2014-04-15



First Published: July 22, 2012; Last Updated: Monday, April 14, 2014

Google AdSense is undoubtedly the best advertising network out there that follows a pay-per-click advertising model. When Google AdSense was first launched they were accepting almost all websites with over 100 content rich pages and that comply with their basic program policies. So almost anyone was able to get an AdSense account (even with scraped content) in less than a week or two.

But today, your website must not only comply with Google AdSense Program Policies but must also comply with Google Webmaster Guidelines. It means that you they can deny your AdSense application if your website is selling text links or is hosting copyrighted content, etc. Even if your website complies with these program policies and guidelines they may still reject the application based on the content quality.

Is It Possible To Make Money Blogging Without Google AdSense?

In a word, Yes. But what you should know is that Google AdSense is almost unassailable when it comes to monetization simply because they have the largest ad inventory. Since pay-per-click ad networks determines the cost per click based on bidding, when more and more advertisers are bidding for the same ad position the cost per click increases naturally. That exactly is the reason why AdSense outperforms any other ad networks out there.

And that doesn’t mean that you can’t make more money that you used to make with AdSense from other networks. For instance, if you use the right affiliate program then its earnings may be more than all your ad revenues combined. But the problem with affiliate programs is that they’re not so reliable. For example, if your organic rankings drop then it will impact your earnings directly or if those affiliate programs reduce commissions or change their business model then it may affect your earnings. So it’s not a good idea to rely on affiliate programs alone in the long term.

Read: Top 10 Affiliate Networks & Programs For Affiliate Marketing

So what are the options and alternatives to Google AdSense?

Luckily there are a lot of websites to monetize our content in several ways without using AdSense. Some of them are: banner ad networks (for CPM ads), affiliate networks (for CPA ads), alternate pay-per-click ad networks (for CPC ads), text links, sponsored posts, paid guest posts, in-text ads, in-image ads, etc.

Read: 101 Websites For Anyone And Everyone To Make Money Online

You can consider these AdSense alternatives if Google – banned your account for whatever reason, denied your application, or if you want to try something else or if you don’t want to depend upon AdSense income alone.

Sell PPC Ads: The 5 Best Google AdSense Alternatives

I have reviewed few pay-per-click ad networks, in-text ad networks, CPM ad networks, and other ways to monetize your content. If you’re looking for Cost Per Action (CPA) or Pay Per Lead (PPL) networks then check out the Top 10 Affiliate Networks for affiliate marketing which is again an alternative to Google AdSense. You can place ads from almost all the below mentioned networks along with your Google AdSense ads.

1. Yahoo! Bing Network Contextual Ads (by Media.net)

Media.net is probably the best alternative to AdSense as it’s powered by Yahoo Bing Network. Bing has a search market share of around 18% and they also have a good ad inventory. I’ve tried Media.net few months back and the average CPM was better than any other AdSense alternatives. Also, if you’re from Russia or your targeted visitors live in Russia then then you can try Yandex Advertising Network instead of Media.net.

Alexa Rank: 2,374

Minimum Payment Amount: $100 (PayPal); $500 (Wire Transfer)

Payment Method(s): PayPal, Wire Transfer

Programs Offered: Cost Per Click

Yahoo! Bing Network Contextual Ads: Sign Up | FAQ

2. Clicksor

Clicksor is one of the best Google AdSense alternative which allows publishers to display advertisements related to their website content by using their contextual technology. You can place Clicksor ads along with Google AdSense ads and can even set minimum prices for CPV, CPC, CPM and CPI ads. The ad formats include Inline Text Links, Text banners, Graphical banners, Pop-unders and Interstitial ads. You receive up to 85% of the ad income and can earn extra income by referring other publishers. Clicksor pays 10% additional income every time you refer a publisher or advertiser to Clicksor network.

Alexa Rank: 1,312

Minimum Payment Amount: $50 (PayPal, Check); $1,000 (Wire Transfer)

Payment Method(s): PayPal, Check, Wire Transfer

Programs Offered: Cost Per Click, Cost Per Impression

Clicksor: Sign Up | FAQ

3. BidVertiser

BidVertiser is another top alternative to Google AdSense which pays you for valid clicks on ads placed on your website as well as for conversions generated from those clicks. You display ads on your website or blog and advertisers bid against each other so that you earn the maximum cost per click.

