Have you been searching for how to compare pop ad networks? Well, the search is over. The world of pop ads has changed a lot since the first pop ads hit our screens. So, let us guide you on what you need to focus on when you are choosing your perfect pop traffic network.

Read on to find out how to choose the best pop traffic network for you and your affiliate marketing campaigns!

Choosing the best pop ad networks — all you need to know

When you start your search for the best pop ad network, there are many aspects you need to consider before committing to one over another.

We suggest you start by looking in the following places:

• The websites of the ad networks – This may seem like an obvious first place to start, but each pop ad network will have dedicated information on what they have to offer. Bear in mind that it is designed to sell you on their network, so take an objective view through the sales-speak.

• Affiliate marketing forums – This is the place to go to if you want to find out from people who actually use the ad networks you have been researching. Again, some people on there work for the affiliate networks and others might be a little disgruntled if their campaigns have not performed well that week. So, take what you read with a pinch of salt. That said, the communities there will likely answer any questions you might have and try to help you out.

• People that work for the networks – contacting them either on the forums we mentioned or directly through their customer support teams will be a good idea. They can tell you what kind of offers are running well in their network as well as the nitty-gritty details like What’s the minimum deposit? Which niche has the best ROI for pop campaigns? Reach out for a discussion about pop traffic, targeting options, and maybe other ad formats you can try.

• Trial and error – Sometimes the best way to learn about how an ad network works is through trying it out for yourself. Each test will require a little bit of a learning budget. This means that if you invest your time, and money, in a platform you will likely make a loss financially at the beginning but can use that knowledge in future campaigns to earn it back. This is the only way you will find out whether an ad network has a niche that is a particularly good ROI, as those on the forums vary in budgets, experience, and approach and might not always discover the full potential of the networks they try. It’s a competitive industry after all.

The things mentioned above can really be applied to any ad format that you are researching so don’t think you are limited to pop traffic if you want to try something new. Just do your own research and you will surely find the advertising network that is right for you.

Want to know more about pop traffic?
Read the ultimate guide to pop advertising!

How to compare pop traffic ad networks?

Just like any comparison, we suggest you make a pros and cons list of what each pop ad network has to offer and let your research guide you when making your decision.

There are a few things we recommend you focus on through your comparison though.

• Traffic volumes
• Traffic quality
• Available GEOs
• Price of the traffic
• Targeting options
• Optimization options
• Available Support

If you take a look at each of these in enough detail, you will be able to find the right pop ad network for your affiliate marketing campaigns. And don’t worry, we will help you cover all of these topics within this article.

Traffic volume — is there enough inventory?

Have you ever wondered: Does traffic volume matter when comparing ad networks? Well, we will break it down for you. We know it’s obvious that the more traffic volume available, the more chances for you to run successful campaigns. That’s because every bit of traffic is a possible lead that could be turned into a customer and ultimately kick some commission back to you.

But… How much traffic should a traffic inventory offer?

When visiting the homepage of any ad network worth its salt, you will be met with a number of key statistics highlighting the effectiveness of the platform.

For example, if you head to our traffic calculator you’ll see that there are more than 63 billion available redirects monthly on pop traffic alone. This is due to the nature of pop traffic which typically gets lots of views before a click compared with other ad formats. But that doesn’t mean they don’t convert, and it means that the traffic can be quite cheap, too. It’s simply because pop traffic needs to appeal to a broader audience than for example domain redirect ads.

So, to answer the question, there is plenty of pop traffic to go around, even in this competitive affiliate industry.

Traffic Quality — how do ad networks fight bots?

The web is made up of legitimate web users like you, and bots. Now, these bots are not something to be feared, as some of them can actually be useful online.

Generally, there are two forms of bots: the good ones and the bad ones. These good ones do tasks that improve the internet as we know it, and then there are the bad ones that make life hell for affiliate marketers like you. The good ones will typically perform tasks such as SEO via search engine crawler bots. Whereas, bad ones will create spam via comments sections of your favorite social media platform, or worse, as some bots are created with the purpose of ad fraud (as bots click on your ads automatically).

