Spending on digital advertising is projected to hit $513 billion by 2025. For publishers, this means more opportunities to maximize ad revenue by partnering with the best ad networks in the market.
However, given the highly fragmented nature of the digital advertising landscape in which several players claim to be the market leaders, the question that has to be answered is, which is the best ad network for publishers?
In this comparison article, we’ll discuss the pros and cons of the three top ad networks today - Ezoic, AdSense, and Publift - to help you make an informed choice.
Ezoic vs. AdSense vs. Publift: The Full Overview
Ezoic vs. AdSense vs. Publift Quick Overview
| Criteria |
Ezoic |
Google AdSense |
Publift |
| Traffic Requirements |
No minimum traffic requirements, making it accessible to publishers at all levels. |
No minimum traffic requirements; suitable for small and new publishers. |
Requires a minimum of 500,000 monthly page views and $2,000 monthly ad revenue. Exceptions may be made for high-quality content publishers. |
| Revenue Share Model |
Offers a 10% revenue share after a 30-day free trial. Publishers can also opt for an ad-funded model with no direct costs. |
Publishers receive 68% of the revenue from display ads and 51% from search ads. |
Operates on a 20% revenue share model, ensuring publishers retain 80% of the ad revenue generated. |
| Ad Formats Supported |
Supports a wide range of ad formats including display, video, native, and interstitial ads. AI optimizes ad placements for maximum revenue. |
Provides standard display and responsive ads with limited customization options. Ad formats include text, display, and rich media |
Offers diverse and customizable ad formats such as banners, sticky footers, scrollers, and interstitials, ensuring optimal user engagement. |
| Ad Optimization |
Utilizes advanced AI and machine learning to automatically test and optimize ad placements and layouts for improved revenue and UX. |
Relies on basic automatic optimization with limited manual control over ad placements and formats. |
Provides data-driven optimization and A/B testing, along with personalized suggestions to maximize ROI and maintain user experience. |
| Analytics and Reporting |
Header bidding effectiveness depends on Ezoic account level. |
Network doesn’t support header bidding. |
Delivers detailed and actionable reports through a user-friendly dashboard, including metrics on impressions, CTR, CPM, and user engagement patterns. |
| Payment Terms |
Offers comprehensive, real-time analytics with granular insights on performance metrics like revenue, user behavior, and content engagement. |
Provides standard reports with options to integrate Google Analytics for enhanced insights. Reporting is less detailed and delayed. |
Minimum payout of $200 through direct bank transfer in the currency of your choice. Google revenue is paid Net 30, others on Net 90 terms. |
| Customer Support |
Minimum payout of $20 with multiple payment methods including PayPal, Payoneer, bank transfer, and check. Payments are made Net 30. |
Minimum payout of $100 via methods like EFT, wire transfer, and check. Payments are made Net 30. |
Offers dedicated and personalized support through account managers, ensuring prompt and effective resolution of issues and proactive optimization. |
| Onboarding Process |
Provides extensive support including live chat, email, and a knowledge base. Support quality improves with higher account levels. |
Limited customer support primarily through help topic articles and community forums; lacks personalized assistance |
Quick approval process initiated through a contact form. Publishers receive tags within 5 days along with assistance from a dedicated account manager. |
| Website Performance Impact |
Straightforward online sign-up with easy integration. AI starts optimizing ads immediately upon setup. |
Simple sign-up process requiring a Google account and website verification. Approval can take up to a few days. |
Employs lightweight ad technologies ensuring minimal impact on site speed and user experience while maximizing ad viewability. |
| Policy and Compliance |
Focuses on balancing ad revenue with site speed and user experience. Provides tools to monitor and improve website performance. |
Ads are generally lightweight but may affect load times depending on ad formats used. Limited tools for performance optimization. |
Enforces high standards for content quality and compliance. Works with publishers to ensure adherence to industry guidelines and legal requirements. |
| Best Suited For |
Requires compliance with Google policies and original content. Does not accept corporate or e-commerce sites. Supports various languages. |
Strict content and quality policies; the website must be at least 6 months old and comply with AdSense policies and supported languages. |
Established publishers with significant traffic aiming for premium ad placements, personalized support, and advanced revenue optimization strategies. |
| Additional Features |
Publishers of all sizes seeking advanced optimization and willing to experiment with AI-driven strategies for revenue growth. |
Beginners and small publishers looking for easy setup and access to a broad advertiser network without complex optimization needs. |
Provides access to premium demand partners like Xandr, Criteo, and OpenX, along with ad block monetization capabilities to recover lost revenue. |
Important Factors to Consider Before Choosing an Ad Network
Choosing the right ad network can make all the difference when you're trying to maximize revenue while maintaining a good user experience. Here are the key factors to consider when choosing an ad network.