Alexa Rank: 1,364

Minimum Payment Amount: $10 (PayPal); $100 (Check)

Payment Method(s): PayPal, Check

Programs Offered: Cost Per Click

BidVertiser: Sign Up | FAQ

4. Chitika

Chitika is an online advertising network that allows publishers to display ads on their website, blog, app or mobile site. They offers publishers and advertisers user targeted, search targeted, mobile and local ads for websites, blogs, apps and mobile sites. As a publisher you can also refer other publishers to them and earn 10% of their CPC revenue for up to 10 months from their approval date.

Alexa Rank: 2,326

Minimum Payment Amount: $10 (PayPal); $50 (Check)

Payment Method(s): PayPal, Check

Programs Offered: Cost Per Click

Chitika: Sign Up | FAQ

5. Lijit

Lijit offers many advertising options like remnant banner ads, homepage takeovers, rich media ads, contextual ads, image ads, social engagement ads, etc. They say they have direct partnership with major ad agencies and networks to maximize your CPMs.

Alexa Rank: 2,326

Minimum Payment Amount: $10 (PayPal); $50 (Check)

Payment Method(s): PayPal, Check

Programs Offered: Cost Per Click

Lijit: Sign Up | FAQ

Sell Direct Ads

If your website is in a competitive niche and is getting good traffic then you can sell direct ads. It works the best when you have banner ad spots on your website so that potential advertisers can contact you to buy those ad spots. For some big publishers, selling direct advertising is their only way of monetization because they can control the CPM and thereby their income. All you need to do is to create an “Advertise” page on your blog or website with your Google PageRank, Alexa Traffic Rank, Traffic Statistics (by Google Analytics) and the available ad formats with their rates per month. Or you can try the following networks to make selling easier.

6. BuySellAds

BuySellAds is an online advertising network where publishers can list their ad inventory. You get access to thousands of advertisers through their market place. The BuySellAds network supports web, mobile web, RSS, Tweets, apps (desktop, iOS, Android) and e-mail. BuySellAds is a good alternative to AdSense and is used by most professional bloggers.

Alexa Rank: 2,041

Minimum Payment Amount: $20 (PayPal); $50 (Check); $500 (Wire Transfer)

Payment Method(s): PayPal, Check, Wire Transfer

Programs Offered: Cost Per Impression, Fixed Rate Banner Ads, Sponsored Tweets

BuySellAds: Sign Up | FAQ

7. DoubleClick For Publishers

DoubleClick by Google offers publishers a complete ad revenue engine and it helps you to manage your ads so effectively that you can capture the most value for every page view that your website receives. If you are unable to find advertisers by yourself then BuySellAds may be a better choice but they do charge 25% commission. DoubleClick is a self-serve ad platform that is so flexible that you can control your entire ad inventory using only this platform. If your website is popular then you get inquiries from potential advertisers and in that case DoubleClick gets you the best value for every page view.

DoubleClick For Publishers: Sign Up | FAQ

Sell Text Links

If you have a good quality website then it’s super easy to make money selling text links because advertisers are willing to spend thousands of dollars to improve their organic ranking. But wait, selling text links is against Google’s Webmaster Guidelines and they may even ban your website from its search results unless the links are rel=”nofollow”.

8. Matomy SEO

Matomy SEO (formerly Text-Link-Ads.com) connects you to high quality advertisers who are looking for relevant websites to buy text links. They place text link ads on your website so that your earnings don’t depend upon the clicks or page views of your website – you get a flat rate for a 30-day period.

Alexa Rank: 11,337

Minimum Payment Amount: No Minimum (PayPal, Payoneer); $25 (Check)

Payment Method(s): PayPal, Payoneer, Check

Programs Offered: Fixed Rate Text Link Ads

Matomy SEO: Sign Up | FAQ

9. LinkWorth

LinkWorth is another popular text link ad network and it’s alternative to Matomy SEO. With LinkWorth, you can monetize your website using text link ads, paid blog reviews, in-text ads, in-content pay per click ads, rotating text ads, hosted content pages and many more.

