Top Google AdSense Alternatives in India (2024)

Google AdSense has been one of the most popular digital advertising platforms for publishers and website owners to monetize their content by displaying Google ads.

However, in recent years, there has been a growing need for Google AdSense alternatives in India due to various concerns such as declining CPC rates, lack of transparency, and strict approval criteria.

This article explores some of the best Google AdSense alternatives available in India that publishers and website owners can leverage to earn revenue online.

We will provide an overview of AdSense, discuss the reasons you may want to explore alternatives, and suggest some of the top options to consider.

Whether you are just starting out with monetizing your website or looking to diversify your revenue streams beyond AdSense, this guide can help you identify suitable alternatives tailored to the Indian market.

The options covered range from affiliate marketing and display advertising to selling digital products directly.

We will also offer tips on choosing the right alternative based on your website and target audience.

Optimizing these monetization strategies for maximum earnings will also be covered.

By the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of the pros and cons of different Google AdSense alternatives in India so you can make an informed decision to boost your website income.

Overview of Google AdSense

Google AdSense has been one of the most popular monetization platforms for publishers and website owners over the years. Here is an overview of what AdSense offers:

What is Google AdSense?

AdSense is an ad network by Google that allows publishers to display auto-matched Google ads on their website and earn money whenever site visitors click on these ads or view them for a certain duration.

How does Google AdSense work?

Publishers sign up for an AdSense account and paste a small snippet of code provided by Google on their website pages.
Google’s algorithm will then serve targeted, auto-matched text and image ads on the website based on its content and visitor demographics.
These ads are contextual and relevant to what the website is about. For example, a site about travel may display ads for flights, hotels, rental cars, etc.
Whenever a visitor views or clicks on an ad, the publisher earns a share of the revenue generated. This could range from a few cents to a few dollars per click.

How do publishers get paid by Google AdSense in India?

Payments are made monthly by Google once publishers exceed the minimum account balance threshold.
Earnings accrue in the publisher’s AdSense account whenever ads are viewed or clicked on their website.
The most common payment options include:
- Check
- Electronic Funds Transfer
- Western Union
Google deducts a small percentage as fee before paying publishers.

What are the benefits of Google AdSense?

Requires very little effort to set up compared to direct ad sales.
Ad targeting and placements are automated by Google’s algorithms.
Wide range of ad formats to choose from like display ads, native ads, link units, etc.
Access to Google’s large pool of advertisers and demand.
Steady, recurring revenue stream for publishers.
Payments and reporting are transparent.
Works well for sites in almost any geography or language.

What are the drawbacks of AdSense?

Declining CPC rates and stiff competition from other ad networks.
Lack of control over which ads get displayed.
Strict approval criteria for new AdSense accounts.
Frequent policy changes by Google.
Income volatility if traffic volume fluctuates.
Limited customer support.
Payment delays and lack of transparency issues reported by some publishers.

Why Look for Alternatives?

Here are some of the key reasons why publishers and website owners in India may want to look beyond Google AdSense to monetize their content and site:

Declining CPC Rates

One of the biggest concerns has been progressively declining Cost-Per-Click (CPC) rates on Google AdSense over the past few years.

As competition has increased between ad networks, the CPM and CPC rates that AdSense offers publishers have reduced significantly.

This directly impacts earnings potential.

Lack of Transparency

There is an overall lack of transparency in payments and reporting provided by Google AdSense according to some publishers.

Although Google discloses upfront fees, issues around sudden payment holds, banned accounts, and traffic quality rating have caused mistrust.

Over-reliance on One Platform

Having all your eggs in one basket is never a good monetization strategy.

Publishers becoming heavily dependent on just AdSense for their income run the risk of sudden earnings drop if anything goes wrong with their AdSense account.

Strict Account Approval Criteria

It has become much harder for new publishers to get their AdSense account approved in recent times due to stricter policies.

Google asks for traffic and content thresholds to be met before approving an account.

Frequency of Policy Changes

Frequent changes in policies around allowed content, ad formats, payment thresholds etc. have negatively impacted many established AdSense publishers too.

Trying to keep up with these changes can be difficult.

Limitations in Customization

There is little scope for customization in terms of ad placements and ad codes when using AdSense, especially its auto ads.

This can hamper site design and user experience.

Alternatives Offer Better CPM Rates

Many alternatives in the Indian market offer significantly higher cost per thousand impressions (CPM) rates compared to AdSense these days for the same or better quality traffic.

