Hey everyone! I'm running a brand new website focused on public tenders in Spain and I'm looking for alternatives to Google Adsense and Adsterra. My aim is to incorporate normal display banners that won't ruin the user experience. I had a bad experience with Adsterra; despite their claims of no pop-ups, my users reported otherwise, and their support was unhelpful. Adsense could be a viable option down the line, but since my site is new, it will take a couple of weeks for approval and to start earning. I'm seeking recommendations for trustworthy ad networks that provide clean banners, are reliable, and won't annoy my users. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!
4 Answers
Congrats on the new site! A couple of quick questions: Do you have rough monthly pageviews yet? Is your audience primarily B2B vendors or public-sector people? Are you open to only cookie-less/contextual ads, or would you prefer programmatic too? Here are some clean alternatives that work well for new sites:
1. **EthicalAds** - It's privacy-friendly, no pop-ups, just static banners; great for tech/legal/policy audiences.
2. **BuySellAds** - You can list placements and approve every ad; traditional static banners with no tricks.
3. **Managed Header-Bidding** via partners like Snigel, Setupad, or MonetizeMore - They give you AdX and demand while you control formats, including blocking pop/redirect ads. Faster onboarding than AdSense directly.
4. **Ezoic** - Worth trying for new sites. If you go this route, focus on a few ad sizes (300x250, 728x90, 300x600), disable any auto features, and keep an eye on Core Web Vitals.
If you're up for direct deals (like with Spanish procurement SaaS or tender platforms), running a small Revive Adserver instance could also help you maintain control over your ads without any funky business.
I've got a low-cost ad network I've been using that many folks overlook. It's really cost-effective and gives a solid ROI! Not gonna post the name here to keep it from getting oversaturated, but feel free to DM me for details.
Just so you know, traditional banners are kind of declining in effectiveness and barely bring in revenue as people tend to ignore them. I recommend looking into more modern formats. For instance, I’ve used adMaven's push notifications on several sites, and they work really well. They're very non-intrusive, and it's clear that many major news and websites are starting to use them.
Are Carbon Ads still around? They were the cleanest option I remember using. Just a heads up, they might be perfect for your audience!
Thanks for the suggestion! I’ve sent in my application to Carbon Ads, so I'm just waiting on them now. Fingers crossed! I'm also keeping an eye out for other clean options.