1. Revenue Potential
- Revenue Model: Different ad networks use various pricing models, such as CPM (cost per thousand impressions), CPC (cost per click), CPA (cost per acquisition), and revenue share. Choose an ad network based on your traffic type.
- Fill Rate: A high fill rate ensures that the available ad inventory will be fully used.
- Floor Price: Some networks allow publishers to set a minimum price for ad inventory, preventing low-value ads from being displayed.
2. Ad Quality and Relevance
- Brand Safety: Ensure that a network doesn't serve inappropriate or low-quality ads that could damage your reputation.
- Ad Targeting Capabilities: Networks that use AI and machine learning to optimize ad delivery based on user behavior and demographics can increase engagement and revenue.
- Ad Format Variety: A diverse set of ad formats, such as display, native, video, rich media, and interstitial ads, can provide the flexibility needed to match your content.
3. User Experience
- Ad Load Speed: Slow-loading ads can increase bounce rates and negatively impact SEO.
- Intrusiveness: Avoid networks that serve excessive pop-ups, auto-playing videos, or ads that disrupt content consumption.
- Mobile and Cross-Device Compatibility: Ads should be optimized for different screen sizes and platforms.
4. Control and Customization
- Ad Placement Flexibility: Some networks offer greater control over where and how your ads appear on a website.
- Blacklist/Whitelist Options: You should be able to block certain advertisers, categories, or specific ads that you don’t want displayed.
- Header Bidding Support: This feature allows multiple ad networks to bid on the same inventory, which maximizes your revenue.
5. Compliance and Privacy Regulations
- GDPR, CCPA, and Other Regulations: To avoid legal issues, ensure that a network complies with international privacy laws.
- Transparency in Data Collection: Some networks collect user data for ad targeting. To maintain trust with your users, check how data is handled on a network.
6. Ease of Integration and Support
- Setup and Technical Requirements: Choose a network that integrates easily with existing CMS platforms and website infrastructure.
- Reporting and Analytics: Detailed real-time reports can help you analyze performance and optimize ad placements.
- Customer Support: Reliable support is essential for troubleshooting and optimizing ad performance.
7. Reputation and Trustworthiness
- Network Credibility: Research reviews, testimonials, and case studies.
- Payment History: Ensure that a network has a consistent record of timely payments.
- Minimum Payout and Payment Options: Some networks have high payout thresholds or limited payment methods, which can be inconvenient for smaller publishers.
8. Competition and Exclusivity
- Exclusive vs. Non-Exclusive Networks: Some networks require exclusivity, which might limit your opportunities with other ad networks.
- Competition Level: A network with strong advertiser demand ensures better bid prices for ad space.
What Is Ezoic?
Ezoic is an adtech platform that uses cutting-edge technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to help publishers improve their ad revenue. It also assists publishers with improving their website visibility and attracting more traffic.
How Ezoic Works
Ezoic helps its publishing partners find and run productive ads on their websites. Its primary offerings for publishers include Ad Tester and Leap.
Ad Tester helps website owners figure out the best ad placements on their websites based on data-driven insights that take into account visitors' graphics, display, and user experience (UX) preferences.
Leap, on the other hand, helps website owners increase page speed, load times, and other important performance-related metrics to improve ease of access and page experience.
Ezoic follows a tiered approach in which it classifies publishers into several levels based on their annual revenue, and tailors its services according to these levels. The first level includes publishers with annual revenue between $0 to $2,499, while the Enterprise level is meant for publishers with an annual revenue of over $1 million. This means that a publisher of any level can join the ad network.
How to Integrate Ezoic
There are two ways to integrate Ezoic with a website.
- Through cloud integration
- Through a WordPress plugin.
