The Publisher’s Absolute Guide to Traffic Monetization
The Publisher’s Absolute Guide to Traffic Monetization
So, you’ve got a website that you’ve grown for some time now, and you’ve gathered an impressive amount of (returning) website traffic!
Congratulations! That’s a big achievement.
But, there’s a problem – you’re not making any money.
You might be thinking to yourself, “but I’m using a solid marketing strategy for all this traffic!”
True, your marketing strategy might be solid! But it’s not making you enough money, or in some cases, it might not be making you any money at all.
Whether you’re using SEO techniques, targeting specific GEOs, or specific devices (e.g., mobile, desktop) to amass your traffic, you need to figure out the reason why you can’t monetize it.
Luckily, we can help.
It’s likely that you can’t monetize your traffic because the right people haven’t heard of your website.
You heard that right.
If the right people aren’t visiting your website, it’s unlikely that the people who do will stay very long on it or engage with it the way you want them to.
However, you can change that with Monetag – our ad platform makes it easy to kickstart your traffic monetization by easily finding the right formats to earn with every user.
Before delving into this any further, let’s take a look at why it’s important to have an effective and trustworthy partner like Monetag to help you with website monetization.
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What is website monetization?
Website monetization – sometimes referred to as “traffic monetization” – is the act of exchanging traffic for revenue.
Instead of sharing your website content with traffic for free, you target the most relevant traffic with ads from advertising networks. This, in turn, rewards you based on what’s known as CPA.
What is CPA?
CPA stands for “Cost Per Action”. The action can be anything from impressions(CPM) to subscribers(CPS), and everything in between. We’ll touch more on this later.
Let’s return to the topic of advertising networks. Take a look at the money/traffic flow in the below infographic:
As you can see, monetization platforms mediate the transfer of money and traffic between publishers and advertisers.
Advertising networks pair quality traffic with great offers, and they can find the best offers on the market because of the fruitful relationship with both parties.
How do you become a publisher?
Do you generate traffic? Yes? Congratulations – you’re a publisher.
If you generate traffic, you become a publisher. Here are some examples of publisher types:
- Website owners
- Social media marketers
- SEO masters
- Ad networks and brokers
- Domain owners
- App developers/owners
But, what makes you a great publisher?
The ability to monetize your traffic.
One of the best things about working as a publisher is that you can monetize any kind of traffic, no matter its volume. The challenge is finding the right partners (like us!) to help you monetize successfully.
Why is traffic monetization important? And do I really need to do it?
Do you want to make MORE revenue?
If you answered a resounding “YES!”, then you really should do it.
Regarding its importance, let’s take a look at a real-life example from one of our long-time publishers. This publisher is highly experienced and likes to combine multiple monetization formats.
As you can see from his account stats, he’s made quite a profit. If you spotted that OnClick brought the most significant profit of over $7,492, you may be thinking that he’s wasted his time with other formats.
But, consider this – if he hadn’t used other formats, he would have lost $8,103/month!
How will I know it’s time to start monetizing my traffic?
The tell-tale sign that it’s time to monetize is that you’re bringing regular daily traffic.
If your traffic is smaller in size, there are still a lot of ways you can cash in on it:
- Write and get paid for guest posts
- Teach people to do what you do and charge them for it
- Try affiliate marketing to promote products/services that others offer
- Create your own products to sell on your website
- Sell white-label products on your website
- Use display ads
- Invest in bringing more traffic
Most of these ideas involve a lot of time and skill from your side, and in some cases, starting a new business altogether.
The easiest option by far is to invest in bringing more traffic. If you’re in need of a crash course about how to bring in more traffic, read our:
Once you hit 10,000 daily visitors, you can sit back and relax while your website monetizes itself.
The 7 easy ways to monetize your website
- OnClick Popunder
- Smartlinks (aka Direct Links)
- Push Notifications
- In-Page-Push (IPP)
- Interstitials
- Vignette Banners
- MultiTag
Of course, it’s important to maintain the functionality of your website, pay your bills on time, and continue to drive organic traffic for these monetization methods to be the most successful.
For the highest rate of success, make sure you diversify and test your ad formats, use smart settings, and adjust for mobile traffic.
All of the above will help you keep your CPM stable for your traffic, which translates into better payouts.
Now, let’s take a deeper look at these 7 traffic monetization methods to help you get the most out of your traffic.
1. OnClick
OnClick, also known as Popunder or OnClick Popunders, is a format that opens a new tab for website visitors. It’s an extremely customizable method as it offers a lot of space for both copy and images.
Having so much space for promotions makes this format one of the most effective and profitable compared with other solutions.
