The amount you earn with Propeller Ads as a publisher depends on a number of factors. Some of these factors are in your control, while others depend on traffic performance. By the end of this article, you will understand the different variables that affect your eCPM, and how you can further optimize to get the best results.

Audience GEO has a direct impact on eCPM

Some of our advertisers offer location dependant products and services. As a result, they only want their ads to be shown to viewers within specific geographical locations.

For example, if one of our advertisers runs a giant eCommerce store selling only to UK customers, they may set their ad options to target UK residents only. The location of your traffic will dictate which ads will be shown to your traffic, altering your overall eCPM.

Each advertiser has different rates they are willing to pay per action based on the location of your audience. For example, if a visitor is from Spain the advertiser may be willing to pay $5 per action, while only $2.50 for the same action if they are from England.

Your ad-units make a big difference

Depending on the layout of your website and the ad-unit selected, is arguably the biggest variable in your control to optimizing your eCPM.

Since click-through rate is an important metric to driving eCPM, ads which are easily viewable convert better. Rates for each ad-unit varies based on CTR, a viewer’s device type, location and engagement level. The more traffic you can drive the greater overall eCPM.

Each ad-unit we provide has its own set of advantages. For example, using our OnClick PopUnder Ads tends to be the most profitable because its placement doesn’t need to be optimized, and it will be seen by the majority of your traffic.

Then we have our Banner Ads, which offers more flexibility as they come in various sizes and provide you the option to place them anywhere on your website. Unlike OnClick Pop-Under Ads, the placement of your banners is pivotal to generating a good eCPM, the more clicks you receive the greater the profits.

Luckily for all our publishers, we have created a comprehensive guide on the best practices for banner ads placements to make your life easier.

Fill rates

Fill rate is the percentage your ad-units show an ad when there was an opportunity. For example, let’s say you embed one of our ad-units and receive 100 visitors today. If for each visitor an advert was shown your fill rate is 100% (optimal).

The more times you can show an advert to a visitor the greater your eCPM will be. Keep in mind the more ad-units you place, the higher the possibility of an ad-unit not displaying an ad.

To increase your fill rate you should pick a reputable ad network. Most tend to provide around 25-50% fill rate. However, Propeller Ads has almost a 100% fill rate on all ad-units.

Traffic performance

This is something out of your control but very important to understand as a publisher. The action your traffic makes will impact your eCPM. Each advertiser has their own required action for each ad, once your traffic performs that action – you get paid. This is why quality traffic means so much, traffic that makes the intended action leads to greater eCPM.

An action can be anything from opting-in to their company newsletter, making a purchase, staying on their website for a certain period of time, watching a video to just clicking the advert.

As a publisher, all you can do is drive quality traffic to your website, depending on our advertisers’ needs and the action your traffic take, will determine your eCPM.

Mobile traffic is worth more

Google recently updated their algorithm to factor in the responsiveness of websites on mobile devices. Websites which aren’t mobile responsive will now rank lower in searches and receive less traffic. Reduced traffic means less visitors view your ads, resulting in a lower eCPM.

More users are accessing the Internet via mobile devices and the demand for mobile traffic is much greater than ever before. Advertisers are willing to pay greater sums of money for mobile traffic over desktops traffic.

Want to sky-rocket your eCPM? Drive mobile traffic to your website.

Unique visitors are also worth more

The amount of unique visitors your websites receives every 24 hours will play an important role in how your ad-units perform.

Unique visitors are held in higher regard and advertisers bid much more aggressively for clicks.

Let me put it to you like this, if you’re shown the same ad 3 times and haven’t made the intended action, will showing it you another 4,5,6 or more times make you change your mind? Probably not. This is known as ad fatigue and is why advertisers are willing to pay more for unique traffic.

Summary

Getting the best possible eCPM requires some optimization on your part and quality traffic that makes the intended action.

Propeller Ads works with a plethora of advertisers all of the world, provide several ad-unit options and a knowledge base to help you optimize your campaigns.

You can be sure to get the best rates in the business, high fill rates and most of all your traffic will receive a delightful experience.