Hey there, fellow blogger! Raise your hand if you’re itching to make some passive income with your new blog. Even though your traffic is still growing, you’re eager to set up those display ads and start monetizing early on.
Today I’m going to walk you through how to make money with the best AdSense alternatives for low traffic blogs.
Here’s the thing:
AdSense payouts just aren’t what they used to be. Plus, their dashboard is packed with so many bells and whistles that most beginners feel overwhelmed.
Making money with display ads should be super easy, right? That’s why I’m sharing seven awesome Google AdSense alternatives that are perfect for low traffic blogs and websites.
I’ve been generating blog ad revenue with these networks since 2018, and I know you can do the same. If you’re looking for a long-term AdSense alternative that actually pays off, you’re in the right place.
Let’s dive in!
What is Google AdSense?
Google AdSense is probably the first name that pops into your head when thinking about display ad networks. It’s super popular and widely known among publishers.
If your website meets Google’s minimum requirements, you can apply to join their program. AdSense then reviews your site to see if you’d be a good fit for their ads. This usually takes about 1-3 business days.
Once approved, you simply place a code snippet on your website that triggers ads to appear. You can adjust your settings to find what works best for your site. The quickest setup is activating “Auto ads,” which means AdSense will automatically find the best spots for ads on your site and do all the heavy lifting.
AdSense uses a “Net-21” payout schedule, meaning you’ll receive your money 21 days after the end of the month in which it was earned.
Why Look for an AdSense Alternative When You Have Low Traffic?
Although Google AdSense is crazy popular, it’s not the best choice for small publishers with minimal traffic.
Sure, their dashboard and ad management tools are powerful, but if you’re new to display ad monetization, setting up and optimizing AdSense can be a real headache.
Let’s look at a few reasons why you might want to find an easier, more profitable AdSense alternative:
#1: Low Ad Revenue for Low Traffic
AdSense isn’t the goldmine it once was. The network attracts so many publishers worldwide that small sites struggle to attract high-paying ads.
This means you need massive amounts of traffic to earn any substantial passive income with AdSense.
#2: High Payout Threshold
The $100 minimum payout threshold means you could be waiting forever for your first check.
With low traffic, your AdSense income will be pennies. Combine that with the payout threshold, and you might be waiting 6 months or more for your first payment!
#3: Tricky Approval Conditions
I’ve never had this problem personally, but I hear from tons of people who struggle to get approved for AdSense.
The requirements aren’t particularly difficult to meet, but they already have enough publishers and can be pretty picky about who they accept.
#4: Poor Customer Support
When you’re setting up ads on your blog, you’re bound to have questions. And while the setup process isn’t super technical, it’s definitely not a walk in the park either.
Unfortunately, I’ve never managed to reach an actual human being when trying to contact AdSense. They’ve simply grown too big to offer personalized help to their publishers.
#5: Rigid Rules and Policies
When it comes to setting up ads, you want two things:
1.
A simple and quick sign-up and setup process
2.
Easy tools for creating and customizing different ad units
AdSense has so many options and tools that it’s hard to know where to start. Their rules and policies can be confusing, and since they update them regularly, you might spend hours trying to figure out what’s allowed and what isn’t.
All in all, AdSense isn’t the most beginner-friendly option for low-traffic sites. The best alternatives offer a much more user-friendly experience and will probably make you more money too!
7 Best Google AdSense Alternatives for Low Traffic Blogs
1: Infolinks
Infolinks supports several ad types and units, making it one of the best AdSense alternatives for small blogs.
Their signup process is super easy and quick. Once your site is approved, you’ll have your ads up and running in no time.
The Infolinks dashboard is straightforward to navigate. Make sure you familiarize yourself with their reporting tools and powerful ad customization options. You can quickly enable or disable specific ad units and types directly from your dashboard.
Infolinks in a nutshell:
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Minimum traffic requirement: none
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Revenue share: 65%
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Payout threshold: $50 (or $100 for bank wire transfer)
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Payment schedule: Net 45
2: Monetag (formerly PropellerAds)
Monetag is a low-traffic Google AdSense alternative with some unique AI-powered ad units like pop-under and interstitial ads. When your readers click a link on your blog, a new browser tab opens in the background.
