In today’s programmatic market, CPM ad network solutions are growing exponentially. Historically, ad network corporations such as Google AdSense enjoyed a near-monopoly. Long-standing market giants, however, are now facing stiff competition from organizations that compete through innovation and build technology solutions rich in targeting methods, real data, and smartphone ad capability.
When ad networks for publishers originally began, they used uncommon real-time bidding mechanisms for media groups. Today, smaller businesses that work as effectively with advertisers as leaders have evolved to provide advertisers with an accessible CPM monetization business model.
Let’s look at the features of current and emerging ad networks to evaluate and determine where they can best assist your business growth.
What Is CPM?
CPM is an abbreviation for cost per mille, which means cost per thousand impressions. It is used to track ad performance and refers to how much it costs to have an ad published and seen a thousand times on a website.
The CPM approach allows brands to earn money every time an ad is shown. It is the most frequent strategy for pricing mobile advertisements and the most popular among mobile publishers because it focuses on impressions rather than clicks.
How Does CPM Work?
The most popular pricing strategy for digital ads is the CPM revenue model. The strategy is focused on impressions, a metric that tracks the number of interactions with a single ad. Advertisers pay a set fee to website owners for every thousand ad views. If an ad is placed on the same page of a website twice, the advertiser must pay for two impressions, even if only a one-page visit occurs.
How to Calculate CPM
Calculating CPM allows you to easily determine how many impressions you’ll receive for a particular amount of money or how much you’ll pay for a specific number of impressions.
A publisher will set a CPM goal for selling ad space, which will vary depending on whether the advertiser is targeting a small, niche audience or purchasing a large number of ad impressions.
CPM can be calculated for each ad, ad location, and campaign. It is rarely utilized alone but with other, more advanced analytics.
What’s the Difference Between Ad Network and Ad Exchange?
Ad network and exchange functions are separate in the advertising environment, despite their similarity in nature.
An ad network is a company that buys and sells advertising space from publishers to advertisers. It acts as a go-between. An ad exchange, on the other hand, is a digital marketplace where advertisers and publishers may purchase and sell ad inventory directly, sometimes through real-time auctions.
Why Use CPM?
CPM advertising bundles can be quite beneficial to publishers. Because users do not have to interact with or click on the ad, revenue can be generated more quickly. In other words, publishers can earn money simply by inserting advertisements on their websites.
This is considerably easier than getting users to interact with an ad. It is worth mentioning, however, that rates for the CPM model are not as high as other measures, so a website with many visitors would make more money.
CPM can be used successfully by mobile app and game publishers to assess the projected revenue generated by adding an advertisement to their apps. Estimates such as the average number of provided impressions and daily active users can be paired with specific ad network data such as CPM or eCPM to determine how much profit can be made by displaying adverts in their apps and games. Any competent mobile publisher must be aware of these figures to ensure that their apps remain profitable.
There are several well-known CPM ad networks where getting permission is simple, and even novice bloggers can use it to make money. Furthermore, CPM ad networks do not require specialized markets or highly qualified visitors. A CPM method makes calculating how much you can spend uncomplicated.
CPM and Other Types of Web Ads Pricing
The cost-per-completed view, for example, is a statistic that requires advertising to be watched completely to be counted. Cost per interaction is similar in that it solely counts user activities.
CPC (cost-per-click) and CPA (cost per acquisition) are more classic advertising measures. Marketers pay per click on an advertisement under CPC, but CPA requires a visitor to buy something after interacting with the ad.
Such advertisements are designed to promote a product to a certain specialized demographic. At the same time, if the goal of the campaign is to increase brand recognition or popularize a specific message, CPM may appear to be a better option.
What Are the Benefits of CPM Ads?
1. Highly Profitable (for Publishers)
CPM may be very profitable for publishers because they receive cash simply for posting adverts on their website. Not only is this easier than encouraging users to click on or interact with an ad, but the outcomes are frequently more dependent on the advertising itself than the publisher.
However, as previously said, there is a disadvantage that must be considered. Because CPM reates are not as large as other measures, a website must have a significant volume of visitors to generate more ad income.
2. Brand Recognition (for Advertisers)
After discussing the obvious benefits of CPM programs for publishers, some may conclude that it is pointless for an ad company to implement a CPM-based program because impressions are not as important as views, installations, and purchases. To see if this is correct, we can examine the CPM program through the eyes of advertising firms.