Working with Monetag’s OnClick is even better because you can monetize traffic that uses AdBlock thanks to our Anti-AdBlock technology.
Many people think that Popunders only work with some niche websites, might get you on Google’s naughty website radar, hurt users’ experience, or give them malware.
Contrary to popular belief, popunders can’t hurt your UX. Nor get your website penalized by Google.
OnClicks are, in fact, one of the best-performing monetization formats, with a 200% higher profit rate.
Moreover, OnClick is the largest and oldest format in the market, pays for every impression, has dynamic CPM rates, and is super simple to integrate with Java Code.
2. SmartLink (Direct links)
Also known as Smartlinks, Directs, and Native Direct Links, these links connect your website visitors with thousands of different landing pages and offers. Better yet, you don’t have to optimize a thing!
We made this possible thanks to our team who make sure to pair your visitors with only the most profitable offers.
Is there a limit to the number of direct links I can use?
No! You can use an unlimited number of links on any page you want.
The same goes for banners, buttons, text, direct messaging apps, emails, and even social media!
Interested in learning more?
3. Push Notifications
Push Notifications are one of the most effective in reaching new users because it acts like a device notification. Thanks to their native look, users often complete the action push notification prompts, almost instantly.
There are two things you should do before using Push Notifications:
- Practice writing skillful opt-in copy to persuade new website visitors to subscribe to your push.
- Make sure your website is HTTPS – if you secure your HTTP website, you can increase your profit by as much as 25% with the sw.js subscription window.
You can also send your own Push Notifications to increase engagement, user retention, and a better user experience any time you’d like.
4. In-Page Push (IPP)
More commonly known as IPP, In-Page Push Notifications are the lesser-known cousin of Push Notifications.
The big benefit of IPP? This format reaches iOS traffic as well as other devices.
It’s a great alternative to banners because of its customizable skins that mimic your website’s interface without affecting UX.
5. Interstitials
Interstitials are medium-size ad formats that can be set to appear with a delay. They can cover the entire page or just two-thirds of it.
Customizable with a variety of skins and different from every other format, Interstitials are fantastic at grabbing attention, making them perfect for social, media, and entertainment websites.
Another nice thing about Interstitials is their monetization potential – they can reach both mobile and desktop traffic on all operating systems in all GEOs.
6. Vignette Banners
If you want the effectiveness of Interstitials combined with the success rate of Popunders and the CPM rates of native banners, then you should choose Vignette Banners.
This native-like banner format perfectly complies with the Better Ads Standards and drives fantastic results.
It works with any other of our 5 monetization formats, boosting your monetization potential even further. These characteristics can help increase both your CPM and CTR by up to 65% compared to other native banners.
What do Vignette Banners look like?
We’re glad you asked! These native-like banners are similar to IPP notifications, however, they are displayed right on top of the page for users to see when they first land on the site, not when they leave.
This format is very user-friendly – featuring an engaging CTA and a clearly visible exit button. It also includes a header, a short description, and a small image.
7. MultiTag
If you want to combine ad formats but lack technical skills, MultiTag is the solution for you. It helps you get high CPM rates, and fully optimized ads, all while maintaining a flawless user experience.
MultiTag is the solution to a problem you didn’t know you had. It perfectly combines OnClick, Push Notifications, IPP, Vignette, and Interstitials into one beautiful tag – the MultiTag.
And if that’s not enough to convince you, here’s how MultiTags performs against the classic tag – read our MultiTag Case Study, which uses real-life data provided by our long-time publishers.
Are there any other types of traffic monetization methods?
Yes! There are plenty. Aside from the 7 mentioned here, you can try out the following:
- Display ads
- Targeting social media users
- Sponsored posts
- Paid memberships (subscriptions)
- Referral links
- Donations
However, these solutions can be more costly and require more skill and commitment from your side.
Is there anything else that can affect my website monetization?
Aside from the formats that you choose to target your traffic with, there are other factors that can impact your website monetization efforts.
Here are 8 potential factors that can affect your monetization:
1. Monetizing desktop traffic
Fewer people use their desktop computers recreationally than before. Usually, people use their desktops for work or important tasks.
Even though mobile traffic is more expensive, publishers shouldn’t forget to maintain a desktop version of the site. Especially when it comes to sites with video content – users will always want to watch a movie or sports event with good quality, on a big screen.
2. Monetizing mobile traffic
92.6% of the total global active internet users use mobile devices. That’s why it’s important to optimize your website for mobile users.
Moreover, mobile traffic drives higher CPM rates and direct links to social media users. In short, it’s affordable and highly accessible traffic.