Traffic ad networks are obviously concerned with the ad fraud bots and how to prevent them from ruining your affiliate marketing campaigns. That’s why some ad exchange platforms like Zeropark pride themselves on tackling bots like these with coding. However, not all ad networks have bot filtering and this means you could be paying more for clicks and impressions that have no chance of a conversion. And no one wants that.

Available GEOs — where do pop ads convert best?

As we have said before, every campaign is different, but that doesn’t mean that there are not general trends that should be noted down. So, if you are searching for which GEOs work best with pop affiliate marketing campaigns? Then you have come to the right place.

Here’s an infographic that should paint a clearer picture for you:

Tier 1

This is the most expensive zone for purchasing traffic but often has good conversion rates. This tier is for seasoned affiliate marketers, the ones who know how to optimize their campaigns well, and when it’s time to kill a failing campaign. But that comes with practice.

In terms of your campaign budget, the most important GEOs are US, AUS, UK, RU, IT, DE, CA, NL & FR, to name a few.

The average bid for pop in tier 1: $0.0009-$0.0004

Tier 2

The second classification of GEOs is made up of the following countries and can be considered on the whole cheaper than the first tier, but more expensive than the third tier.

You will find countries such as ​​AT, BE, CY, CZ, GR, HK, and many more.

The average bid for pop in tier 2: $0.0006-$0.0003

Tier 3

Although this may be the cheapest tier it is also where profit can be found by many affiliates. Consider factoring the volume of traffic you use for each of these tiers when running your campaigns as it can be more profitable to run in a cheaper GEO with more traffic volume. We recommend if you are a beginner to try out this tier to get started as you will lose less money with the learning curve that comes with affiliate marketing, or new pop ad networks.

Some examples of countries you’ll find in tier 3 are; CN, IN, HU, KR, MX, PL, and more.

For a full list of countries in each GEO check out this article on the tiers of traffic in affiliate marketing.

The average bid for pop in tier 3: $0.0005-$0.0001

Pop traffic price comparison

Money talks, and at the end of the day you want to get the highest converting traffic for your hard-earned cash. That’s why it’s important to talk about how much you should be paying for pop traffic.

Everyone knows that the most common cost models when buying pop traffic are CPM and CPV/ CPC, but not everyone knows how much to pay for pop traffic. So, how much do pop ads cost? The prices start from $0.0001 per view and depend on your targeting options, but some ad networks will charge you more than others.

Within Zeropark traffic could be considered expensive if it were around $0.005 per view, but there is no guarantee that more expensive traffic will convert better. It might just mean that you are targeting popular specific keywords or an expensive GEO from Tier 1. So factor that into your campaign budget if you are to see a return on your investment.

As you can see above, the average bid can change between the countries you are targeting. That’s why it’s important to make sure you have set the right bid. You can always go with the recommended bid suggested by the ad network (if they have such a capability). And if you go to the traffic calculator, this will help you to do just that. It can be set per ad format (such as pop), per country, as well as per source, and device type. That way you can get really specific with your campaigns. As we know the more optimized your campaigns the better your chance for success with them.

Also, be wary around the minimum deposit when signing up for some ad networks as some are as much as $1000 (within Zeropark it’s only $200).

Pop traffic targeting options comparison

The targeting options available from an ad network when creating your campaigns dictate the audience you will reach. The more specific your targeting, the higher the chance of a return on your investment — generally speaking, that is. We all know targeting can become too specific and that can lead to a niche with very few members and that is not profitable either.

So, it is all about balance and you should choose an ad network that helps you to find an audience that will be receptive to your affiliate campaigns.

But what targeting options should you be looking for I hear you ask? Well, take a look below.

For Pop campaigns here are your targeting options: 

• RON – (Run of Network) This option targets all traffic coming from a selected GEO. If a new source appears in this GEO, your campaign will start buying traffic from this new source as well.
• Target – This option targets a single website or websites. You need to provide a list of targets for this campaign to start receiving traffic. The only way to obtain that list is to build it yourself, based on the best targets from your previous campaigns.
• Source – This option targets traffic coming from a single source publisher, that usually consists of several targets. You need to provide a list of sources for this campaign to start receiving traffic. The list can be created by yourself or you can also request one from your account manager or the support team.
• Keyword – This option targets traffic that contains a certain keyword or keywords. You need to provide a list of keywords for this campaign to start receiving traffic.
• Multi-Geo – This option allows you to target several GEOs at once. If a new source appears in one of the selected GEOs, your campaign will start buying traffic from this new source as well.

