Top 50 Ad Networks To Explore

When the economy stumbled, so did the online advertising market.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) released U.S. Internet advertising statistics in October, 2009 for the first half of that year revealing a 5.4-percent decline from the same period in 2008. By all accounts it was a bad year. But the tide has perhaps turned. In mid-May of this year, the IAB and PWC highlighted yearover- year gains (Q1 2009 vs Q1 2010) and they were actually quite impressive — a 7.5-percent increase. “The year-over-year growth we are seeing reflects marketers’ confidence in the value and effectiveness of interactive advertising,” said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of IAB.

This month’s Top 50 includes those advertising networks that continued to provide an effective means to grow traffic and build brand awareness during some tough times — perhaps because advertisers sought out cost-effective alternatives and innovators.

Outside of the big four in online advertising (Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft and AOL — five, if the Fox Audience Network is included) are hundreds of micro-advertising and vertical networks that offer Web marketers and advertisers an opportunity to supplement traffic and drive awareness for their websites and brands.

Many of these networks are specialists; including display (TribalFusion.com), PPC (7Search.com), behavioral (Collective.com), social (Adknowledge.com’s Cubics offering) or affiliate-friendly solutions (Chitika.com). Because of their agility in their area of specialty they are able to innovate and bring something quite unique to the advertising market — a viable alternative to the big four. Those seeking specific verticals will not be disappointed with the inclusion of networks such as SportGenic.com (sports) and TravelAdNetwork. com (travel.)

Perhaps most interesting on this list is the introduction of mobile and video advertising networks — two growing markets. Video has formally made its way into the Internet advertisers’ toolbox and there are networks to satisfy those needs, including SpotXChange.com and Yume.com. These networks and the others in August’s Top 50 continue to thrive thanks to innovation and expertise in their niches and can provide great value to forward-thinking advertisers.

Top 50 Ad Networks to Explore

1. adbrite.com
2. bidvertiser.com
3. burstmedia.com
4. advertising.com
5. AdMob.com
6. valueclickmedia.com
7. tribalfusion.com
8. chitika.com
9. kontera.com
10. 247realmedia.com
11. fastclick.com
12. clicksor.com
13. vibrantmedia.com
14. clickbooth.com
15. collective.com
16. marchex.com
17. buysellads.com
18. tattomedia.com
19. QuattroWireless.com
20. eyeblaster.com
21. azoogleads.com
22. 7search.com
23. yume.com
24. casalemedia.com
25. specificmedia.com
26. zestadz.com
27. undertone.com
28. contextweb.com
29. adknowledge.com
30. adify.com
31. spotxchange.com
32. adready.com
33. cpxinteractive.com
34. sportgenic.com
35. traveladnetwork.com
36. mobclix.com
37. centro.net
38. greystripe.com
39. audiencescience.com
40. tremormedia.com
41. brightroll.com
42. millennialmedia.com
43. targetspot.com
44. trafficmarketplace.com
45. bluestreak.com
46. adconion.com
47. pulse360.com
48. encirclemedia.com
49. Jumptap.com
50. premiumnetwork.com

ABOUT THIS RANKED DATA
Website Magazine’sTop 50 Rankings are measures of a website’s popularity. Ranks are calculated using a proprietary method that focuses on average daily unique visits and page views over a specified period of time, as reported by multiple data sources. The website with the highest combination of factors is ranked in the first position. Conducting research, making formal comparisons and talking to existing clients and users before making any purchase decision is always recommended.