Whether you’re a large publisher with an online presence or a small one just building up your brand awareness, you are missing out if you are not monetizing your website and digital domains. Thanks to programmatic advertising technology, generating earnings through the sale of ad space is easier than ever before. With the advent of ad exchanges, publishers all over the globe can find accessible digital marketplaces to sell off their unsold inventory through real-time bidding in auctions. This helps them get higher fill rates and maximize their CPM.
That is why using ad exchanges should be an indispensable part of publisher’s strategies for driving up online revenue. Exchanges are invaluable for publishers and advertisers alike. They are at the center of programmatic ad buying and serve as a mediator between SSPs and SDPs.
Finding the best ad exchange for your business is no easy task, however. Ad exchanges are not born equal. All boast different ad formats, features, targeting options and support. Choosing a large exchange just because of its size does not guarantee it will be the best one for you and your business.
You can choose one by looking at the features offered, the potential reach and whether they support the devices and ad formats you want to use to reach your target audience. Still don’t know where to start? You’ve come to the right place.
Soon, we’ll take you through our list of the 9 best ad exchanges out there for publishers. Regardless of whether you are just starting out with online advertising and want to begin monetizing your content or want to take your online advertising campaign up a few notches, you can find the perfect exchange. First, though, we’ll discover what an ad exchange is.
Without further ado, let’s delve deeper.
What Is an Ad Exchange?
An ad exchange lets publishers sell their ad space online. Advertisers can bid on and purchase inventory in real-time. Buyers secure this advertising space so that they can deliver video, display, mobile ads, and more to their target audiences. Nowadays, all transactions are handled through real-time auctions.
In the process of real-time bidding, the highest bid wins the ad space. If you are a premium publisher, some advertisers may be willing to pay more to appear on your websites. Advertisers can compete for ad inventory on these sites using advertising exchanges.
These exchanges do not serve either the publisher or advertiser. They are autonomous platforms that facilitate the process of buying ad inventory and mean that publishers do not have to make direct deals with advertisers to shift unsold ad space.
Now it’s time to go through our top ad exchanges for publishers.
Top 9 Ad Exchanges for Publishers
Here are our picks for the top 9 ad exchanges publishers can use to drive up their online revenue.
1. CodeFuel
CodeFuel was founded in 2014. It offers search monetization solutions to publishers. Publishers can boost their earnings, audience engagement, and increase conversions. They can also optimize their searches.
Scale up your business by monetizing your search engines, browser extensions, websites, and mobile apps. They can offer higher pay-outs than most of their competitors, thanks to their long-standing connection with Bing and other search engines.
Use the CodeFuel HUB to keep tabs on your campaign’s performance and make improvements.
Features
Here are the key features you can use to boost your revenue.
- App monetization – You can monetize desktop and mobile apps, white-listed search engines, browser extensions and more besides.
- Website monetization – This feature helps publishers monetize their sites with product ads, text ads, news feeds, and shopping ads. These are designed to engage your audience and increase click-through-rate leading to more conversions.
- Search mediation – This service invaluable for media traders, as it offers a way to maximize earnings. You can run campaigns across multiple platforms.
Pros
- You can manage everything from one dashboard.
- There are numerous options for monetization across various platforms, to drive up revenue.
- You can keep track of on how well your campaigns perform using the tracking and analytical tools offered.
- Will integrate with quality publishers and enable publishers to access Google Adsense programs.
- You can leverage ads, searches, shopping, and a high-quality news feed to drive up your earnings.
Cons
- To source customers or visitors with high intent, you will need at least a medium sized audience.
Click here to contact CodeFuel
2. Google AdX
Google AdX is an excellent ad exchange that really pushes its competitors.
The Google Display Network lets publishers sell their ad space at high prices. It has some of the best CPM rates in the some of the highest CPM in the industry and has fantastic global reach and stellar audience targeting. Publishers can find their preferred way to sell ad space through Google AdX’s open-auction and private-auction bidding models.
Features
- Open-auction and private-action bidding models
- Various ad formats available, including display, video, and mobile ads.
- Dynamic pricing.
- Gives publishers good control with extensive account filtering options.
Pros
- Works on a CPM model.
- Lots of control and functionality allows publishers to increase revenue.
- Can set a minimum price for ad space.
- There are more sophisticated reporting tools available.
- Excellent fill rate because of high demand.
Cons
- Limited availability, many publishers find it tricky to be considered for access.
- You need extensive knowledge of the industry and technology to run an effective campaign without aid.
- High entry requirements.
Click here to contact Google AdX
3. Verizon Media
Verizon Media offers many different services, including an ad exchange. It prides itself on working with a vast number of publishers, advertisers, and partners. This places them at the forefront of the industry along with some of its leading competitors and makes it Verizon Media a good all-rounder
This exchange serves around 2 billion impressions each day. There are advanced monetization solutions available across devices and ad formats. You have access to advanced inventory management tools, direct, selling and pre-bidding solutions.