These are the targeting options you can see within Zeropark in the campaign setup process but it doesn’t end there as you can get really specific with your campaigns too. Targeting options also include Device targeting, GEO targeting, Adult filtering, Frequency filtering, Day-parting, and more. Although not all of these mentioned are available in other pop ad networks.

Optimization solutions offered by pop ad networks

It is common sense that if you are making money the ad network you choose to partner with makes money too. That said, some ad networks help you more than others with the optimization of your affiliate campaigns. Some take the self-serve part of self-serve ad network pretty literally, and offer little help to their customers, whereas others go above and beyond to help out in any way possible.

So factor that into your research when choosing your ad network based on how much help you think you might require. Perhaps you need help with finding an affiliate ad tracker or you just want to know more about the optimization options that would suit you best. A good pop ad network will help you find the answer.

AI-powered optimization tools — what works best?

Not every ad network has some kind of artificial intelligence-powered optimization tools, but the ones that do will help you save some time and money with your campaigns.

At Zeropark we call it rule-based optimization. It helps affiliates like yourself to make money while you sleep through automating parts of your affiliate marketing campaigns.

All you need to do is set up the automated rules yourself and your campaigns will be able to optimize themselves based on those rules, all while you are away. If you want to set up a rule to ensure your campaign bids higher when it is getting a good number of conversions then this is possible. All you need to do is set up some IF-THEN conditions for your campaign to follow and you will be all set to make money while you sleep.

So, if you are choosing a pop ad network based on their optimization, try to look for one with some kind of automatic optimization.

Affiliate ad tracking — do all ad networks allow it?

Everyone wants to understand where their campaigns make money and affiliate ad tracking is the solution to this. But do all the pop ad networks allow it?

Simple answer, yes most ad networks allow affiliate ad tracking software. Some ad networks have basic tracking built-in and others outsource it to a third party but one way to get the best tracking for your campaigns is to invest in a tracker for your campaigns.

Well at Zeropark it is considered advantageous to use a tracker as it will help save you the guesswork of why your campaign might not be performing so well.

And the bonus is that there are a number of partners that offer discounts for our customers, so if you’re looking for an affiliate ad tracking solution, for example, why not check out the Deals & Offers tab to find the perfect one for you.

Landing page optimization — how can an ad network help you optimize it?

It makes sense to make sure your landing page is optimized for the highest conversions possible and some pop ad networks help you to do just that.

What this comes down to is a little more software that can help affiliates like you succeed with their campaigns a little easier. A couple of things can help you optimize your landing pages from inside the platform such as A/B testing.

A/B testing allows you to run two or more versions of the landing page you want to test to see which one performs best. After a given period of time, the best-performing landing page can then become the landing page you show to your entire audience for a higher chance of conversions.

Choosing an ad network can be tricky, but if it has useful optimization features like this one that can help boost your conversions it makes it easier to pick one with confidence.

Traffic whitelisting and blacklisting — is it possible with an ad network of your choice?

Many traffic ad networks will allow you to separate your traffic for your campaigns by particular sources. The step beyond this is making sure the traffic you have is optimized for your campaigns by GEO and other factors so that it has the best chance for success.

There are two ways of doing this, one is whitelisting, and the other is blacklisting. We know you know what whitelists are which can be used to boost your ROI if used correctly, but did you know that some traffic ad networks use blacklisting too?

Well, blacklisting is simply the process of filtering out the traffic sources that have the worst chance of success with your particular campaign. Seems like a straightforward idea, right?

If you want dedicated whitelists you can contact the support team of the ad network you are working with to help push you in the right direction. Although not all pop ad networks have whitelists that can be tailor-made to your needs, so think about whether that is something important to you.