Connecting Ezoic through cloud integration can be done either via your site's name servers or by connecting via CloudFlare.
To connect via your site's name server, just log into your Ezoic account and click “integrate your site”. You can then select the “Cloud Integration” option and connect your site's name servers to the Ezoic server at your host.
Ezoic is a CloudFlare partner, and connecting it via this tool is easier. If you already have a CloudFlare account, Ezoic will detect it. If you don't have a CloudFlare account, you can simply create one and activate Ezoic.
Alternatively, if you run your website on WordPress, Ezoic has a WordPress plugin for displaying ads that you can easily install and activate.
How Do Publishers Benefit From Ezoic?
Ezoic takes care of the technical aspects of ad management such as running tests and finding the right ad space layout, allowing publishers to focus on creating quality content.
For instance, there is a wide range of potential ad location options and ad formats that website owners need to analyze before finding the most appropriate one that generates the greatest user engagement.
Manually pinpointing the best way of placing ads takes a lot of time, effort, and money as you have to go through many tests and use many tools for each process. Ezoic's AI-enabled technology instantly identifies the best combination of positioning, sizing, and ad placement that suits each publisher.
It also allows website owners to choose between a user experience-focused strategy or a revenue-focused strategy.
Furthermore, the ad network also identifies the right combinations for each device for a particular publisher based on real data. This data-driven approach removes the guesswork from the crucial task of ad placement.
Ezoic Features
Ezoic’s key features begin with, as mentioned previously, its AI-powered ad optimization. The platform uses machine learning to test different ad placements, sizes, and formats. It also adjusts ad layouts dynamically for each visitor to maximize their revenue and user experience.
Another key feature is the platform’s ability to enhance website speed and broader ad performance. Its Leap suite of tools improves core web vitals, reduces page load times and enhances SEO. Advanced caching, lazy loading, and script optimization can also be used to improve ad performance.
As for ad monetization, Ezoic offers access to premium ad partners for higher-paying ads, along with AI-driven video ad placements and Ezoic-hosted video players. Users are also afforded the flexibility to adjust the balance between their ad density and their users’ experience.
Finally, the platform also offers several other specific features, such as Flickify, an AI-powered tool that converts articles into videos; Humix, a video-sharing network for cross-site monetization; and Tag Tester, which helps optimize SEO meta tags for better rankings. It’s worth noting that these features, like others, can be scaled for different website sizes, meaning that the platform can be used by both large and small publishers.
Ezoic Ad Formats
A variety of ad formats are available on the Ezoic platform. Perhaps the most popular format is the display ad, which can be presented as either an image or a video and in various shapes and sizes.
Increasingly popular are native ads, given their ability to blend in with the main content of the web page in which they’re located. Another popular format, given the widespread use of mobile devices, is the anchor ad, which stick to the bottom of a screen, regardless of scrolling. This feature affords them persistent visibility.
Other available formats include sticky sidebar ads, which follow a user as they scroll down a page, vignette ads, which are full-screen ads that appear between page loads, and side rails, which appear on either the left or right of a user’s screen as they scroll down a page.
Ezoic Payments
Ezoic offers prospective users a free trial for all its products and services. Users can choose one of two options: the ad-funded option, which is free for 30 days and doesn’t involve a contract; and the 10% revenue share option, which is also free for 30 days and doesn’t involve a contract.
The first option is the default setting for new users and, after 30 days, Ezoic keeps the revenue from any ads in order to pay for the continued use of monetization features. With the second option, sites share 10% of the revenue they’ve earned using Ezoic while keeping 100% of the revenue they’ve earned from any linked mediation partners.
Ezoic Pros
- A large pool of quality ads
- Publishers have full control over their ads and monetization
- Data-driven insights
- Suitable for users of all levels
- Fully automated solutions
- Multiple payment options.
Ezoic Cons
- The free version doesn't offer a lot of features
- Publishers need to wait at least 30 days before they can withdraw their earnings
- A difficult learning curve for beginners.
Our Verdict
Ezoic is a great CPM ad network for low-traffic publishers who are just starting out on their content monetization journey. It doesn't just help publishers maximize their revenue but also helps them grow through different services, such as speed optimization, content delivery network (CDN), web hosting and SEO.
What Is AdSense?
