The best alternative ad networks in 2021

Advertising networks are platforms that distribute banners of all types and sizes across the publishers they work with. At the same time, they let publishers earn from ad placements and this is how the world of advertising has been operating for the past 20 years. Of course, Google Ads and Facebook are the first that spring to mind as primary representatives of this industry, but at the same time, one cannot be the jack of all trades. 

Your niche dictates the platform

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This stipulates that regardless of the resources these giants have access to, they cannot compete with niche ad networks in their respective industries of choice. It is what fuelled the rise of such alternative ad networks and steered the market away from AdSense monopoly. In fact, this new market is so diverse, that we decided to find out what the most vibrant representatives of the alternative field have to offer. Are they really a better choice for both advertisers and publishers?

Alternative ad networks at glance

Regardless of whether you are an advertiser or a publisher, chances are you will, sooner or later, get in touch with an online advertising network. As an advertiser, the intent would be to promote your product or service and reach the audience your business needs. As a publisher, or in simple words, a website owner, you would want to monetise all the traffic your asset generates. In both of these cases, it is the ad networks that answer all the needs. 

Every sector has its heroes

Best ad networks by industry

Given the fact that no ad network can deliver perfect results in every industry, advertisers and publishers usually first test, then often completely migrate to an AdSense alternative that prevails in their field. Each industry has its own heroes and below is the list of the best ad networks that give conventional platforms a run for their money. 

Bitmedia (Crypto and blockchain)

Yes, the crypto space is the most obvious contender for where the alternative ad networks should be since it is banned, as an industry, from mostly all conventional ad platforms. Why? Well, thank regulators for it. Nevertheless, it doesn’t mean this $2.3 trillion sector is left with no ad platforms and Bitmedia is the Google AdSense of blockchain. Serving over 1 trillion ads per month, it is one of the most established ad platforms in the space. One that allows crypto and blockchain projects to reach the global audience. At the same time, Bitmedia also attracts publishers that, surprisingly, are not limited to the blockchain industry. This means that whilst advertisers get access to a wide range of quality websites to promote their products on, publishers do not have to be blockchain specific. 

Bitmedia offers CPM floors to publishers and very in-depth targeting to advertisers. Moreover, this crypto ad network screens all of its clients, thereby protecting the industry from scam, the very reason why crypto got banned by conventional platforms in the first place. Does it really work? Check this article for an answer

Types of Campaigns: CPC, CPM 

Type of Ads: Display Banners

Clients: Blockchain projects and publishers

Dianomi (Business and finance)

Dianomi is for the finance world, what Bitmedia is for blockchain. This alternative ad network is considered to be the leader of native ads for the money markets, boasting an average reader income of $98,000. By native ads, we underline banners that match the design of a publication and therefore look as if they are part of the original content. Yes, Dianomi operates in a very narrow spectrum of industries, but at the same time, it is what makes them the top of the crop. 

Types of Campaigns: CPC

Type of Ads: Display Banners

Clients: Business and finance sectors

Gum Gum (Wide scope)

This AdSense alternative doesn’t have a specific industry it concentrates on. Nevertheless, GumGum still deserves the right to be featured in our ‘best display advertising platforms’ list thanks to their alternative take on banner placement. GumGum’s technology scans publishers’ websites for text, audio, pictures and video, making these the deciding factors of where the ads are displayed. Think of it as a contextual analysis that increases the relevancy of ad placement. All ads posted via GumGum are in-picture based and according to the ad network’ website, it’s why their conversions are 37% higher than the industry average.

Types of Campaigns: CPC, CPM

Type of Ads: Display Banners

Clients: Wide audience

OpenX (Retail)

Last but not least, we reach a slightly different beast. OpenX is one of the largest Google alternatives and their secret weapon is the walled garden framework. Simply put, OpenX makes all of its publishers switch to its own suite of tools, enabling in-depth user tracking. This implies that this online ad network doesn’t run on third-party cookies and has its own user tracing that follows the viewers across its whole network of publishers. As a result, advertisers achieve extremely precise targeting and overly detailed metrics that, by the way, cannot be downloaded. The downside to such complexity, is that you will need an ads ops expert to set your advertising campaign right. 

Types of Campaigns: CPC, CPM

Type of Ads: Display Banners

Clients: Wide audience but mostly advisable to retail

Alternative ad platforms summary

These AdSense alternative ad networks serve as proof that life doesn’t only exist beyond the likes of Facebook, but it thrives. Each ad platform boasts advantages that prevail in their designated fields and resultantly can deliver better results to their clients. After all, it seems that being an immense ad network that serves everything and everyone may turn out to be a disadvantage and will only add fuel to the rocket that is the alternative display ad networks.

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