Alexa Rank: 17,066

Minimum Payment Amount: $25 (PayPal); $100 (Check, Wire Transfer, EFT)

Payment Method(s): PayPal, Check, Wire Transfer, EFT (US Only)

Programs Offered: Text Link Ads, Content Ads, Banner Ads, Sponsored Reviews

LinkWorth: Sign Up | FAQ

10. Text Link Brokers

Text Link Brokers makes selling links easy because they find link buyers related to your website that you actually want to link to. They also have a Hosted Marketing Pages program similar to a sponsored review in which you host a new page on your website with unique content and embedded links.

Alexa Rank: 10,595

Minimum Payment Amount: N/A

Payment Method(s): PayPal, Check

Programs Offered: Text Link Ads, Sponsored Reviews

Text Link Brokers: Sign Up | FAQ

11. Adbeans

Adbeans is a text link ad network that works with publishers who want to sell text links on their website or blogs. When you sign up for Adbeans you will get text link ad offers in your account so that you can accept or deny it. When you accept an offer they pay you a fixed rate for each text link that you place on your website.

Alexa Rank: 56,057

Minimum Payment Amount: GBP 20

Payment Method(s): PayPal

Programs Offered: Text Link Ads

Adbeans: Sign Up | FAQ

12. TNX.net

TNX.net is a text link marketplace that connects advertisers and publishers. You can sell links on your website and get payments every month in advance by adding their codes on your webpages. The pricing of text links are based on your website’s Google PageRank, topic, link profile, etc.

Alexa Rank: 29,581

Minimum Payment Amount: Unknown

Payment Method(s): PayPal, Webmoney, Check, Wire Transfer

Programs Offered: Text Link Ads

TNX: Sign Up | FAQ

You may also try LinkAdage, Digital Point, and WarriorForum which are alternate marketplaces for buying and selling text links.

Sell Sponsored Reviews

Once again, selling sponsored articles without rel=”nofollow” is against Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. But it’s the easiest way to make money blogging as you can earn at least $50 per sponsored review if you have a good quality blog.

13. Sponsored Reviews

Sponsored Reviews is a blog advertising network that allows you to build backlinks, increase traffic and improve search engine rankings of your website. If you’re a blogger then you can make money by reviewing advertiser’s websites.

Alexa Rank: 6,055

Minimum Payment Amount: No Minimum

Payment Method(s): PayPal

Programs Offered: Fixed Rate Sponsored Reviews

SponsoredReviews: Sign Up | FAQ

14. PayU2Blog

PayU2Blog is a a blog network that pays you to blog. When you become their member you will get writing assignments. Basically you will be asked to review a product or a service. And you have to write only your honest opinion about a product or a service and don’t have to endorse it.

Alexa Rank: 8,591

Minimum Payment Amount: N/A

Payment Method(s): PayPal

Programs Offered: Fixed Rate Sponsored Reviews

PayU2Blog: Sign Up | FAQ

15. Blogsvertise

Blogsvertise allows you to monetize your blog in several ways. You can make money by displaying banner ads, selling text link ads, or sponsored posts. The ad rates depend upon the pricing set by you and the demand for that ad spot.

Alexa Rank: 10,029

Minimum Payment Amount: N/A

Payment Method(s): PayPal

Programs Offered: Fixed Rate Sponsored Reviews, Banner Ads, Text Link Ads

Blogsvertise: Sign Up | FAQ

16. ReviewMe

ReviewMe allows you to make money by reviewing products you find interesting. Price is determined by the reach of your blog. Reviews can range from $40 to $500 per review and it will be a one time fee.

Alexa Rank: 62,596

Minimum Payment Amount: No Minimum (PayPal); $25 (Check, Prepaid Card)

Payment Method(s): PayPal, Check, ReviewMe Prepaid MasterCard

Programs Offered: Fixed Rate Sponsored Reviews

ReviewMe: Sign Up | FAQ

Read: Make Money Writing: Top 25 Sites That Pay Upfront For Your Content

Pop Under & Pop Up Ads

I’m not a fan of pop up or pop under ads and I never tried those on any of my websites. But I feel that it’s a good advertising option for traffic heavy websites like downloads, image hosting, file sharing, etc. Why? For those kind of websites showing a couple of pop-under or pop-up ads won’t affect the user experience in a big way but if you place these kind of ads on your blog then it will affect user experience and your visitors may never return.