Google AdSense is another advertising network that helps publishers monetize their website by matching their website inventory with relevant ads. Advertisers pay to run their ads through Google AdSense, and publishers get a share of the revenue as the ad host.
AdSense is often regarded as one of the most popular ad monetization platforms for beginners. It could be an ideal place to begin your monetization journey if you've just started out your publishing business. It is easy to integrate and there are plenty of resources on the internet to help you along the way.
How AdSense Works
In simple terms, Google AdSense runs ads on your website and pays you a chunk of the revenue for hosting them.
To be able to run Google ads, the network first needs to approve you. Once you're approved, you can integrate AdSense and start running ads.
One thing you should know is that advertisers pay different prices for different ads. Therefore, the amount you earn will vary according to ads.
Google AdSense ads are automated and responsive. This means that they automatically find the most optimal placement on your website that is likely to result in the most conversions. This also means that they can adapt their size to fit the user's screen, allowing you to maximize your ad placement without having to worry about ad sizes.
It’s important to note here that Google has a host of products and services related to the digital advertising ecosystem, and many publishers often confuse Google AdSense with Google Ad Exchange.
However, this is like comparing apples and oranges as AdSense is an ad network, whereas Ad Exchange is a programmatic ad exchange. The former acts as a mediator between publishers and advertisers, whereas the latter is a marketplace that dynamically matches publisher inventory in real time with advertisements.
We’ve created this Google AdSense vs Ad Exchange comparison guide to help publishers better understand how both AdSense and AdX work.
How to Integrate AdSense
To get started with AdSense, create a Google account, add a phone number and address, and connect your account to AdSense. You can then connect your website to it.
Once you submit your interest, AdSense reviews your website to assess if it complies with its content policies. The approval process usually takes a few days, though it may take up to a few weeks in some cases.
You'll only be able to show ads on your website once AdSense approves your site.
AdSense doesn't have a restrictive entry barrier as any publisher at any level can apply for a partnership. However, this doesn't mean AdSense approves every site that applies for a partnership. To be approved as a Google AdSense partner, you need a site that publishes content on a regular basis and provides value to its readers.
You can check if your site is approved or rejected on the "Sites" card on your AdSense homepage.
Once Google AdSense has approved your website, you can run ads on your website and manage them.
AdSense Features
Among AdSense’s key features are its easy-to-use ad monetization, which is based on the CPC and CPM revenue models. Employing either model requires minimal technical setup.
Like other ad platforms, AdSense uses AI to automatically place ads in optimal locations. Placements are made and ad formats are adjusted based on user behavior to improve experience and revenue.
Another key feature is the relevant high-quality ads that are provided by the platform. AI is used to show ads based on user preferences and browsing history, while ad filters allow publishers to block certain ads or categories.
To monitor the performance of these ads, the AdSense dashboard provides real-time revenue reports, which are complemented by the page-level reporting that shows which pages generate the most revenue. A/B testing can be used to compare different ad setups to optimize earnings.
In keeping with the widespread use of mobile devices, the platform offers ads that adjust to different screen sizes. It also supports the Accelerated Mobile Pages framework for faster mobile ad delivery.
Finally, the AdSense platform works seamlessly with Google Analytics, Google Ad Manager, and Google Search Console for deeper insights, as well as with YouTube.
It’s worth noting that such a capacity for integration with other products has not compromised AdSense’s compliance with Google’s Ad Quality policy, as only safe and appropriate ads are displayed. The platform’s Ad Review Center allows publishers to review and approve specific ads, while its Ad Balance feature controls the number of ads to improve user experience.
AdSense Formats
Like other major platforms, AdSense offers a broad range of ad formats, such as:
- display ads
- native ads
- anchor ads
- side rail ads
- vignette ads
- text ads.
Along with these popular formats, the platform also offers in-feed ads, which appear within listicles or other articles, disguised as regular content, and multiplex ads, which present several native ads in a content recommendation style.
AdSense Payments
Publishers who use AdSense for Content (ie. the placement of content-relevant ads on a site) receive 80% of the revenue after the advertiser platform deducts its fee, whether it's Google’s buy-side or a third-party service. For instance, when advertisers use Google Ads to purchase display ads through AdSense, publishers retain approximately 68% of the revenue.