To get the most out of mobile traffic, make sure to optimize your website for mobile without affecting SEO.
This is the best way to monetize traffic even if you don’t have a website without the headache of website maintenance.
Social traffic is one of the more expensive types of traffic, as well as being one of the most active types. That means if you monetize your social traffic with Monetag, you’ll be able to generate higher profits without much effort.
4. AdBlock traffic
One of the biggest myths out there is that you can’t monetize AdBlock traffic. Often website owners miss out on great traffic because of this one pesky browser extension.
However, we have the solution! You too can monetize AdBlock traffic thanks to our Smart Ant-AdBlock system. You’re welcome!
5. Proxy traffic
We don’t accept proxy traffic. With proxy traffic, it’s difficult to properly target relevant users or demonstrate that they are unique visitors to your site.
And even if you can, then you have the task of trying to prove that the proxy traffic is real and not fake.
A lot of proxy traffic causes your CPM to drop, so if you like to get paid for your hard work, make sure you don’t attract proxy traffic and invest in SEO!
6. Traffic GEOs
Not all traffic is equal – different zones have different CPM. On top of that, the rates you’ll see when you’re testing can change based on traffic demand and other variables.
Here’s an example, you usually get paid more for traffic from Tier-1 countries, such as the USA, Canada, United Kingdom (as you can guess, it’s strongly connected with the purchasing power), while traffic from Tier-2 and Tier-3 costs less.
Luckily, we have an optimization system that assigns every publisher the most profitable ads based on your unique traffic type. Thanks to this, your CPM can significantly increase after a few days.
7. Traffic demand
Things can change in an instant, and only those who are swift to adapt and overcome every obstacle survive. This is no different when it comes to traffic.
Trends can dramatically affect website monetization, so it’s important to keep up with the latest trends so you can tailor your monetization strategy to complement them.
For example, during the Covid Pandemic, we saw a lot of websites changing their focus. And that was not it; micro-websites with urgent health news started appearing. Although most of them didn’t last for long, they managed to make huge profits.
8. Seasonality
Just like seasons change, your traffic will too! Whether it’s a major holiday, a sports event, or another milestone during the calendar year – major events and holidays can impact your monetization. With that in mind, make sure to prepare for events that may affect your monetization throughout the year.
Say you have a sports-related website; in this case, it makes sense to prepare special content about the Olympics, UFC events, World Cups, etc. It can be game highlights, analysis, behind-the-scenes – anything that will spark extra interest.
How can I improve my website monetization?
There’s always room for improvement, which is why we’ll shed light on 5 of the most popular methods you can use to improve your website monetization income:
1. Combine monetization formats
This is one of the best ways to engage and convert relevant traffic, while avoiding ad blindness. Combine monetization formats to offer your traffic a fresh and new perspective on the ads on your website.
Not sure you can combine well or don’t want spend time on testing? Oh, well, we have a solution for you – MultiTag. A perfect, AI-based way to monetize your traffic like a pro.
2. Get more organic traffic
There are some traffic types that we can’t work with, and advertisers won’t pay for it. Avoid this issue with SEO. Use SEO best practices to improve your organic traffic. This is traffic that voluntarily visits your website.
3. Promote sports events
That’s right. Sports are so effective that you don’t even have to have a sports niche website in order to get in on the action.
And although we’ve said it before, you need to hear this again: If you’re not doing it already, you really need to start promoting sports events right away.
Here are some key tips:
- Diversify audiences: the goal of a sports publisher is to attract a diverse audience, interested in different events, in order to maintain a steady traffic flow.
- Change your monetization schemes: events-based traffic is different. Users usually don’t mind more ads or a higher frequency.
- Don’t expect consistent results: sports event traffic is not only inconsistent in volume, but also performance.
No website? No problem!
That extra traffic hiding in your social media accounts can be put to good use! You can monetize it to increase your income.
4. Optimization
It’s very important to offer a good user experience to website visitors. That means making it extremely easy and pleasant for users to navigate your website’s pages or topics.
Going viral increases your chances of users engaging with ads featured on your website and increasing your profits.
But how do you go viral?
The answer: invest in quality, engaging content that you share on your social media pages. The social media community will engage with it and trigger it to go viral if it is relevant.
What should I do to prepare to improve my website monetization?
The first thing you need to do is make sure that your website is ready to handle high volumes of traffic.
After that, you need to make sure it can satisfy users’ needs while creating a good user experience. That means investing in web development, design, content, SEO, among many other avenues to prepare your website.
What tools should I use to improve my website traffic?