As previously said, CPM advertisements are the best way to build a strong following and enhance brand recognition. If a new firm has been established, it is critical to make the brand identifiable and to establish credibility with prospective clients. If a buyer has never heard of a company, it is quite unlikely that they will buy a product after viewing an online advertisement. In short, building brand equity is smarter than focusing on conversions from the start. And this is precisely why advertising CPM pricing will be the ideal approach for marketers.
It’s also a good idea to use CPM to create a character for your target demographic and promote your brand. You can target certain age groups, such as teens or seniors, by posting ads on relevant websites. Then, by measuring and comparing engagement on both sites, you can fine-tune your plan and move forward with your marketing without wasting money on research.
The campaign’s effectiveness may be measured using a variety of metrics, the most prominent of which is CTR, which stands for click-through rate. It is computed as a proportion of persons who saw your advertisement and clicked on it.
Advantages of CPM Ad Networks for Small and Medium Publishers
CPM-based publisher ad networks imply that CPM prices for media owners are calculated using the CPM revenue model. Advertisers pay a cost per thousand impressions, which benefits them because more clicks come from created impressions. Meanwhile, in the CPC model, marketers bid on a set number of clicks.
When such clicks are received, the campaign is considered complete, and the views are no longer displayed to customers. As a result, CPM content is typically utilized for marketing and brand recognition efforts rather than performance-based advertising. Based on the number of impressions served, the CPM model produces revenue for the publisher.
Some of the other benefits of CPM advertising for small and medium publishers include:
1. Ease of Ad Performance Tracking for Publishers
One of the benefits of CPM ad networks is the ease with which publishers can track ad success. Regardless of whether or not a click occurs, payment is paid to the publisher account each time the page is loaded.
Another advantage is the huge number of traffic. CPM ad networks for small publishers and bloggers may have a lower traffic eligibility threshold.
2. Wide Market Reach
The CPM ad network strategy is the most popular due to its low cost to marketers. As a result, it is widely seen in various ad exchanges. Publishers are compensated in terms of eCPM (effective cost per thousand impressions). It is a statistic used by publishers to calculate the yield on sold inventory. A high eCPM suggests that the publisher has made a lot of money from ad sales, whereas a low eCPM shows that the publisher’s revenue is ordinary. Publishers can improve monetization income by choosing an ad network that uses CPM because this revenue model requires significant traffic numbers.
Is a CPM Ad Network right for you?
CPM is perfect for a program aimed at increasing brand recognition or delivering a certain message. The CTR is less essential in this case since the awareness gained from seeing an ad prominently displayed on a high-traffic website helps support a company’s brand identity or message even if people do not click on the ad.
When website publishers are only rewarded for hosting adverts, CPM content appeals to them. However, because CPM pricing are low, a website must have a big number of traffic to make a good profit from CPM advertising. Prices for social media advertisements, on the other hand, are typically greater.
10 Best CPM Ad Networks for Publishers
Google AdSense
Publishers can use Google AdSense for both CPM and CPC advertising. Although AdSense has a vast advertising pool that pays highly, its approval mechanism is fairly stringent. Publishers receive 68% of the money, while Google receives 32%. AdSense allows publishers to choose from 450 different ad types and has a global reach of 2 million advertisers.
The primary disadvantage is that AdSense accounts require clearance, which is not easy to obtain. Nonetheless, it is one of the world’s greatest CPM ad networks. When it comes to campaign controls, the platform provides a wide range of options for publishers.
Publift
Publift is a provider of streamlined and cutting-edge programmatic advertising solutions. They have partnered with over 250+ publishers and app developers globally and have been named one of Australia’s Fast Starters 2020 by The Australian Financial Review and Statista.
Clients of Publift typically enjoy a 55% boost in ad revenue. They describe themselves as “obsessive about growing publishers’ businesses.” Publift, as a Google Certified Publishing Partner, is a fantastic alternative for publishers looking to monetize, develop their business, and display quality advertisements while minimizing the impact on their user experience.
Adcash
Adcash has billions of dollars in monthly advertising revenue and over 200 million viewers every day. They promise to always fill inventories, allowing publishers to monetise web traffic with no effort.
