where they may sometimes sell inventories directly. Alternatively, they buy the leftover inventory stock from the suppliers and resell it at a lower price in the market.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Network

Before you sign a contract with an ad network, ensure to check the following aspects as carefully as you can.

• Network Size

Hiring a small ad network may not be the most prudent decision if you own a considerably large and complex website. That’s because the network may not efficiently meet all your requirements, leaving you with less than your fair share of the revenue from the ads. Therefore, look for a large agency with easy access to numerous ad inventories, as it can help you match your ads to relevant websites with suitable content.

• Ad Quality and Format

As far as most internet users are concerned, they assume that you endorse the ads they see on your website. So, it is crucial to have good-quality ads on your site pages that ensure visitors find them relevant to the content they are browsing. Consequently, visitors will enable you to make your share of profits from the ads you host on your website by following the appropriate links.

Furthermore, remember that ad formats can have a significant impact on the overall performance of your website. For instance, users may instantly leave a webpage if they find an uninteresting text-based ad rather than an intriguing video format. So, consider the format options an ad network offers before signing up with them.

• Targeting Capabilities

Any reliable advertising network uses a vast range of contextual, purchase-based, location, and behavioral targeting methods to ensure you reach your target audiences across the globe. However, ask for statistical proof to ensure the authenticity of the data they provide, helping you gauge how accurately they can locate your target audience.

• Publisher List

Indeed, any dependable advertising network should have a vast inventory of ad space. However, quality is as crucial as quantity in this scenario, ensuring your ads enjoy prime spot placement on numerous websites. So, before you work with an agency, ask if they can provide you with a list of publishers that suit your specific business needs. This will empower you to understand better where your ads will be displayed and if they reach your target audiences.

• Data Check and Technology

Ensure the network does not upload too old data as that may lead to incorrect targeting, rendering the entire exercise futile. Moreover, you should also enquire about the technology used by the network, as it can make a tremendous difference in the outcome. Popular options to seek include insight targeting, frequency capping, auto optimization, and more.

• Test Campaigns

Not all ad networks offer this option to their clients, but some specific ones certainly do, especially if your campaign budget is considerably high. A test run by the network will help you understand how the actual campaign will look. If you find the results worth investing in, you can go ahead and sign up with the network for any length of duration that suits you.

Finally, a careful look at the network’s success rate and client list can give you more insights into their functioning.