17. PopAds

PopAds appears to be the best advertising popunder ad network as the average revenue of their publishers for 1,000 U.S. visitors was never below $4. If it’s true then I think it can deliver better results than AdSense itself. You can request payment anytime you want or may use that money to buy advertising for your own websites.

Alexa Rank: 207

Minimum Payment Amount: $5 (PayPal and AlertPay); $500 (Wire Transfer)

Payment Method(s): PayPal, AlertPay, Wire Transfer

Programs Offered: Cost Per View

PopAds: Sign Up | FAQ

18. InfinityAds

InfinityAds (or Paypopup) is another Pop Under and Pop Up ad network that pays you for every thousand impressions shown on your website. The average payment rate according to their website is $1.80 per 1,000 impressions. All the websites gets auto approval and the minimum payout is just $5.

Alexa Rank: 26,412

Minimum Payment Amount: $5

Payment Method(s): Check, PayPal, Wire Transfer

Programs Offered: Cost Per View

InfinityAds: Sign Up | FAQ

In-Text Advertising Networks

In-Text advertising can’t be considered as an alternative to Google AdSense but you can use it along with AdSense or any other contextual ad networks like BidVertiser or Clicksor.

19. Infolinks

Infolinks is the leader in in-text advertising which offers 70% revenue share even if you’re a newbie blogger. Infolinks follows a pay-per-click advertising model. Whenever a visitor hovers over one of these double-underlined words, an ad related to what they’re reading appears and you get paid every time a reader clicks on one of those ads. They offer advertising options like: insearch ads, intext ads, intag ads, inframe ads.

Alexa Rank: 1,127

Minimum Payment Amount: $50 (PayPal, eCheck); $100 (Wire Transfer, WU)

Payment Method(s): PayPal, Wire Transfer, eCheck, Western Union, Payoneer

Programs Offered: Cost Per Click

Infolinks: Sign Up | FAQ

20. Kontera

Kontera discovers the best editorial content and dynamically delivers brands’ advertising, content and social assets for optimal results. Their In Text ads are a highly effective and profitable online advertising solution for websites and blogs.

Alexa Rank: 20,403

Minimum Payment Amount: $50

Payment Method(s): Check, PayPal, Wire Transfer

Programs Offered: Cost Per Click

Kontera: Sign Up | FAQ

In-Image Advertising Networks

If your website or blog is image heavy then you can turn your images into ad inventory with the following in-image advertising networks. They place targeted ads over images so that you’ll make money on a cost per view or cost per click basis.

21. GumGum

GumGum is one of the largest in-image advertising (In-image advertising is a term used to describe targeted ads overlaid on images) platform, reaching over 150 million unique users worldwide. GumGum doesn’t require any minimum number of visitors but they require at least 500,000 monthly page views targeting U.S. based audience.

Alexa Rank: 21,430

Minimum Payment Amount: $50

Payment Method(s): Check, PayPal

Programs Offered: Cost Per Impression

GumGum: Sign Up | FAQ

22. Luminate

Luminate makes images interactive. They offer an Image App Platform, which enables consumers to conduct their favorite online activities such as shopping, sharing, commenting and navigating directly from a picture. Luminate publishers can offer innovative consumer features that increase audience engagement, website traffic and drive incremental revenue.

Alexa Rank: 30,969

Minimum Payment Amount: $10

Payment Method(s): Check, PayPal

Programs Offered: Cost Per Impression, Cost Per Click

Luminate: Sign Up | FAQ

CPM Ad Networks

CPM (Cost Per Mille) stands for Cost Per 1,000 Impressions. A high paying CPM advertising network is actually the best alternative to Google AdSense. As you probably know, Google AdSense (or any other pay per click network) pays for only clicks so it means that your monthly income varies a lot as AdSense CPC/CPM is very volatile. A CPM network pays you for every 1,000 page views you generate. So it means that if the CPM set by your CPM Network is $1 then you will earn $30 per month (if you generate 1,000 page views daily or 30,000 page views per month). High traffic websites and blogs rely on CPM networks than CPC networks since it generates guaranteed income.