Better Earnings from Affiliate/CPI Networks

By directly partnering with affiliate networks or selling cost-per-install (CPI) ads, publishers can maximize mobile app traffic monetization much better than AdSense.

Opportunity to Upsell Site Visitors

Options like referral marketing to ecommerce stores or selling your own digital products allow you to directly upsell visitors instead of only displaying ads.

This opens up additional earning possibilities.

Top Google AdSense Alternatives in India

Here are some of the top Google AdSense alternatives in India that publishers can consider:

1. Affiliate Marketing

This involves partnering with affiliate networks like Amazon Associates, Flipkart Affiliates, Paytm, etc. to earn commission by driving conversions like sales, app installs, registrations etc.

Major benefits include:

Higher commission rates – Affiliate payouts up to 25% compared to low CPCs with AdSense.
Cost per acquisition model – Get paid for every conversion vs. impressions.
Deal with Indian brands – Helps promote homegrown ecommerce like Flipkart.
Performance-based – Income directly proportional to your efforts.

Ideal for product review sites, deal portals, niche blogs that align with affiliate merchant categories.

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2. Selling Digital Products

You can create and sell your own digital products like ebooks, online courses, software, templates, stock images etc.

Major advantages:

Higher profit margins – Keep up to 70-80% of what customers pay.
Recurring revenue – Resell to existing customers via membership model.
Own your audience – No dependence on third-party traffic sources.
Build authority – Position yourself as an expert with your products.

Suitable for sites with loyal, targeted audience and tech skills to create useful products.

3. Display Advertising

Works just like AdSense but involves direct deals with advertisers, ad exchanges, or ad networks other than Google. For example, Infolinks, Media.net, PropellerAds, Taboola etc.

Key pros:

Often better CPM rates – Average Rs. 60-80 compared to AdSense average of Rs. 15-30.
Fewer approvals required – Get account enabled and ads running faster.
More ad formats – Greater variety than standard AdSense formats.
Control over ad placements – Design layouts as per your website’s design.
Direct advertiser relationships – Appeal to Indian brands directly for sponsored posts/ads.

Ideal for sites focused on traffic volume, news/entertainment/sports sites with mass appeal.

4. Sponsored Content

Make money by publishing paid articles, interviews, videos, social media posts, email newsletters, etc. for brands wanting to reach your audience.

Major upsides:

Lucrative for established sites – Paid posts can be a significant revenue source.
Produce content you also own – Content can be reused, repurposed.
Flexibility – Brand integrations can be tailored for suitable formats.
Stable income – Recurring gigs possible with key brand partners.

Suitable for sites with high domain authority, social media influencers. Need strong brand relationship skills.

5. Consulting / Freelancing

Offer your expertise as a digital marketing consultant, content creator, animator, web designer etc. to businesses needing such skills.

Key advantages:

High income potential – Consulting fees can far exceed ad earnings.
Build authority – Showcase your skills and portfolio.
Flexible engagement models – Project based, retainer, hourly etc.

Needs specific skill sets, consistent availability, and ability to acquire clients and deliver results.

While each AdSense alternative has its own pros and cons, assessing options like affiliate marketing, digital products, improved display ads, sponsored content and high-value services can help boost earnings.

Resources:

Google AdSense Ad Network Alternatives in India

1. Media.net

Media.net is a contextual ad network that is powered by Yahoo! and Bing.

It offers various ad formats, including display ads, native ads, and video ads.

The network is known for its high-quality ads and easy integration.

Media.net is an excellent alternative to Google AdSense, especially for websites that have a lot of traffic from the United States and Canada.

2. PropellerAds

PropellerAds is a popular ad network that offers various ad formats, including pop-under ads, push notifications, and native ads.

The network is known for its high CPM rates and easy integration.

PropellerAds is an excellent alternative to Google AdSense, especially for websites that have a lot of traffic from India.

3. Infolinks

Infolinks is a contextual ad network that offers various ad formats, including in-text ads, in-fold ads, in-screen ads, and more.

Infolinks is known for its easy integration and high CPM rates.

The network also offers a referral program, which means that you can earn a commission by referring other bloggers or website owners to Infolinks.

4. Adsterra

Adsterra is another popular Google AdSense alternative for bloggers in India.

It is a premium ad network that offers various ad formats, including display ads, native ads, and video ads.

Adsterra is known for its high-quality ads and easy integration.

