The best Google AdSense alternatives

Google is top dog on the internet and has an undisputed market share over 90% in the UK. This is especially good news for publishers because even in the CPC (cost per click) sector, Google is way ahead by offering AdSense. It’s the most well-known and popular platform that helps you to monetise the free space on your website. There are some alternatives to Google AdSense, which especially come in useful since Google’s strict policies mean that many website operators suddenly find themselves blocked. It therefore makes sense to have an alternative source of income and luckily there are some good alternatives on the market.

In principle, each website operator can offer their website as a platform for others to advertise on. The space needs to be digitally measurable so that the website owner can be properly compensated for it. CPC (cost per click) is used as the standard invoice model, especially since tracking clicks on websites is really easy to set up. The publisher (i.e. the website operator) receives a commission from the advertiser every time their advert is clicked on.

The cost of a click varies greatly since it depends on many variables. Advertisers take into account the quality of the website and its reach. The type of ad is also crucial as is its placement on the website. In addition to the quality and reach of their own website, publishers also attach a lot of importance to the CTR (click-through rate) when determining the commission. The relevance of the advertiser’s own content is also important when deciding which advertisements to allow, or put on offer. The cost of a CPC is therefore the decision of both the publisher and advertiser.

Unlike traditional affiliate marketing, the CPC model means that revenue is generated when the ad is clicked on, even if the visitor doesn’t make a purchase in the end. Some providers also account for TCPs (thousand contact price), which is all about ad impressions. Large programmes are increasingly changing from one click or TCP commission to the percentage commission if an actual purchase takes place. The publisher is therefore paid if the advertiser makes a sale through the ad e.g. the publisher might receive 10% of the entire shopping basket total.

Website operators sign up to Google AdSense when they want to earn money with advertising banners or links. Billing is carried out according to the CPC principle described above i.e. commission-based depending on how many clicks are made on certain ads. The embedded ads are usually contextual.

Google AdSense is the largest and most popular option in the CPC sector. It’s often referred to as a supplementary programme to Google AdWords. AdWords is best suited to online shops and service providers, and AdSense more to website and blog operators. With AdWords, advertisers invest money for online advertising. As a Google AdSense partner, you receive a portion of the money that the AdWords customer pays Google for their online advertising.

The most-used advertising forms are classic text ads and advertising banners. AdSense inserts are also available for apps and mobile sites. The option of having interactive media ads has been available for quite a while with games and videos. AdSense makes it possible to adjust colours and graphics as well as giving you the option to choose which pages the advertisement should be displayed on. A maximum of three banners and three link blocks can be placed on content pages.

An important aspect of Google AdSense is the quality guidelines. Google first checks before allowing access to the AdSense programme. In total, there are 13 content and technical factors that are relevant. It is especially important that the sites aren’t allowed to show any pornographic or violence-promoting content or anything that can endanger minors. The sale of tobacco, alcohol, and weapons is also a reason for the site to be rejected. Other common reason for the site being blocked include copyright infringements and supposed click fraud. Google regularly checks the participants, which means that sites can be excluded from the programme at any time.

As the largest ad network in the world, Google AdSense reaches around 80% of all internet users. This is why it’s the first choice for many publishers. But the downside is that your account can be blocked at any time. There are many Google AdSense alternatives available and we will introduce you to a few.

Affiliate programmes or advertising networks like eBay and Amazon provide special solutions, since ads come from the platforms themselves and not from external advertisers. In addition, the large platforms are increasingly based on traditional affiliate measures with invoice on a percentage commission basis. The two affiliate programmes are not classic CPC options, but do provide a secure source of income for publishers and are therefore good alternatives to Google AdSense.

Until a few years ago, the online auction platform eBay offered 'relevance ads' in its own advertising network. The different-sized banners adjusted to the content of the page and the publisher was paid according to the CPC model. The partner programme uses a different pay structure: publishers receive a percentage share, which is common in the affiliate sector.