A publisher’s job is a never-ending journey to constantly topping their traffic monetization. But there are some tools and techniques that can get you there faster. To make your work simpler, we’ve searched for some of the most popular ones:
| SEO Tools & Plugin Extensions | Webmaster’s Forums |
| SEMRush | BlackHatWorld Forum |
| Ahrefs | |
| SimilarWeb | WJunction Forum |
| Heat Maps |
How do publishers get paid?
Publishers get paid according to CPA – AKA “Cost Per Action”. The action can be an impression (CPM – Cost Per Mille), or Subscription (CPS – Cost Per Subscription). Check out the table below for a breakdown:
| CPM | CPS | |
| Main Traits | Pays for every time ads get seen Amazing for large traffic | Pays for every subscriber Unique payment when the user subscribes Great for smaller traffic |
| What Impacts it | Technical issues – proxies, AdBlock Audience characteristics Ads format, placement, & density Ad quality Seasonality Bad sources User quality – new vs returning GEOs Fill rates Traffic performance | Websites’ topic or niche Subscriptions to push notifications |
| How to Improve it | Get more traffic Get more Organic (SE) traffic Monetize Social Media traffic Invest in a mobile-friendly website Diversify ad units Don’t spam with too many ads Optimize ad placement | Partnering with a Good Advertising Network Setting a custom delay for the Push Prompt |
Are there big challenges or Google updates that will affect me as a publisher?
Yes, there are things you need to look out for and defend against. Stay ahead of search engines and their ever-changing regulations by keeping these things in mind:
- Be mindful of domain bans: Being a publisher means you should avoid domain bans. You can never be too careful, and accidents can happen, which is why having a trustworthy partner is useful.
Run your websites through the following:
- Adblockers: They’re annoying. They stop your traffic from ever seeing ads – at least that’s the case for whoever doesn’t work with an effective Anti-AdBlocking system.
- Google’s abusive experience warnings: Now you can avoid them. We’ve searched far and wide for all the information you need to effectively get out or avoid getting flagged by Google as providing an abusive experience.
In simple terms, Google will hit websites with an abusive experience warning if they:
- Have automatic redirects
- Display an overwhelming number of pop-ups
- Mislead users or trick them into clicking or otherwise interacting with them
- Violates preset ad type coalition standards
Why should I choose Monetag as my website monetization solution?
Every solid monetization strategy needs a trustworthy and reliable partner to make it a success, One that can have your back and educate you on how to plan your strategy when you need it most.
Here are 5 short reasons why you should choose Monetag:
1. It’s easy to get started
No advanced coding skills are required to get started with Monetag. You can get set up in just 4 simple steps:
- Register
- Add your website and wait for verification (about 24 hours)
- Create ad channels
- Copy and paste the tag on your website
After signing up and setting up, you can enjoy:
- Relaxed terms and conditions
- Fully-stocked help desk
- Priority program
2. You can use multiple monetization platforms simultaneously
You might be wondering what exactly that means. Well, it’s simple:
Monetag + AdSense = SUCCESS
We’re proud to offer full transparency to our customers which is why we make it easy to use multiple monetization platforms with Monetag.
3. Get full data transparency and control of your campaigns
To stay on top of your campaigns at all times, you need to know exactly how to optimize them without missing out on any lucrative market segments. With Monetag, you can connect the following data:
- Ad formats
- Country
- Zoned impressions / CPM
- Subscriptions / CPS
- Profit
4. We have flawless fill rates and global coverage
Because we have a 100% fill rate, it’s guaranteed that every time someone goes to your website, they will see your ads.
That means no money is wasted on ads that won’t reach the right audience, like with other ad platforms.
Real case studies and interviews from our publishers
We understand how important it is to get started on the right foot, which is why we’ve gathered real case studies from our publishers for your enjoyment. These case studies show exactly how Monetag works, and demonstrate how we help publishers optimize their monetization strategy to make bigger profits.
- Combining Bing SEO and Gaming Traffic [Case Study]
- How to Monetize a News Website From Scratch [Case Study]
- MultiTag vs. Interstitial and In-Page Push [Publisher Case Study]
Can I submit a case study of my own or write a guest post for Monetag?
Fancy yourself as more of a writer than a reader?
Monetag educational blog posts
We understand that some of us prefer to read blog posts instead of in-depth case studies, which is why we carefully assembled all the information you need into useful and educational blog posts:
Profit never sleeps, nor do we!
We’re constantly updating and growing our platform to make sure we provide you with the best and highest quality traffic possible.
While, as a publisher, there’ll always be obstacles and challenges you have to prepare for, Monetag is here to act as your partner to make your traffic monetization a success.
Ready to start reaching your monetization goals?