AdSense compensates publishers based on an effective cost per mille (eCPM) from advertiser bids. These revenue share percentages remain fixed, regardless of the publisher's location, and are not averaged across different publishers. The revenue share for all AdSense products is not publicly disclosed, as it varies depending on the costs associated with developing and maintaining each product.
How Do Publishers Benefit From an AdSense Account?
AdSense is highly customizable, allowing you to put ads on your website the way you want. For instance, if you don't want your website to display certain types of ads, you can easily filter them out in the settings. You can also choose the size and inventory of your website for ads.
AdSense also allows features, such as self-control, auto-ads, and experiments, allowing you to experiment with ads. But be careful while experimenting, as AdSense can easily ban you for violating rules if you keep exploring without noticing warnings and instructions.
Another benefit of having an AdSense account is that publishers can engage in AdSense arbitrage. Google AdSense arbitrage is a content monetization strategy in which publishers use paid ads to drive traffic to their website, with the aim of having these visitors click on the AdSense ads already placed there. The strategy works if the revenue from clicking on AdSense ads exceeds the cost of driving paid traffic to the website.
A major drawback with AdSense is that if you need help, there isn't much in the way of human support.
AdSense Pros
- Easy approval process
- Publishers have full control of their ads
- Easy partnership requirements
- Multiple ad formats and quality ad units
- Allows users to choose between responsive and automated ads
- Provides analytics for traffic
- Effortless payments
- Doesn't require updating code for new ads each time.
AdSense Cons
- A $100 minimum payment threshold might be too much for publishers that have just started out
- Google AdSense ads may affect your site speed
- AdSense provides very limited human support
- Configuring analytics could be challenging for new users.
Our Verdict
AdSense is a great network if you're a beginner with zero technical knowledge looking to monetize your website. It doesn't have a high requirement for approval and can help you start earning from ads within a few months of publishing your website.
However, several publishers have reported issues with AdSense’s somewhat arbitrary compliance requirements that can lead to penalties and in some cases even suspension of an account.
What Is Publift?
Publift is a programmatic advertising platform that specializes in helping small to medium-sized publishers monetize their websites. As a Google certified publishing partner, Publift's expertise in helping publishers navigate the online advertising landscape is recognized by Google itself.
Publift helps website owners grow their earnings by implementing light-weight, cutting-edge ad technology to connect them with the right partners.
This also means that Publift partners can choose appropriate ad formats and layouts to provide visitors to their website with a better user experience. Its technology-driven analytical features allow users to track their revenue and quickly make informed decisions.
How Publift Works
Publift makes it quite straightforward for publishers to run premium ads on their websites. You just need to sign up and be approved.
Once you sign up with the ad network, Publift's account management team conducts a detailed audit of your website. You'll then get ad layout consultation before being connected with ad partners.
Publift then provides you with tags that you can include on your website that allow for header bidding. Finally, it runs ads on your website via a central ad server to help you to maximize your revenue.
How to Integrate Publift
To integrate Publift on their website, all publishers need to do is to insert Publift's proprietary, light-weight tag called Fuse into their website's source code.
To do this, publishers need to sign up with Publift and have their website approved. Of course, being a platform that only works with premium advertisers, Publift has some eligibility requirements. These include having either a monthly traffic rate of 500,000 page views, or a minimum monthly revenue of $2,000. In exceptional cases, Publift may waive off these requirements.
Once approved, publishers are assigned a personal Publift Account Manager who takes care of not just their ad strategies, but also suggests ways in which Publift can improve a publisher's website's visibility and experience.
Publift Features
Perhaps the most prominent Publift feature is its Fuse platform, which integrates multiple ad technologies into a cohesive, user-friendly solution. Fuse combines 11 essential adtech products into a single platform, simplifying ad operations for publishers. It also uses AI to manage, optimize, and innovate ad operations effortlessly, which includes scaling functions according to a business’s size and, therefore, its needs.
The platform’s use of AI is extensive. It can, for example, implement advanced header bidding techniques to enhance competition and increase ad revenue. Through private marketplaces (PMPs), it can also Facilitate access to exclusive deals with premium advertisers, ensuring high-quality ad placements. Thanks to automated reporting, it can provide detailed analytics and performance reports, enabling data-driven decision-making. And as for ad layout optimization, it offers tools to optimize website layouts for better ad placement and user experience.
