Optimizing CPM revenue

[Westech]

As most of you know, I'm relatively new to using CPM ads on my sites. I'm currently using Casale ads as my primary and sending defaults to Fastclick. I've been looking at ways to optimize my revenue from both companies rather than just letting my primary agency exhaust all of their ads and then giving all of the leftovers to the secondary agency.

OK, try to stay with me here... From what I've observed, it seems as if each day these companies show the highest-paying ads available for the visitor's country first, then move down to lower paying ads, then when they don't have any more ads available for that particular visitor they serve defaults. The result of this is that each day your average eCPM starts out high as the highest-paying ads are served and then gradually drops as lower paying ads are served that bring down the overall eCPM.

For example, let's say that I've experimented and found that Company #1 pays me a higher overall CPM than Company #2, So I use Company #1 for my primary ads. However, at a certain point in the day, Company #1 has used up all of it's higher-paying ads and is now serving ads with a lower CPM than I could get from Company #2. The trick then, is to find the "sweet spot" where I need to cut off Company #1's ads in favor of Company #2's.

Casale has an option that you can set for each ad type that allows you to only serve ads that pay at least x eCPM. If it doesn't have an ad to serve that pays at least that minimum CPM it defaults to your secondary company. What I've been doing is experimenting with different numbers for that minimum CPM to see which gives me the best overall CPM between the two companies.

Any comments on the pros and cons of this method? What strategies do all of you use to maximize revenue between multiple ad companies?

[Westech]

Really? No comments on this? So I guess that means that all of you just completely exhaust one advertiser and then default to another?

[Chris]

Ad networks do not start the high paying ads off early in the day, nor do they serve ads on a first come first served basis.

Ads for a day are allocated based on your traffic patterns and the needs of the advertisers. They're then distributed throughout the day based on unique users. A unique user in the morning does not have any greater chance at seeing a high paying ad than a unique user at night.

Also, most companies allow you to either set a CPM floor or to deselect campaigns that you do not want (which in effect allows you to make a limit).

What I do is simply not select ads that will pay less than my defaults and then chain the networks together from best to worst.

[davesplace1]

I've been deselcting all the eCPM low paying ads so the network can show the CPC ads. Most of them are making my 2X to 3X as much as the CPM ads. I have a default ad set up but it never shows. Most networks have so many ad campains now that defaults are hardly ever needed, unlike 2 years ago when your default could be 10% of your ad views.

[Westech]

Interesting. I might have to try CPC only for a day or two.

[Emancipator]

im serving piles of defaults on my site with fastclick and casale running together.. that is why ive not cut my cpm off at a dollar value. I fear I would make LeSS and serve even more defaults.

[Westech]

So who would you guys recommend after Casale and Fastclick?

[Emancipator]

i would love to have a 3rd option. I have been turned down by just about everyone.. lol

[ozgression]

Have you tried BurstMedia?

[Westech]

Thanks. I'll check them out.

[cameron]

I've decided to try and cut some Fastclick campaigns to see if I can optimize my earnings. What would you guys recommended I try out? At first I was going to cut everything with an eCPM below $0.40, but then I realized that it was more than half the campaigns available. I'm worried this would mean they don't fill enough of my inventory.

I know I can always just change it back, if anyone had some better suggestions of what to test first that would be great.

[conversionrater]

Take a look at Right Media. They have a built in way to optimize CPMs by making networks compete. I've had some nice success there. Fastclick and Casale are good options as well. Have you talked to Advertising.com or Tribal Fusion?

[ramprage]

TribalFusion is alright, I use them