Advertising network

What Is An Ad Network?

Ad networks are platforms that are responsible for collecting available unsold ad inventory from publishers and making them available for advertisers who are on the lookout for advertising space. These networks can save hours of time spent finding a spot to shine.

When Is The Time To Use An Ad Network

While the prospect of using an ad network seems incredibly promising, it is still advisable not to always use these networks extensively. These networks should be used when the focus is on gaining a higher volume of ROI. That said, it is not necessary that the traffic you get might not be up to your expectations. Nonetheless, ad networks are incredibly helpful if you are looking to run your campaigns using specific ad formats and niche audience segments.

How Does An Ad Network Work?

Ad networks make it incredibly easy for advertisers to find a place to show their ads to a target audience interested in the range of products or services the brand offers.

Here’s how this becomes possible:

• The network collects clusters of publishers with unsold inventory and eagerly seeks to sell these spots to buyers. The selection criteria depend on how much an advertiser is willing to spend to claim their spot. Advertisers offering higher bids are given priority.
• The advertisers that are on the lookout for buying inventory create a campaign that highlights their requirements. Most advertising networks have a campaign management feature that enables advertisers to create their campaigns.
• While the advertiser is busy outlining their needs, the ad network sets up tangible packages that will be sent out to target buyers (who are part of the publisher pool).
• Campaigns created by advertisers consist of information, including budget, their potential customers, and other parameters that will help them find a spot. Meanwhile, the publishers install ad tags on their websites.
• The data stored in the ad tag is shared with the publishers once they match with an advertiser.

What Are The Different Types Of Ad Networks?

Advertising networks are vast and can be incredibly valuable to your marketing and advertising strategy. However, it is necessary to understand that each ad network can redefine how you target your customers. Here are the five popular ad networks that you can consider using to your advantage:

• Horizontal: These networks offer a wider reach impression and bring opportunities on a much broader scale. 

• Vertical: These are highly specific and will only provide reach impressions in a certain niche. Fashion ad networks are a prime example.

• Inventory-specific: Specilized in a certain type of inventory in the ad network. Video ad networks are a shining example.

• Premium: These bring better ROI as the pricing is higher with a focus on quality. They are incredibly helpful in driving more conversions while attracting high-quality qualified leads.

• Targeted: These are useful when a certain type of online behavior needs to be targeted. Targeted ad networks usually offer server-based targeting, enabling advertisers to reach their choice of audience in a shorter period.

Ad Network Benefits: Key Reasons to Use

Ad networks are crucial to save time and resources that would otherwise be spent in finding advertising spots on relevant websites. Aside from that, these networks offer the following benefits:

• The range of options available on a reliable ad network is massive, giving advertisers and publishers more freedom to choose from.
• There’s scope for increasing the ad’s reach on the advertiser’s as well as the publisher’s end.
• The ad network takes on the responsibility of matching advertisers and publishers, eliminating the tedious and cumbersome processes on both ends.
• Both the advertiser and the publisher can significantly maximize their earning potential. Advertisers get to place their campaigns on credible websites, whereas publishers can earn from their unsold inventory.
• Ad networks offer the convenience of multiple targeting options that can benefit advertisers looking to get the most out of their budget.
• These networks also take away the hassle of negotiating deals with publishers.

Features To Look For When Choosing An Ad Network

Here are the key features to look for when deciding on an ad network:

• The type of inventory the ad network has and the quality of these inventories.
• These ad networks should be able to help find a suitable target audience more easily.
• They must offer a variety of formats to choose from, enabling advertisers to diversify their campaign structure.
• The network has a clear and easy-to-use interface and is reputed for being reliable.
• The support the platform is able to offer when you are getting started with using the platform and the extent of ad management they will be able to assist with.
• The nature of transparency and standardization that is followed by the network. Check if they use standard IAB initiatives (or the latest ones), maintain a list of authorized publishers, and use an ads.txt and sellers.json file to check inventory source.
• Analyzing performance data is a crucial aspect of understanding how the campaigns are generating results. Looking for networks that can provide data on CPC, CPM, CPA, Impressions, or any other metric you monitor is vital.

2 Key Mistakes To Avoid When Choosing An Ad Network

Now that you know how to choose an ad network, here are some mistakes that you should keep in mind before making any commitments:

• Focusing extensively on revenue alone:

Do not switch to an ad network without researching about it. There will be times when the earning potential from an ad network will seem tempting, and you might want to invest. However, it is best to pause momentarily and understand if the ad network promises traffic and ROI at the cost of poor user experience.

• Opting for dubious ad networks

Choosing a reliable ad network that promises great ROI and value, is established, and has a bankable track record is best. However, if you are approached by persistent networks in their services, asking for a website where their ad networks are currently working will help.

Aside from this, check community forums and review websites to understand if the network is relatively new but performing or something you should stay away from. Avoid forming your judgment based on positive reviews alone, as they can be fabricated to win trust.

Bottomline

Finding a reliable ad network that helps publishers and advertisers to connect seamlessly can be tricky initially. However, trying out different platforms, analyzing the results (by measuring impressions and conversions), and developing a better understanding of your needs will ensure you are able to leverage these platforms to your advantage at all times.

Advertising networks can help claim unsold inventory find high-bidding advertisers, and ensure publishers are always generating revenue. Read more here!