23. Technorati Media

Technorati Media is one of largest social media advertising network which accepts sites with great original content and deliver targeted campaigns from top brands at high CPMs.

Alexa Rank: 10,575

Minimum Payment Amount: $50

Payment Method(s): PayPal, Check

Programs Offered: Cost Per Impression

Technorati Media: Sign Up | FAQ

24. Yes Advertising by Clicksor

Yes Advertising is a new ad network by Clicksor that allows you to make money through their CPM program. They say their publishers are currently earning an average of $5 CPM.

Alexa Rank: 11,064

Minimum Payment Amount: $50 (PayPal, Check); $1,000 (Wire Transfer)

Payment Method(s): PayPal, Check, Wire Transfer

Programs Offered: Cost Per Impression

Yes Advertising: Sign Up

25. Burst Media

Burst Media gives you high CPMs, quality campaigns and full control of which ads run on your site.

Alexa Rank: 10,174

Minimum Payment Amount: $50

Payment Method(s): PayPal, Check, Electronic Funds Transfer (US Only)

Programs Offered: Cost Per Impression

Burst Media: Sign Up | FAQ

26. PulsePoint

PulsePoint (formerly ContextWeb) is one of the top CPM (Cost Per Mille) Network that exists today. With PulsePoint you can set your own prices. Set your current eCPM (effective cost per thousand impressions) so that the advertisers compete to beat your current eCPM. If they don’t beat your current eCPM then it will show backup ads from other networks like Google AdSense. So, you’ll always make the maximum money when you work with PulsePoint.

Alexa Rank: 15,863

Minimum Payment Amount: $50

Payment Method(s): PayPal, Check, Electronic Funds Transfer (US Only)

Programs Offered: Cost Per Impression

PulsePoint: Sign Up

27. Vibrant Media

Vibrant Media have over 6,000 premium publishers, reaching over 250 million unique users per month. Some of the products are Vibrant Image, Vibrant In-Text Ads, Vibrant Display, Vibrant Related Content and Vibrant Lightbox.

Alexa Rank: 24,228

Programs Offered: Cost Per Impression, Cost Per Click

Vibrant Media: Sign Up | FAQ

28. Gorilla Nation

Gorilla Nation sells advertisements on a CPM (cost per thousand impressions) model to advertisers and agencies around the globe.

Alexa Rank: 22,941

Programs Offered: Cost Per Impression

Gorilla Nation: Sign Up | FAQ

Premium CPM Ad Networks

If you have a high traffic website or a blog then you can apply for the following programs. They’re premium ad networks that offer maximum CPM.

Exponential (formerly Tribal Fusion)

Federated Media

Content Platforms

Forget pay-per-click ads, banner ads, affiliate programs, and everything else as there are even more ways to monetize your website. The earnings from the following content platforms primarily depends upon your website’s authority and not necessarily page views (unless it’s CPM).

29. Taboola

Taboola helps advertisers to acquire traffic to their website using content recommendation service. So if you’re a publisher then you can monetize your content by recommending content people may like, using Taboola personalized recommendations. Taboola monetizes your website with a premium CPM by inviting your users to discover high-quality articles and videos from Taboola’s marketplace.

Alexa Rank: 565

Programs Offered: Content Recommendation

Taboola: Sign Up

30. PostJoint

PostJoint is a content blogger network that connects marketers and bloggers. You can mention the topics you blog about and can even set a minimum budget spent so that they will send you notifications when an advertiser is interested in buying an article on your blog. You will be paid $10 – $500 (or even more) depending upon your monthly unique visitors.

Alexa Rank: 4,266

Payment Method(s): PayPal

Programs Offered: Paid Guest Posts

PostJoint: Sign Up | FAQ

31. Content.ad

Content.ad as the name suggests monetizes your website with premium ads that look and feel like content. Ads by Content.ad links to a variety of high-quality sponsored content with user friendly images and headlines. And they offer high CPM guarantees for top publishers.

