Glossary
What is Ad network?
Also called: advertising network
An ad network gathers ad space from many websites or apps and resells it to its own advertisers, keeping a share of the money.
हिंदी में पढ़ेंAn ad network sits between publishers and advertisers. It collects inventory from lots of sites, packages it and sells it to the advertisers it works with, taking a cut. An ad exchange, by contrast, is an open marketplace where many buyers and sellers meet and every impression is auctioned.
There is no single standards-body definition of an ad network, and the line has blurred, since networks often run auctions internally. Google AdSense is Google’s ad network: Google Ads advertisers and other authorised buyers bid, Google runs the auction and the publisher gets a share.
For AdSense display ads, Google says publishers receive 80% of revenue after the advertiser platform takes its fee, and that Google Ads keeps on average 15% of advertiser spend when it buys. Google also says AdSense fits best for sites that do not sell ads directly; publishers with direct deals or several demand partners usually need an ad server such as Google Ad Manager.
Example
An advertiser spends $1.00 on display through Google Ads on an AdSense site. Google Ads keeps on average $0.15. Of the $0.85 left, the publisher gets 80%, which is $0.68.
Why it matters to publishers
Many publishers start with an ad network, so knowing how its share and auction work helps you judge your earnings and decide when to add other demand.