Working with pop traffic ad networks

Affiliate marketing can often feel like you are a lone wolf who works by yourself and doesn’t need any help from anyone else… But is that really true?

Well, it is, and it isn’t. We are not saying you aren’t your own boss, you are. You decide when to run your campaigns, and when you are going to take a break, how much to put into your next campaign and how much you are going to save to put towards that next vacation. You truly are in the driving seat. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have other colleagues, you do, the other people in your network of contacts are your workmates and that goes for those at ad networks too.

So, you want to choose to work with an ad network that helps you to get the most out of your campaigns.

Approval

We know you want to see your new campaigns performing as soon as possible and to be able to make tweaks and adjustments to make them perform even better.

So choosing an ad network that approves your campaign quickly is important. But if you were to have a campaign that had been approved and then it started earning a good ROI only to get flagged for a compliance issue or a problem with your account then that would put a stop to the fun too.

There needs to be a balance. Zeropark offers a quick campaign approval process (within an hour). This helps you get back to optimizing your campaigns faster, it’s a no-brainer, right?

Onboarding

We were all new affiliate marketers once, and even if you are a seasoned affiliate veteran, there are some ad networks you may not have tried yet, and a good onboarding process is the first step into a new business journey. That’s why onboarding is so important and is tricky to get right. After all, it’s things like being able to be helped out with all the new acronyms or metrics that can make or break your affiliate career when you are just starting out. Everyone’s business needs are unique and should be treated as such.

So, look for a pop ad network that has a dedicated onboarding process to help you out.

Support

Whether you are just starting out, or an affiliate marketing pro, an ad network that has a good support team will win over one with a bad one. That’s why we recommend you take a look at this list of things you need from a good customer support team.

Qualities to look for in your ad network support team

✔︎ Affiliate marketing knowledge

✔︎ Quick response time

✔︎ Talking to a real person

✔︎ Trustworthy

You want to be able to trust the customer service team with your questions and not have to wait an eternity for a response. So, when you do your research into which ad network is right for your pop campaigns, think about what your support needs are and choose wisely.

Scaling

If you ever wondered if size matters with affiliate marketing campaigns then you’ll need to find a pop ad network to help you answer that question. Some affiliates start out, make a loss and quit. Whereas, others continue on to put what they learn from each campaign into the next one and end up earning more and wanting to invest more. For the latter, it is important to know that an ad exchange will help with scaling and

One way that Zeropark helps its clients to scale up is through the optimization features mentioned above, such as rule-based optimization, landing page optimization, and by providing whitelists that help with targeting options.

For example, with rule-based optimization, if a target or a source surpasses a certain number of conversions, it can be set to automatically bid up, so you can scale up.

Compliance

Ad compliance is something every affiliate marketer knows can stop a campaign in its tracks. But having an ad network that has a dedicated compliance team can save you time and money. They will be checking campaigns to make sure that the target audience will be able to see your ad and that your campaign can run its course without interruption.

So, if you’re picking an ad network that will try to get you to run profitable campaigns, think about one that has a dedicated compliance team that will tell you where you need to make adjustments to your campaigns, to keep them working well.

Customized solutions

Every affiliate marketing campaign is different, it can be shaped from the very broad details like which niche you choose down to the tiny changes that make your campaigns your campaigns. Like the specific targeting options, you choose that is your recipe for success. If you reach out to the support team for help with your campaigns they may be able to help you with a tailor-made solution to help boost your campaign revenue. This may be in the form of whitelists, tweaks to your campaign targeting options, or even suggestions on another angle to approach your campaign from to reach more customers.

That’s why it’s important to choose a pop ad network that supports you, so make sure you do your research and find one that can help you scale up your campaigns.

Conclusions

We hope now that you can make your decision on which pop ad network to choose from. There are plenty of options out there, some offering solely pop traffic, with others catering to a broader affiliate audience. Everyone’s needs are different in affiliate marketing but some things just make sense like choosing an ad network with high traffic volumes, a helpful support team,

That way whether you are a big spender or a casual affiliate you’ll be supported to make the best of your campaigns.

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