The Challenge:

A website that focuses on historical content, reaching around 1.1 million visits each month, was looking for ways to further capitalize on its high-quality audience. While the site had been generating solid revenue with Google AdSense, the publisher saw an opportunity to earn even more by tapping into premium advertising sources. The goal was to enhance monetization by accessing higher-paying ads through header bidding and private marketplace deals, all while maintaining a great user experience for visitors.

The Approach:

The website decided to partner with Ezoic, the largest Google Certified Publishing Partner, renowned for its cutting-edge ad technology and expertise in enhancing revenue through premium ad demand while ensuring a positive user experience. Ezoic’s ability to implement advanced ad solutions and conduct AI-driven ad testing made them an ideal partner to elevate the site's monetization strategy beyond what AdSense could achieve.

Starting in mid-May 2024, Ezoic collaborated closely with the publisher to implement several strategic improvements to the site´s ad setup. Ezoic began by reviewing their existing AdSense ad configuration and introducing new, higher viewability placements optimized for their audience and site design. This ensured ads were positioned for maximum visibility and engagement. Following this, Ezoic assessed the advertising demand within Google Ad Manager and restructured the site's ad inventory to optimize programmatic revenue. This included integrating Google Ad Exchange, header bidding partners, and premium private marketplace deals to drive up competition and increase ad value.

Introducing Header Bidding:

⁠Ezoic implemented header bidding technology, allowing multiple ad exchanges, including Google’s Ad Exchange, Rubicon, and Amazon Header Bidding, to compete for ad inventory simultaneously. This strategy fostered a more competitive bidding environment, resulting in a significant 185% increase in Impression RPM.

Expanding Premium Ad Demand:

⁠The website gained access to exclusive brand deals and high-value advertisers through Ezoic’s private marketplace, which further boosted revenue by attracting premium advertisements.

Integrating AdSense Mediation:

The publisher set up AdSense as a mediation partner on the Ezoic platform, ensuring that AdSense ads continued to display whenever they were the highest bidder. This approach maximized the earning potential from each ad impression.

Implementing Video Monetization:

⁠The publisher utilized the Humix video platform by uploading their video content and integrating it into their website using the Universal Player. This strategy not only boosted user engagement by increasing the time visitors spent on the site but also allowed the publisher to tap into the high RPMs associated with Instream and Outstream video ads, significantly enhancing their overall ad revenue.

Continuous Monitoring and Optimization:

Ezoic provided ongoing analysis of performance metrics, such as ad location performance and ad sizes, and adjusted placements and strategies in real-time. This continuous optimization ensured the website maintained optimal revenue performance.

These measures allowed the website to fully leverage its high-quality audience by accessing more competitive and higher-paying advertising channels, leading to a substantial increase in overall revenue.

The Results:

Within just two months of partnering with Ezoic, the website achieved remarkable improvements:

Revenue Increased by 248%:
⁠The site’s monthly earnings soared from $7,764 with AdSense alone to $27,005 with Ezoic, despite a slight dip in sessions (from 1,171,054 to 1,130,011).

Page RPM Improved by 237%:
⁠The revenue per thousand pageviews (Page RPM) increased from $5.81 to $19.6, showcasing a much more efficient monetization strategy.

Impression RPM Boosted by 185%:
⁠The revenue generated per thousand ad impressions (Impression RPM) climbed from $1.54 to $4.39, demonstrating the effectiveness of the header bidding approach and premium brand deals through Ezoics Private Marketplace.

$5900 monthly Video Ad Revenue:
⁠By incorporating video monetization through the Humix platform, the website generated an average of $5,900 per month in video ad revenue. This additional income stream greatly contributed to the site's overall revenue growth, showcasing the effectiveness of leveraging high-engagement video content and an intelligent video player.

Ad Viewability Increased by 40%:
The ad viewability went from 60,57% to 84.7%, which contributed further to attracting premium advertisers and higher bids and minimizing wasted ad impressions.

By integrating Ezoic’s advanced ad technology and tapping into premium ad networks, the website successfully enhanced its advertising revenue while continuing to deliver a positive user experience.

Conclusion:

Partnering with Ezoic enabled the website to unlock significant revenue growth by utilizing advanced advertising strategies and gaining access to premium ad demand. With the introduction of header bidding, private marketplace deals, and ongoing performance optimization, the site transformed from a side project into a thriving publishing business, earning over $20,000 more in just one month compared to its previous AdSense setup.

Beyond the impressive financial gains, the publisher now enjoys the added benefits of 24/7 support, regular SEO audits, and access to a diverse team of industry experts, including data scientists, engineers, video producers, and digital media consultants, helping to ensure sustained growth and continued success.