5. Chitika

5. Chitika

A company that was founded in 2003. Chitika is easy to implement and customize, with on-time payments and a low payout threshold. The company falls further down on our list because the ad relevancy isn’t on par with the previous ad networks listed, and earnings are also lower than AdSense, Media.net and several other networks listed.

But, there is no traffic requirement, and three great ad options are available:

• Mobile ads
• List units
• Display / text ads

All offer types are based on CPC, and the payout threshold is just $10. You’ll even be paid on a NET 30, and can be paid via check or PayPal. If Chitika had better performance, it would be much higher on our list.

Even the reporting surpasses a lot of the alternatives.

As a publisher, Chitika offers:

• NET 30 payments ($10 threshold)
• Check and PayPal payment methods.
• Poor fill rate performance.

The company doesn’t display their fill rate, but it’s on the low side. Fill rate is the company’s biggest fault since performance and fill rate are tied closely together. Despite this, Chitika does do a lot of things right for small publishers, such as offering several ad units and favorable payment terms.

4. Infolinks

4. Infolinks

Infolinks offers a lot of different ad types that extend well beyond the company’s in-text ads that they first started with. Infolinks is reliable and offers five unique ad types that are a little different than what most publishers are accustomed to:

• InFold: Displayed in the fold at the bottom of the screen.
• InScreen: An interstitial ad that is displayed between page views and takes up all or most of the screen.
• InText: Ads placed within the text of your most valuable keywords.
• InTag: Ads displayed in relation to the context of a page.
• InFrame: Ads that fit into the right or left side of the screen where white space normally exists.

The variety of ad types allows you to test different optimization methods by integrating different ad units. For small publishers, you’ll be happy to know that:

• There are no traffic requirements.
• Payment is done on NET 45 ($50 – $100 threshold) basis.

The threshold is determined by your method of payment. PayPal and Payoneer have a $50 payout threshold while Bank Wire Transfer has a $100 threshold.

And, publishers receive 70% revenue share for ads displayed. Fill rate is not reported, but from personal experience, I’d say it’s near or at 100%.

3. RevenueHits

3. RevenueHits

RevenueHits is a massive network that offers a 100% fill rate and displays over 2 billion ads per day. Established in 2008, the company is known for their reliable payments and offers a wide variety of ad formats, including:

• Display / rich media
• Text ads
• Popups/unders
• Apps and widget monetization
• XML feeds
• Custom formats

Finding a network that is willing to work with publishers of all sizes and offers custom formats is a rarity. Meeting the needs of publishers, you can request a unique ad format, and the company may comply if it’s a reasonable request.

The company states some publishers receive an eCPM of $30, but that’s an exceptional case.

What you need to know is that:

• There are no traffic requirements to join.
• Payment is sent wire, PayPal or Payoneer on NET 30 terms.
• Fill rate is 100%.

RevenueHits is one of the biggest ad publishers in the world in terms of inventory, and the company always pays on time.

2. Media.net

2. Media.net

Media.net runs contextual ads and is fueled by the Yahoo! Bing Network. A major advertiser, the network boasts high-quality advertisers with millions of sponsored ads. Mix this together with no minimum traffic requirement and multiple ad formats, and you have the perfect ad network for smaller publishers.

Mobile ads can even be displayed through the platform.

Robust targeting, dynamic optimization, and innovative ad units make Media.net a very attractive choice for publishers. The company also offers:

• No traffic requirements.
• All CPC offers.
• Dozens of ad size.
• Payment terms of NET 30 ($100 threshold).

Payments are sent via PayPal and wire transfer. One thing I really like about this network is that you’ll be connected with your own personal account manager, and contacting support is effortless.

The company states 100% fill rate across all verticals. Several ad types are offered, too, from rich media and interstitial ads to images and in-content ads.

Media.net is slowly becoming AdSense’s biggest threat in the industry.

1. Google AdSense

1. Google AdSense

Google AdSense is still the best ad network for small publishers. A brand that everyone is familiar with, Google offers a near 100% fill rate with high-quality ads and decent overall performance in terms of revenue.

AdSense has the following publisher benefits:

• No traffic requirements.
• Net 30 payments ($100 threshold)
• CPC and CPM offers

You must adhere to AdSense’s terms of service and follow their program policies.

Aside from a high fill rate, reliable payouts, and a low entry requirement, AdSense is easy to implement into your website. A small code snippet is all that’s needed to get started, and you can display up to 3 ad units on a page.

Contextually, Google will choose ads that are most relevant to your page’s content.

And, the company has video resources that are perfect for a small publisher. These videos include steps to optimize your ads and can help you make more money as a publisher.