4 Key Features to look for in an Ad Network
Why Work with an Ad Network?
Working with the right ad network can be lucrative for you monetize all tiers of your inventory, from first look premium impressions to long tail remnant traffic. While many ad networks utilize similar technology stacks, not all are created equal. It is a combination of technology, revenue and customer experience that makes some ad networks easier to work with then others. Here are the traits you should look for before you work with an ad network.
1. They give really High CPM’s on Display Advertising
When you are looking to sell your ad inventory programmatically to an ad network you want as many high quality demand sources as possibly competition to win the bid for your display inventory. There are so many ad networks in the space and the successful networks generate long term relationships with their publishers first and foremost by providing higher than average CPM’s every day, every day. There are a lot of self-serve advertising sources out in the landscape so for a publisher to trust their impressions with a 3rd party source to implement the highest performing demand for all tiers of their inventory is challenging at times. Networks who are looking to buy premium top tier inventory on top ranked Alexa and SimilarWeb websites will usually offer very competitive fixed CPM rates for US impressions and attempt to arbitrage the buy.
It is always a risk for a publisher to change their current monetization and switching ad networks can be scary and comes with risk. The agreed upon deal between the network and publishers should provide exponential value for the publisher and focus on monetizing areas and placements that are not recieving much love. Ad networks usually will come to publishers with products that add additional revenue streams such as prorietary rich media slider units, demand for videos or pop ups and unders.
2. They have great Payment Terms
Many publishers rely on an ad network as their main source of income and tend to flock to networks who have low payment thresholds, pay on time and do not have payment discrepancies. Ideally as a publisher you would want an ad network to pay you NET30 and have multiple options for payment such as PayPal, Wire, ACH or a check. Some ad networks have restrictions on countries on who they can work with and it is extremely important that you fully read the terms and conditions and have a solid IO in place that is fully understood and signed by both parties. Strong relations are forged when ad networks pay their clients in a timely manner on a consistent basis with clear indication of how much money is earned during a specific time frame.
3. They have an easy to use and intuitive reporting system
When you are working with an ad network it is essential to have secure reporting access and login to understand how much revenue you are generating and the true eCPM you are backing out to from the network. You should be able to report on a variety of factors such as geographic location, size, placement and details about what brands and campaigns are being run on your inventory. You want to make sure the network is maximizing performance and you are not being underpaid for inventory or sending them GEO’s that are being defaulted to a low paying Revenue Share payment rule. Some ad networks will send you daily reports and set up quarterly business reviews to discuss account performance. It is important for publshers to understand exactly how much they are making at any given time and be gain value trend data from the during of a campaign.
4. You are assigned an experienced account manager who answers quickly
When navigating the digital advertising jungle it is important to have an experienced account manager managing your day to day needs and optimizing your inventory to generate the highest CPM’s possible. Some account managers have over a hundred accounts that they are tending to and trying to grow each and every day and to be successful you must keep clear and ongoing communication with your account manager to maximize the time they spend making adjustments on the account. A publisher should trust that the account manager is customer focused and understands that when there are large revenue increases for the publisher, they will naturally offer up more inventory and be open to testing new setups.