Of course, pop-under ads aren’t suitable for every blog. Make sure they’re not too intrusive for your readers and test the user experience thoroughly on smaller screen sizes. If you’re not 100% sure, use interstitials instead. They’re full-screen ads that are easy to dismiss and close.
Monetag has a low minimum payout threshold of just $5, but it depends on the payment method you choose. This means you don’t have to wait ages to get your first payout. They also support several popular payout methods.
Monetag in a nutshell:
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Minimum traffic requirement: none
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Revenue share: N/A
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Payout threshold: $5 (or higher depending on payment method)
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Payment schedule: Net 30
3: Media.net
Media.net has one of the largest advertiser networks you can tap into with a low traffic blog. They’re powered by Bing and Yahoo! so they can easily match you with the best advertisers in their massive network.
Media.net mainly uses text-format ads that you can customize to match the look of your website. You can implement the ad units on your site with just a short snippet of ad code.
You can also activate multiple ad formats to see what works best for you: contextual ads, outstream video ads, in-read native ads, and standard IAB units.
Once you’re all set up and seeing ads on your site, you can go back to growing your blog while Media.net earns you passive income in the background.
Media.net in a nutshell:
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Minimum traffic requirement: none
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Revenue share: N/A
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Payout threshold: $100
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Payment schedule: Net 30
4: Bidvertiser
Bidvertiser is another AdSense alternative for low-traffic sites to monetize your content through various ad formats. You can earn passive income through display banners, popunders, sliders, smart links, and programmatic ads.
To join Bidvertiser, your site should be at least 3 months old and feature unique content published regularly. Also, you should have some traffic already, and that traffic has to be high-quality.
So how does Bidvertiser work? Bidvertiser uses a bidding campaign system rather than automatic ad placement. This means Bidvertiser sells display ad space on your blog or website to the highest-paying advertiser.
If you’re looking to monetize your site the easy way, you’ll love Bidvertiser’s intuitive ad customizer, reasonable approval requirements, and flexible payouts.
Bidvertiser in a nutshell:
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Minimum traffic requirement: N/A
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Revenue share: N/A
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Payout threshold: $10 (PayPal)
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Payment schedule: Net 30
5: Skimlinks
Skimlinks is an affiliate marketing ad network for bloggers and publishers with high or low traffic. Compared to the other AdSense alternatives for low traffic in this guide, Skimlinks allows you to earn a commission each time a reader makes a purchase through a link on your site. This means you’ll earn money from purchases instead of clicks.
So how does Skimlinks work? Skimlinks scans your content and turns all your links into affiliate links automatically. You get full access to over 50 affiliate networks and 48,500 merchants and their affiliate programs, all in one place. This means you don’t have to join affiliate programs and set up accounts with each individual merchant separately.
If you write a lot of product reviews, comparisons, and gift guides, Skimlinks makes monetizing those product links a breeze.
Skimlinks in a nutshell:
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Minimum traffic requirement: N/A
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Revenue share: N/A
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Payout threshold: $65
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Payment schedule: N/A (at least 92 days from the transaction date)
6: Sovrn
Sovrn is one of my personal favorite AdSense alternatives for low traffic websites. Their Sovrn Commerce program allows you to use their in-text advertising tools to convert normal links into affiliate links. If a reader buys a product through your link, you earn a referral commission.
For instance, let’s say you write a lot about cameras. In one of your posts, you mention your new “Canon EOS 5D”.
Sovrn will pick up on this and convert it into an affiliate link. You don’t need to join affiliate programs for dozens of merchants and manage each individual affiliate program separately. With Sovrn, you gain access to their full pool of 30,000 merchants, and they do all the heavy lifting for you.
Viglink (part of Sovrn) is one of the best ad networks for any low-traffic website with product-driven content. If you write a lot of reviews and mention products on your website, give them a try.