Features
- Header bidding.
- Inventory management tools for direct and programmatic deals.
- Tracking and analysis tools to monitor audience behaviour.
Pros
- Increased demand through its network and partnerships with some of the industry most popular demand sources.
- Easy to use and set up with a simple user interface.
- Good analytical and audience targeting tools.
Cons
- Poor customer support.
- The forecasting feature sometimes does not work.
- System is sometimes slow.
4. Magnite
Magnite began as a supply-side platform called the Rubicon Project, but they have since transformed into a programmatic ad exchange. They are now known as an industry leader and work with many well-known names, including eBay.
They offer a premium ad inventory and provides publishers with access to header bidding options and brand safety features. For premium publishers, there are also private marketplaces you can access, which has only the most sought-after ad space with the best CPM.
Features
- Connected TV for granular insights into buyer patterns, bidding, and more.
- Customizable headers.
- Allows publishers to join private marketplaces to sell their most sought-after inventory for the best prices.
- Multiple monetization options, like video ad support.
- Dedicated tech support and account team.
Pros
- Real-time insights.
- Data protection for content and audience information.
- Detailed insight into consumer behaviour.
- Available as open-source software.
- Robust customer support.
Cons
- Low fil rate compared to some of its competitors.
- Reporting can be tricky to understand.
- No online help center.
- Slower loading time.
5. OpenX
OpenX is a well-regarded ad exchange in the world of online advertising. The company boasts full transparency and excellent inventory quality. Using advanced integration technology, it combines real-time bidding with video ad networks and SSPs.
Features
- Provides access to premium header bidding marketplaces.
- Impression predictions prior to making deals.
- Multiple ad formats, including extensive video ad solutions.
- Brand-safety tools.
Pros
- Mobile ad support.
- Loads of data points to optimize spend on bid requests.
- Good coverage on desktop and mobile app.
- Excellent reporting filters.
Cons
- No free trial.
- Prices are high in comparison to some of its competitors.
- This platform can be unreliable.
6. Smaato
Smaato is a mobile ad exchange. They help publishers derive maximum earning from in-app ad space. Over 90,000 publishers are already taking advantage of Smaato’s advanced monetization and incredible reach.
This company deals with more than 150 billion ad impressions a month, making it one of the best mobile ad exchanges out there. Smaato also uses multiple ad fraud protection features, so publishers and advertisers alike can be sure they won’t lose earnings to invalid traffic.
Features
- Ad fraud detection and prevention.
- Multiple ad formats.
- Omnichannel advertising.
Pros
- Free trial available.
- Premium integration and consulting services.
- Excellent reach.
- Prompt payments.
- Good fill-rate.
- Speedy customer service.
Cons
- Pricey inventory.
- Limited reporting dashboard.
- Lack of transparency surrounding margins over media cost.
7. Xandr
Xandr is one of the largest ad exchanges on the market. It helps publishers increase their income from ads by selling inventory in real time. They serve over 11.4 billion ad impressions each day.
Xandr has collaborated with other ad exchanges such as Magnite to supply their clients with some of the best advertising features in the industry.
Features
- Digital asset management.
- Digital Experience Platforms (DXP).
- Headless CMS.
- Localization.
- Mobile form automation.
- Enterprise Content Management (ECM).
Pros
- Multiple ad formats supported including banner, video, native and audio ads.
- Has exceptional reach thanks to its partnerships with Microsoft and Axel Springer.
- Valuable consumer insights.
- Access to a huge portfolio of ad space.
- Easy to use.
Cons
- Sometimes there is a short delay in reports being updated.
- No inventory targeting.
- Can be difficult to add segments to a campaign.
- Smarty Ads
Smarty Ads is a global CPM ad exchange. Publishers can use it to easily manage campaigns, buy ad inventory, and increase the revenue they earn across devices and platforms. It gives access to tools for effective allocation of inventory.
Features
- Offers brand protection – Smarty ads boast safety tools and protected media, which ensures users are safe from fraudsters.
- They have an omnichannel presence – You can re-target customers on lots of different device screens and give yourself a better chance of converting visitors into customers.
- Can use A/B testing – This can increase your online earnings because you can refine your campaign.
- Multiple ad formats available – These include mobile ads, native ads, digital ads. display ads, and video ads.
- Access to data driven reports – This allows publishers to easily track campaign performance.
Pros
- This solution works well and supports many different formats. Ads can be served without damaging the quality of the user experience.
- Publishers can price their own ad space leading to higher CPM.