While the platform takes pride in its dynamic CPM monetization and user experience, you may also choose for the manual procedure. Adcash also takes smartphone advertising and provides a smart network for targeted advertising.
There is no minimum traffic requirement for approval, and a variety of payment methods are available.
Exponential (Formerly Tribal Fusion)
Exponential, formerly Tribal Fusion, is one of the internet’s most highly regarded ad networks, offering a variety of ad kinds. The platform provides publishers and advertisers with custom-tailored monetization solutions. It offers higher CPM rates and a large possibility to earn cash through highly targeted adverts.
This ad network has a strong demand for highly personalized and relevant content. The organization pays publishers 55% of total ad revenue earned, but with a base criterion of 500,000 unique visitors each month, acceptance is incredibly difficult.
BuySellAds
BuySellAds is a good alternative for novices because there are no minimum traffic requirements, so website owners can get started right immediately. The ad network assists publishers in establishing direct relationships with advertisers. It also allows them to monetise traffic that is blocked by ad blockers.
Pay requests for BuySellAds should be submitted twice a month and reviewed within 2-3 days. PayPal has a minimum payment threshold of $20 that can be transmitted. Cheques or wire transfers must have a minimum payment threshold of $50 and a maximum payment threshold of $500.
Propeller Ads
Propeller Ads is a great eCPM ad network with fast eCPM rates. It’s also easy to try their service, which allows you to monetize your website or smartphone traffic in under five minutes. You may get started right away by adding and checking your domain ownership using a few simple steps.
Propeller Ads supports a variety of ad formats, including OnClick PopUnder Ads, Web Ads, Banner Ads, and Layer Ads. PropellerAds is an excellent alternative as one of the most powerful CPM ad networks. Two good aspects are the Net30 payment policy and the $100 minimum requirement. Propeller also provides live reporting.
UberCPM
UberCPM is one of the fastest growing CPM ad networks, offering publishers rapid site permissions and an 80% profit split. UberCPM is an ad exchange network that places your inventory on many exchanges, allowing multiple advertisers to bid on your domain. Monthly payments can be sent to publishers via wire transfer, PayPal, or Payoneer.
They will also offer real-time data and client support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A flat $10 threshold, membership fees, and an 80% sales distribution for publishers are among the features. With no minimum traffic requirements and an easy-to-use dashboard, you can start anywhere you want.
Adbuffs
Adbuffs is a CPM and CPC ad network as well. It is linked to the most significant ad exchanges. By enabling a large number of advertisers to bid on inventory, Adbuffs technology enables major publishers to improve sales. It is also the ultimate AdSense substitute network, with prices that compete with, if not outperform, AdSense for some publishers.
Adbuffs accepts NET 45 payments via Payoneer, PayPal, and Bank Wire. Approval typically takes 24-48 business hours, and only the top-performing publishers are accepted. With real-time bidding, this network is both innovative and efficient. Advertisers and publishers must follow strict approval standards, and CPM costs must be reasonable.
Media.net
Media.net is one of the world’s most prominent ad networks. They run the world’s second largest contextual ads program from the Yahoo! Bing Network Contextual Ad network, with offices in Dubai, Los Angeles, Bangalore, Mumbai, New York, and Zurich. Among Media.net’s clients are Forbes, Yahoo, MSN, and Kiplinger.
You must have original stuff to apply. Daily content revision is also required. Infringement on third-party intellectual property interests is not permitted.
Google AdX
Google AdX (accessible via Google Ad Manager) is an ad exchange platform where ad inventory is purchased and sold through online auctions.
Google AdX is a highly sought after ad auction platform since it provides publishers with premium ad campaigns that are not accessible anywhere else. However, similarly like AdSense, you’re limited to advertisers who partner with Google (it’s not a header bidding network). Because of the stringent standards, gaining direct access to Google AdX might be challenging. Furthermore, only a small number of publishers have the capacity to administer a direct access account. Working with an established Google AdX partner, such as Snigel, is more easier and more effective for most publishers.
Conclusion
There is no one-size-fits-all solution in advertising technology. Check out the CPM advertising networks featured in this list if you’re a publisher seeking for an ad tech business that will give you with high-quality CPM ads and specialized CPM advertising programs. All of these networks will provide you with a decent user experience and CPM rate, but before you make a decision, consider what is ideal for achieving your goals and how CPM fits into that.
