Introduction
In this post, I’ll compare Google AdX versus Google AdSense. We’ll compare the differences between the two, so by the end of this post, you can decide which one is best for you. With that in mind, let’s get started.
What Is Google AdX?
Think of Google AdX, previously called DoubleClick Ad Exchange, as a big market where people swap places for digital ads. It’s kind of like the stock market where things are bought and sold in real time. This means the cost of ad spaces is decided right away. For folks who create websites, called publishers, AdX acts like a market where they can quickly sell spots for ads to various advertisers. Publishers can even choose which ads pop up on their websites and find out who bought the spots and how much they paid.
On the flip side, if you’re someone who wants to display ads, you’re an advertiser. AdX offers a way to buy these ads. Since many different publishers use AdX, advertisers can quickly get their ads to more people or aim at specific groups of users. Advertisers can even compete for ad spaces as soon as they’re up for grabs based on what they think it’s worth. To put it simply, AdX is a spot where websites and advertisers meet up to swap ad spaces. This makes it simpler for both sides to trade these spaces.
Is AdX Owned by Google?
At this moment, AdX belongs to Google. In 1995, DoubleClick Ad Exchange began, and in 2008, Google purchased it. Then it was given a new name: Google Ad Exchange, or simply AdX. Some other companies, such as Microsoft, were concerned about this purchase because they believed it might give Google too much control over online ads. The Federal Trade Commission and the European Union looked into the situation, and they both agreed that it was fine for Google to go ahead with the purchase.
Is Google AdX an SSP?
A lot of people believe that Google AdX is really great and one of the best SSPs around. It’s like a huge marketplace where ad spots from all over the world are bought and sold, and it’s especially helpful for people who create websites. There are other SSPs like OpenX, PubMatic, and Magnite that people also really like. If you want to earn money from ads, you can connect with these SSPs using a thing called header bidding.
What Is AdX Called Now?
The group of people who were once known as AdX buyers, those who buy ads using special programs, are now referred to as authorized buyers. In 2018, Google decided to stop using the name AdX because it joined AdX with Google Ad Manager. This transition took place slowly over a few months within the Ad Manager’s user interface.
What Is Google AdSense?
Google AdSense is a simple tool that helps website owners earn money by displaying ads on their websites. To do this, they only need to put a small code on their site and choose where the ads should appear. After setting up AdSense, advertisers compete to have their ads shown based on who’s visiting the website. Whenever an ad is displayed, AdSense charges the advertisers and pays the website owner for each click or view of the ad. AdSense uses ads from advertisers who are using Google Ads, the Google Display Network, or other Google services.
AdSense makes things easier for website owners. Tasks like deciding how big the ads should be and where they should show up are managed automatically through special ad formats. Joining AdSense isn’t too hard; a website just needs to have content that’s suitable for all ages, no fake visits, and no problems with copyright. That’s why website owners really enjoy AdSense. It’s way more popular than AdX.
What Are the Key Differences?
When AdX is used well in important countries, it can make more money from ads if you handle things like dynamic flooring, Google Open Bidding, and preferred deals really well. Switching from AdSense to Google Ad Exchange for these important countries might increase the money you make from ads by around 20 to 50 percent. For less developed countries, AdSense is usually the better choice. AdSense usually does better than AdX in these countries. AdX is picky about who can join compared to AdSense. To get into AdX, websites must have at least 5 million page views every month.
AdSense is simple for people who aren’t tech-savvy, but if you really want to make AdX work well, you’ll need help from an AdX partner, someone who knows how ads work, and a tech person who understands ad technology. You get to AdX by using Google Ad Manager, but remember, this is not the same thing as Google AdSense, which is a different platform altogether. With AdSense, you don’t have to earn a lot before they give you money. AdSense usually works better than AdX in countries that aren’t as developed. If you’re in the US, you only need to make ten dollars to get paid, which is good for websites that don’t have many visitors.
AdSense can handle steps on its own; however, AdX lets website owners have more control over how ads are sold and displayed. For example, they can choose the lowest price for ads or directly sell ad spaces to advertisers.
Is Google Ad Exchange Better Than AdSense?
AdX can earn more money from ads than AdSense in important countries, but there are other factors to consider. Usually, AdX is great for large websites with valuable ad spaces. On the flip side, AdSense is a good choice for small websites that don’t have a bunch of technical resources for ads.
How Do I Get Access to Google AdX?
You have two ways to reach Google AdX: either directly through Google Ads Manager or with a certified partner like Snigel, who has special access. If you go directly, you can make your own choices, but you’ll need someone who’s good with ads to make the most money. If you team up with a partner, you’ll have to give them a bit of the money you earn, but they’ll take care of the advertising work for you.