The network is an excellent alternative to Google AdSense, especially for websites that have a lot of traffic from India.

5. VigLink

VigLink is an affiliate marketing platform that allows website owners and bloggers to monetize their content by promoting products and services.

The platform automatically converts product links into affiliate links, which means that you earn a commission every time a visitor clicks on the link and makes a purchase.

VigLink is an excellent alternative to Google AdSense, especially for websites that have a lot of traffic from the United States and Canada.

6. Chitika

Chitika is a contextual ad network that offers various ad formats, including display ads, native ads, and mobile ads.

The network is known for its high CPM rates and easy integration.

Chitika is an excellent alternative to Google AdSense, especially for websites that have a lot of traffic from India.

7. PopAds

PopAds is a pop-under ad network that offers high CPM rates and easy integration.

The network is an excellent alternative to Google AdSense, especially for websites that have a lot of traffic from India.

Choosing the Right Alternative for You

Here are some key factors to consider when choosing the right Google AdSense alternative for your website:

Your Website’s Niche and Content

Align your monetization model with your site’s category and content formats. For example, product reviews and comparisons work well with affiliate marketing while news sites are ideal for display ads.

Your Current Traffic Volume

Look at monthly visits, page views, etc. to get a baseline for income projection from CPC/CPM based models before choosing. Sponsored posts may need established traffic.

Your Website Demographics

Factors like geographic concentration, language, male/female ratio, age distribution etc. allow matching your inventory with relevant advertiser demand.

Integrations Required

Assess the effort needed to integrate third-party ad codes, plugins, widgets, API hooks etc. for stable performance before choosing an alternative.

Site Speed and Latency Impacts

Evaluate if additional ads/plugins will slow down your site. This directly impacts bounce rates, SEO, and user experience.

Team Skills and Resources

Consider existing team strengths and weaknesses before opting for a model – design skills for digital products, sales skills for consulting services etc.

Payment Methods and Thresholds

Compare payment options, withdrawal frequencies, thresholds etc. to ensure liquidity management.

Many new networks have a higher payment threshold.

Reporting and Analytics

Accessing detailed, timely reports on revenue data, geography, demographics, content performance etc. is key to optimization.

Customer Support Reach

Review availablity and quality of documentation, ticketing, phone support etc. to have issues resolved promptly by networks.

Most provide limited help.

Optimizing Your Alternative Monetization Strategy

Once you have zeroed in on a suitable Google AdSense alternative, here are some optimization tips to maximize your monetization and earnings from it:

Focus on High Earning Sections

Monitor analytics to identify high value pages and sections earning maximum revenue. Prioritize creating more such content over low performers.

Evaluate Peak Hours and Geographies

Study analytics to target content creation during peak traffic hours and focus geo-targeted content for your best converting geographies.

Assess Top Converting Content Formats

Analyze which content types like reviews, videos, infographics, list posts etc. get maximum clicks or conversions for models like affiliate marketing.

Define Content Guidelines

Create clear content guidelines for writers centered around topics, formats, length proven to monetize best through testing.

Create Dedicated Landing Pages

Having dedicated landing pages for affiliate offers, digital products, lead generation etc. with clear value propositions improves conversion rates.

Promote Top Earning Content

Double down on promoting already high earning articles, videos, etc. via social media, email, on-page/off-page SEO to scale revenues.

Monitor Changes Closely

Keep continuously testing new placements, content styles, promotions to prevent plateauing and adapt to algorithm changes.

Watch out for Policy Changes

Stay updated on announcement from the network on policy changes to ensure your implementation remains compliant.

Maintain Site Speed

Reduce image sizes, optimize code, use caching, CDNs etc. to ensure site speed doesn’t suffer due to loading more third-party content.

Explore More Formats

Keep testing out new placement positions, ad formats, affiliate widgets, on-site promotions etc. that become available to boost earnings.

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Key Takeaways

Here are the key takeaways from this guide on Google AdSense alternatives in India:

Declining ad rates and lack of transparency are top concerns with AdSense.
Options like affiliate marketing, digital products, display ads, sponsored content and freelancing services can diversify revenue.
Assess your website niche, traffic volume, visitor demographics when choosing an alternative.
Integrations, site speed impacts, team skills and payment terms need evaluation too.
Optimize monetization by focusing on high earning sections, analyzing top performing content types and placements.
Run continuous tests and monitor analytics to adapt to changes and maximize earnings from your chosen alternative(s).