Revenue maximization is another key feature of Publift. The platform leverages automated marketplaces to foster open competition for ad inventory, ensuring optimal matches between advertisers and publishers. Some clients have experienced significant revenue uplifts, such as Listen Notes, which achieved a 50% increase without impacting page performance
Finally, like other platforms, Publift complies with ad regulations. The platform ensures that ads meet quality standards and align with a publisher's brand values. It also assists publishers in adhering to global privacy and advertising regulations.
Publift Ad Formats
Like other platforms, Publift offers the most popular ad formats, such as various display and native ads, as well as banner ads. However, it also offers a range of other formats.
For instance, the platform offers sticky header ads. The opposite of an anchor ad, a sticky header ad remains positioned at the top of the screen as a user scrolls down a page. Full-screen web interstitial ads, usually placed at transition points such as between different activities, are also offered, as are interscroller ads, which are positioned with the breaks that separate a webpage’s content.
Other formats include miniscroller ads, scroll to stick ads, and in-content ads.
Publift Payments
Publift usually works with publishers who earn over $2,000 USD monthly. This threshold ensures a strong foundation for sustainable growth. That being said, if a publisher usually earns below this mark but is growing rapidly, Publift may make an exception.
Another key metric that determines payments is pageviews. Websites with over 500,000 monthly pageviews demonstrate engaged users and valuable content. This makes them ideal for various forms of optimisation.
How Do Publishers Benefit from Publift?
Publift matches publisher inventory with the right ads without impacting page load speed. The best part is that publishers still have full control of their site.
Publift also helps publishers plan and implement the best practices to attract more traffic and also provide a seamless user experience. Some important features of this ad network include ad placements and layout optimization, price automation, and ad-block monetization.
These features don't just enhance ad possibilities but also provide users with impressive insights about their ads.
Perhaps the best part of working with Publift is their support. Publift’s team of experts provides publishers with the best-in-class support that is matched by few other ad networks.
Publift Pros
- Doesn't have lock-in contracts, meaning publishers are free to work with multiple ad networks if they wish. This way, publishers can compare the services and outcomes of different networks and decide which network best suits their needs.
- Great customer support.
- Access to a wide range of high-quality ads.
- The platform provides excellent reporting on revenue and deals, ensuring that publishers are always up-to-date with their site's performance.
- Publishers have full control of their sites.
Publift Cons
- Selective entry criteria means new publishers with low traffic or ad revenue may not be a great fit for this ad platform.
Our Verdict
Publift is a great platform for small to mid-sized publishers looking to upgrade to the next level within their specific niches.
It matches publisher content with the best ads without slowing down the website, while providing best-in-class technical support.
All-in-all it is one of the best Google AdSense alternatives for publishers who feel they've outgrown the somewhat limited capabilities of popular ad networks such as AdSense and Ezoic.
Final Thoughts
Ezoic, AdSense and Publift clearly have much to offer publishers, and the appropriate use of any one of them will only help you engage with your audiences and, ultimately, grow your revenue. Ezoic, for instance, has no minimum traffic requirements, making it accessible to both large and small publishers, and it supports a broad range of ad formats, making it optimal for maximizing revenue. AdSense also doesn’t impose any minimum traffic requirements although, unlike Ezoic, it does have other compliance requirements that, at least for some publishers, may seem arbitrary and, in some cases, can lead to penalties. Publift, in contrast, can be a hurdle for publishers who have just entered the market, given the network’s selective entry criteria. Yet it doesn’t impose restrictive contracts and it offers sound technical support, along with a broad range of ad formats.
As is often the case, what works well for one publisher may not be the case for another. Because of this, it’s critical, when considering any of the networks, to keep in mind factors such as a network’s revenue potential, the quality and relevance of its ad formats, and the UX that its users have typically had. Being able to customize your ad placement and ensure that a network complies with relevant data privacy regulations are other key factors, as are how easy a network can integrate with existing web infrastructure.
Weighing up all these factors may seem a little daunting. But by taking the time to review each of them and then seeing how well each network aligns with your business’s needs and goals, you’ll ensure that the network you ultimately choose is the best fit for your organization.