How to Access Google AdX Through a Google Certified Publishing Partner
Getting to Google AdX is simpler if you use a certified partner or a network partner manager, but you’ll need to meet the NPMs requirements to get in. Usually, a partner like this wants to see that your website gets around 500,000 views per month, has at least 10 percent of visitors from developed countries, shares content suitable for everyone, doesn’t have fake visits, and has a good history with Google AdSense or Google Ad Manager. Certified Google MCM Partners like Snigel have special accounts that let them show ads and make money for you. They’ll share the money they make based on the deal you both agreed on.
How to Join Google AdX Directly
If you want to jump right in, start by making a Google Ads Manager account. Your scores for things like how often ads are seen, content being safe for everyone, and avoiding fake views should be good. After that, your Google Account Manager might invite you to AdX if they think it’s a match. Once your Google Ads Manager account has been active for some time, you can ask your Google Account Manager. If you do well with Google Ads and get direct access, you can handle your own AdX account, but to really succeed with AdX, it takes a bunch of time and work. People who do well with AdX are always trying new things and changing their settings to use the new features like different ways to charge, technology, and how ads look.
Usually, if you have people on your team who know ads and tech stuff, it’s a smart move to get direct access. Big websites like Forbes and ESPN have these kinds of folks on their team, but if you don’t, it’s better to get more money from ads and have less stress by using a Google partner.
What Are the Minimum Requirements for Google AdX?
A Google Ad Manager, no past problems like breaking rules, showing unsafe stuff, or fake visitors, a current ads.txt file that lists all the people buying ads from you, at least 5 million website visits are seen every month, and at least 10 million ads are shown each month. This should have been happening for at least six months. It’s important to know that even if you meet these conditions, you can only get into AdX if they invite you. Your Google Ad Account Manager decides this. Plus, Ad Exchange might ask for more things like certain types of content and how well ads are seen.
Who Is on the Google AdX Partners List?
- snigel.com
- oko.uk
- newarmedia.com
- monetizemore.com
- pubgalaxy.com
What Is Google Ad Manager?
Google Ad Manager is a tool made for large website owners who want to have strong control over their ads. It can do more things compared to AdSense and work with various ad networks and exchanges such as AdSense, Ad Exchange, and more.
Delivery
The Ad Review Center from Google gives you tools to find specific Ad Exchange ads and decide if you want to stop them. This is handy if you want to watch over your website’s ads and make them better. Partners like Snigel, who are approved by Google, use the Ad Review Center to keep improving the quality of ads.
AdX Auctions
Once you’re on the AdX platform, you’ll see all the spots on your website where ads can go. You can start a kind of competition where advertisers try to get their ads shown. Google AdX gives you three options for the way you want this competition to work:
- Open Auction: In an open auction, all the advertisers connected to Ad Exchange get a chance to buy spaces for their ads on the publisher’s website. This is also known as an Open Marketplace or real-time bidding. It’s a usual method for selling ads automatically. In this kind of auction, publishers can choose the lowest price they’ll accept for an ad, but the final price is determined by how much advertisers are willing to offer. But in this auction, it’s not guaranteed that ads will always be available.
- Preferred Deals: Preferred deals let website owners offer spots for ads to certain advertisers before they’re put up for auction. These special deals make sure important buyers can grab ad spaces early or get unique spots. This kind of auction is mostly used to let top advertisers buy ad spaces before others, and they might pay more than in a regular auction. Advertisers are okay with paying more for preferred deals because they can show their ads in spots that match their brand or have a better chance of getting clicks and making sales.
- Private Auctions: Private auctions allow you to ask specific buyers to join an auction for your ad spots. You decide the lowest price you’ll accept for each ad view, called the CPM floor price, and buyers have to offer more than that to participate. The winner is picked using the same rules as the open auction.
Google AdX vs AdSense – Which Is Better for Your Site?
Even though Google AdX can help you make more money from ads, it takes a lot of work and time to set up, keep things current, and handle the account. To get the best results from Ad Exchange, you’ll need someone who’s an expert in handling advertising operations. They’ll help you test different pricing rules, manage special deals, set prices, use Google Open Bidding, and make your ads look better.
If you’re a big company with these kinds of resources, you might directly use AdX and teach your team how to work with it. But many websites choose to go through a third-party ad tech company and a Google partner like Snigel to access AdX. These companies give you some special code to add to your site, and they’ll do all the hard work to make things better. If your site doesn’t get at least 5 million visits every month, you’ll need to work with an ad tech company because you don’t meet the requirements for a direct account. But the good news is that these companies often offer extra services like header bidding and video ads, which can boost the money you make from ads.
On the other hand, if you want an easy ad setup that you can handle on your own, you can stick with AdSense. Even though you might earn 10 to 40 percent less money with AdSense, you’ll still get text, picture, or video ads. Overall, AdSense is perfect for small website owners who want to focus more on creating content and less on ads.