Sovrn in a nutshell:
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Minimum traffic requirement: N/A (site has to be 4 months old)
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Revenue share: N/A
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Payout threshold: $25 ($50 for wire transfers)
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Payment schedule: Net 90
7: Amazon Affiliate Program
Amazon Associates is one of the best AdSense alternatives for low traffic blogs — even though it’s not exactly a display ad network.
Monetizing your content with the Amazon affiliate program is easy and straightforward. Because Amazon sells everything you can imagine, you can promote millions of products in your content. If people can buy it on Amazon, you can make money by writing a product review, gift guide, or how-to tutorial.
The best part? Every time your readers buy anything on Amazon via your links, you earn up to 10% in commission. Even if you’re linking to a slow juicer and they buy fishing equipment instead, you’ll still earn money.
Amazon Associates in a nutshell:
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Minimum traffic requirement: N/A
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Revenue share: N/A
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Payout threshold: $10 ($100 for check payouts)
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Payment schedule: Net 60
8: Journey by Mediavine
Journey by Mediavine is a fantastic option for bloggers with growing traffic who aren’t quite ready for Mediavine’s main program. While Mediavine typically requires 50,000 sessions per month, Journey allows you to start monetizing much earlier in your blogging journey.
What makes Journey special is its focus on user experience. Their ads are designed to be non-intrusive while still generating decent revenue. The dashboard is incredibly user-friendly, perfect for beginners who don’t want to deal with complex settings and configurations.
Journey also provides excellent support, with real humans ready to help you optimize your ad setup. As your blog grows, you can seamlessly transition to Mediavine’s premium program without any hassle.
Journey by Mediavine in a nutshell:
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Minimum traffic requirement: Much lower than Mediavine’s main program
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Revenue share: Competitive
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Payout threshold: $25
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Payment schedule: Net 65
FAQ: Google AdSense Alternatives for Low Traffic
What are display ads and how do they make money?
Display ads are those images or text ads you see on websites. They’re how businesses reach potential customers and website owners monetize their content. When someone sees or clicks on an ad on your site, the display ad network pays you a small amount of money. The more traffic and clicks you get, the more money you can earn. Using display ads on your site means that you’re essentially selling space on your website for advertisers to promote their products.
Why should I use an AdSense alternative if I have low traffic?
While Google AdSense is fantastic for big websites, it might not be the best fit when your site is new and you have low traffic. Some AdSense alternatives are more relaxed about traffic numbers, offer better rates for smaller sites, and have a lower minimum payout threshold. Also, managing and optimizing your AdSense ad units can be technically cumbersome, while the best AdSense alternatives offer a more beginner-friendly dashboard.
How do I know which ad network and AdSense alternative is best for me?
Finding the best ad network for your site boils down to your website’s niche, traffic, and your personal preferences. Some networks specialize in specific industries like lifestyle sites, while others have a universal reach. I recommend starting with Monetag or Infolinks, but you should also experiment with different options to find what works best for you.
How much money can I expect to make with ad networks?
It depends on several factors: your website niche and traffic sources, seasonalities, the ad network’s rates, and how you place your ads. Realistically speaking, you can expect to earn anywhere from $1-5 per 1,000 pageviews with most ad networks. However, some niches like finance, insurance, and health can earn significantly more.
Can I use multiple ad networks on my site simultaneously?
Yes, you can use multiple ad networks on your site at the same time. However, be careful not to overload your site with too many ads as this can hurt user experience and potentially your search engine rankings. A good strategy is to test different networks in different areas of your site to see which performs best where.
Final Thoughts: Best Google AdSense Alternatives for Low Traffic Websites and Blogs
When you’re just starting out with your blog, monetization can seem challenging. But with these AdSense alternatives, you can start earning passive income even with low traffic.
My personal favorites for beginners are Infolinks and Monetag because they have no minimum traffic requirements and low payout thresholds. Journey by Mediavine is also an excellent option if you’re looking for a user-friendly experience with great support.
Remember, the key is to experiment and find what works best for your specific niche and audience. Don’t be afraid to try different networks and ad placements to optimize your earnings.
What’s your experience with these ad networks? Have you tried any of them on your low-traffic blog? I’d love to hear about your results!
Happy blogging and even happier earning!
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