Header bidding has emerged as a powerful tool for publishers and app developers to achieve significant revenue growth. Thousands of publishers are already harnessing the benefits of header bidding solutions to optimize their earnings. If you’re looking to monetize your website or app traffic effectively, this guide will help you understand the basics and explore the best header bidding ad networks to consider.
What is Header Bidding?
Header bidding is an advanced programmatic advertising technique that allows publishers to offer their ad inventory directly to multiple advertisers simultaneously. Unlike traditional waterfall methods, header bidding runs auctions in real-time, where advertisers bid for impressions on your site. The highest-paying advertisers win, helping you maximize your revenue. This process gives publishers more control and transparency in selecting the top-paying brands to fill their ad spaces.
Key Benefits of Header Bidding for Publishers
Header bidding offers several advantages that make it a preferred choice for publishers seeking to boost their ad revenue:
1. Transparency
Header bidding provides a transparent and optimized selling process. Since ad space is sold on an impression-by-impression basis, publishers can track every ad served and confirm each sale. The direct contact with various advertisers ensures a more transparent transaction and bidding process.
2. Higher CPM Rates
By offering ad inventory to a larger pool of advertisers, header bidding leads to higher cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM) rates. When multiple advertisers compete for the same ad space, the bidding competition increases, which often results in higher prices for publishers.
3. Improved Fill Rates
With numerous demand partners participating in auctions, the likelihood of filling ad space increases significantly. Additionally, header bidding allows you to utilize non-intrusive ad formats, like pop-under ads, without compromising the design and user experience of your website.
4. Increased Inventory Value
Header bidding helps publishers recognize the true value of their inventory by maximizing the value through competitive bidding. Publishers can further enhance their revenue by setting higher prices for premium ad placements, capitalizing on the increased demand from advertisers.
5. Efficient Management
Managing header bidding auctions is straightforward with the use of a “wrapper,” a technology that organizes multiple demand partners and defines rules for running auctions. This ensures a streamlined process for managing various advertising partners and optimizing ad revenue.
Best Header Bidding Ad Networks 2024:
Here is the list of the best Header Bidding Ad Networks that you can join in 2024and 2025.
- Push.House:
- MaxValue.Media
- OpenX.
- Rubicon Project.
- AppNexus.
- Index Exchange.
- Amazon.
- Criteo.
- Sovrn.
- Yieldbot.
1.ÂPush.House:
Push.house is one of the leaders in the advertising market and is a great Header Bidding Ad Network as well. You can easily earn money by placing advertisements on your website or blog. Push.house makes it simple as they use a push notification method. You can make a lot of money through Push.house as they offer high coverage. Their services span out to about 180 countries all over the world.
Push.House has introduced On-Click which is a popular advertising format that opens a target offer page in a new browser tab. Also, they have introduced another useful feature called In-Page Capping that allows the users to set limits on the frequency of clicks over a specified period for each user. Due to the limited number of clicks, users will not only be able to monitor the frequency of displaying ads for a specific user but also avoid unwanted losses to their advertising budget.
Push.House will not only help you make more money but will also bring high-quality traffic to your website/blog as well through their latest feature — In-Page Push Traffic. They provide publishers with the highest ROI through unique traffic. In case of any queries, you can contact their customer support which is always ready to answer your questions.
If you want to look at your statistics then it is also available in the form of real-time statistics. You can see everything in real time. This helps you in planning your future moves. So, for publishers, Push.house is one of the best Header Bidding Ad Networks out there.
Payment Details:
- Price Models: CPC and CPM
- Payment Frequency: NET7 (Weekly)
- Minimum Payout Threshold: $50
- Payment Methods: PayPal, Payeer, ePayments, WebMoney, QIWI, VISA/Master Card, Advcash, and Bitcoin
- Referral Commission: 3%
2.ÂMaxValue.Media – The #1 Ad Network For Publishers:
MaxValueÂis a new yet one of the most preferred ad networks out there. The company has a keen eye for website publishers who are looking forward to publishing ads on their sites in exchange for money.