- The header bidding integration allows publishers to work out the real value of impressions. In this way, you can get more exposure.
- Low payment threshold.
- Fantastic video ads capacity allows publishers to monetize video ad space.
- High volume of preferred deals.
Cons
- You can’t run CPA campaigns on this network. This limits ROI for publishers.
- They only offer limited, slow support. Their response rate is low too.
- Not a lot of direct traffic. It is mostly re-seller traffic.
9. AppLovin (Formerly MoPub)
This exchange specializes in app monetization. Publishers can use AppLovin to monetize their mobile applications with a plethora of rich-media ads. Advertisers can reach niche audiences they wouldn’t be to get to on a PC.
This mobile ad exchange platform has more than 1.5 billion users and is appealing for mobile video advertisers, because mobile ads are growing more popular. They cooperate with some of the big names in the mobile app industry, so you can expect high-quality service and access to first-rate inventory.
Features
- In-app monetization with real-time impression tracking.
- Multi-platform and format support.
- Versatile deep mediation management.
- Ad monitoring and brand safety tools.
Pros
- Robust analytics.
- Good quality service, with above average click through rates.
- Good customer support.
- Exclusive publishers, mainly in the gaming category.
Cons
- Reporting tools could give more detailed information.
- Anti-fraud controls need improvement.
- Some of the inventory is expensive.
- Slow customer support.
After going through our list, you might still be confused about how an ad exchange differs from an ad network and wonder about the benefits using one can offer. Read on and everything will become clear.
The Difference Between Ad Exchanges and Ad Networks
An ad exchange is a platform on which publishers and advertisers come together to buy and sell ad inventory through real-time auctions. Ad space is then sold to the highest bidder based on the information available.
By contrast, an ad network acts as a broker that collects unsold ad space from publishers and then offers it to advertisers to make it easier to negotiate deals.
Both ad exchanges and ad networks play crucial roles in advertising campaigns. However, they work differently. One is used to sell inventory directly, while the other acts as a mediator.
Before we wrap things up, let’s look at some advantages of using exchanges.
Benefits of Using an Ad Exchange
With recent developments in advertising technology, it is now much easier to buy and sell adverts through exchanges. Exchanges are more efficient than other approaches to the trading of inventory and are thus an attractive option for both publishers and advertisers. Real-time bidding, as you may have guessed, is at the heart of ad exchanges. This technology has multiple benefits for both publishers and advertisers.
Here are the main ones.
- Transparency: Advertising exchanges allow advertisers to see websites that are serving their ads.
- Targeting options: There are numerous targeting options available, including geolocation, user demographics, and language to name just a few. This means advertisers can serve ads to their target audience and increase user engagement and conversions.
- Ad types and formats: Publishers can decide which types of ads can appear on their websites by picking their preferred ad formats, like display ads, native ads, banner ads, and video ads.
- Ad blocking and filtering: Publishers can block or filter ads from their competitors, or ones with sensitive or inappropriate content.
- Real-time insights: Advertisers can use the data they get from ad exchanges to learn more about their target audience, adjust their advertising goals and continuously refine their campaigns. This is likely to lead to more conversions and therefore more profit.
- Efficient media buying: A wide range of targeting options offered by exchanges and efficient budgeting and spending mean that advertisers don’t waste as much money serving their ads to irrelevant users.
FAQ
What is an ad exchange?
An ad exchange allows publishers sell their ad space online. Advertisers can bid on and purchase inventory in real-time bidding auctions or on private marketplaces.
The technology is designed to allow and facilitate the buying and selling of ad space across many different networks.
What does eCPM mean?
Effective cost per mile is a system used by publishers, advertisers and advertising platforms and exchanges to estimate the value of an advertisement to help decide whether it is worth the cost.
What is a Demand-Side Platform?
A demand-side platform (DSP) represents advertisers in the process of buying ad space online of online ad space. This enables advertisers to purchase different forms of ad space from various publishers on a single platform.
What is a Supply-Side Platform?
A Supply-Side Platform (SSP) makes it possible for publishers to reach out to many different advertisers and sell their unsold ad inventory for the highest possible price.
What is a Data Management Platform?
A data management platform (DMP) allows you to collect, keep, and categorize cookie data from a range of sources. It usually works in tandem with a DSP to give advertisers relevant which helps them target visitors who are a better match for the ad being shown.
Wrapping Up
You now know our top 9 ad exchanges for publishers. We hope we’ve helped take a lot of the angst and hassle out of the decision for you.
Why not scroll through our list again, and pick an exchange to try out? You may want to experiment with more than one to make sure it is right for you.
Our recommendation is that you give CodeFuel a whirl because they are sure to help you monetize all your digital properties in next to no time, and with little effort on your part. Then, just sit back and watch your revenue start to climb!