Alexa Rank: 15,468

Minimum Payment Amount: $50

Payment Method(s): PayPal, Check

Programs Offered: Content Ads

Content.ad: Sign Up | FAQ

32. Content BLVD

Content BLVD is another content platform that connects brands and publishers. Advertisers submit quality sponsored posts or guest posts to a relevant blog and if it’s accepted then they will get paid. You will be paid $50 – $425 per sponsored blog post depending upon your website’s Moz Domain Authority. There’s no payment for guest posts but you will get a placement fee based on your domain authority.

Alexa Rank: 45,234

Minimum Payment Amount: N/A

Payment Method(s): PayPal

Programs Offered: Sponsored Posts & Guest Posts

Content BLVD: Sign Up | FAQ

33. Written

Written helps brands to increase their visibility and also helps bloggers to monetize their best content. Written.com licenses your content to other brands for a specific period of time and you’ll be making money on a monthly basis. It’s like you’re renting your content to someone else on a monthly basis so as long as they’re using your content you will make money.

Alexa Rank: 109,222

Minimum Payment Amount: N/A

Payment Method(s): PayPal

Programs Offered: Content Syndication

Written: Sign Up | FAQ

Ad Networks For Women Bloggers

Yes, the list is not over yet and the next list is for the women bloggers out there. If you’re a woman blogger then you can try the following ad networks as they’re looking for blogs written by women or blogs with female audience.

34. BlogHer Publishing Network

BlogHer Publishing Network is an ad network for women bloggers. They accept only high quality bloggers and are accepting new applications periodically so you may be on a waiting list when you apply. With BlogHer, you can make money by showing CPM ads and also by accepting their sponsored posts and reviews.

Alexa Rank: 4,154

Minimum Payment Amount: $25

Payment Method(s): PayPal, Check

Programs Offered: Cost Per Impression, Sponsored Posts

BlogHer Publishing Network: Sign Up | FAQ (unofficial)

35. Foodie Blogroll Ad Network

Foodie Blogroll Ad Network is for the food bloggers or blogs with 75% food related content. You can make money from your blog by showing CPM banner ads and also by using your social media influence. If you’re an active social media user then you can accept sponsored posts and other sponsored content to make more money.

Alexa Rank: 83,203

Minimum Payment Amount: No Minimum

Payment Method(s): PayPal

Programs Offered: Cost Per Impression, Sponsored Posts

Foodie Blogroll Ad Network: Sign Up | FAQ

BONUS: Competitor Analysis

Competitor analysis is also an effective way to find the best affiliate programs for your website. But how? You can check the ads on your competitor’s website to find out what ad networks are they promoting. If it works on their website/blog then it should work on your website as well.

For example, if it’s a well-known commercial blog then you can analyze their homepage and see what he/she is promoting above the fold (i.e. portion of a web page that is visible in a browser window without having to scroll down). Why? Because most bloggers promote their best revenue sources above the fold so that it gets the immediate attention of all their readers.

Also, since bloggers love to write affiliate reviews you can check their “Reviews” category to find out what products and services they’re endorsing. And finally, if they are publishing their monthly income reports then it’s the best way to find out how exactly your fellow bloggers are making money from their blog.

If income reports are not available on their blog then you can do a Google search for “blog income report” and check the monthly income of similar blogs. I also recommend Matthew Woodward’s Income Report. Basically it’s an internet marketing blog but his monthly income report posts is a roundup of different blogs from different niches (any blogger can submit their income report and he will publish it).

Read: How Much Traffic Do You Need To Make $100,000 With Advertising

Conclusion

There are dozens of new ad networks launching every year so it’s somewhat difficult to say what’s going to work on your blog without actually trying. You can analyze all the networks mentioned here to find out the best one that matches your website profile. And that exactly is the reason why I haven’t endorsed any ad network specifically. In fact I never tried some of the above mentioned networks but still I believe that I’ve listed only the best of the best.

Now, what’s your favorite Google AdSense alternative?

30+ Google AdSense Alternatives You Didn’t Know [Make Money Blogging] is a post by Minterest

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