MaxValue does not compromise solely on the quality of ads it provides. Other than the high-quality ads, another point that sets MaxValue apart from others is its Header Bidding Technology. It allows the users to experience real-time bidding using the largest Demand Sites. The result of the bidding is an increased revenue of the highest bidding. MaxValue supports Sticky ads, Â Banner ads, Video ads, as well as Native Ads. Moreover, the registration process is super easy and quick.
Their user-centric dashboard offers features from viewing traffic information by country and checking the website’s traffic quality to ad performance insights. But there are things you need to keep in mind if you want to work with them as a website publisher. They work with websites that have at least 100,000 pageviews per month, have traffic mainly from the US, UK, and Canada, and have content that is free from illegal, unsafe, controversial, violent, aggressive, or banned content.
Even though they have some requirements to get started, they maintain the quality of their services. The company claims to give a minimum 25% increase in your website’s revenue, and if it does not happen, they claim to pay the gap, which is a big statement to make, especially as a newbie.
Company Details:
- Company Name: MaxValue
- Website: https://maxvalue.media/
- Email:Âhello@maxvalue.media
- Minimum Payout: $25 (Net-15)
- Payment Options: PayPal, Payoneer, Wire Transfer, Cryptocurrency
3-Â OpenX:
OpenX is a strong open bidding performer in the digital market which was founded in 2008. Its headquarters are located in California. It is one of the highest-building header bidding solutions and very famous among Publishers and supports multiple languages. It enables you to earn good revenues through increased competition and participation from high-quality demand partners.
It offers dynamic bids that fully optimize the value of every impression before any ad server decisions. The good thing about this platform is that it is fully optimized for mobile by providing lightweight solutions that work with existing primary SDKs, optimized for mobile environments.
They provide a bidder-for-apps solution which is a lightweight adaptor that works with your existing primary SDK and delivers superior yield on every impression. Moreover, the ad formats are easy to fit which include leverage banner ads, rich media, and interstitial or video formats.
It maximizes the inventory value through open auctions or in private marketplaces for Android potential buyers which gives you a chance to get ranked for traffic quality. Moreover, they offer complete live support.
4-Â Rubicon Project:
Rubicon is an American advertising platform that was founded in 2007 in California U.S. It is a well-reputed company chosen by many publishers and advertisers worldwide. Actually, it is a powerful free bid monetization solution that gives publishers more control over their Impressions and empowers them through modern tools and services.
It has brought innovation in header bidding through its pre-bid service. This platform is great in terms of revenue making. They provide you with a greater yield from each impression by monetizing your audience through their real-time bidding technology. Through this platform, you can reach thousands of new buyers conveniently as their integration is super easy and fast.
Moreover, the formats they offer are perfectly fit having a wide variety of placement types and you can customize them according to your site layout and design. The best thing about this company is its excellent performance and support.
Their team helps the publishers to solve the issues regarding their pre-bid services. Moreover, they provide performance analytics giving you actionable data and useful insights. Rubicon has recently merged with Telaria.
5-Â AppNexus:
AppNexus is the top leading and reliable header bidding ad network in the market and it is very popular among the publishers for helping them in generating maximum revenues. It is known to be the world’s largest independent Marketplace for Digital advertising situated in New York City. It was founded in 2007. In these thirteen years since its establishment, it has been covering huge milestones by providing excellent advertising solutions to Publishers and has, therefore, become the top priority for millions of publishers and big companies.
Appnexus is excellent in terms of safety, cost-effectiveness, transparency, and overall quality, therefore it has been chosen by over 34000 publishers and 177, 000 brands.
Moreover, their ads are perfect in terms of safety and quality and each ad is screened individually to ensure the highest standards of quality. It is overall a good advertising platform and It is worth trying.
6-Â Index Exchange:
Index Exchange is the second most famous header bidding network after AppNexus. It is trusted by a huge number of Publishers and advertisers across the globe. It is known for bringing a new revolution to header bidding and increasing its revenue-driving capability. They have introduced innovative tools and modern solutions to provide maximum benefit to the publisher for each impression.
Their adaptive timeout uses an algorithm to determine a Timeout for individuals on any given page view. They say that this new method will boost revenues for Publishers and optimize page speed by channelizing more bids from the headers toward the publishers. Many publishers have witnessed a significant increase in their revenues after shifting to this platform.
The good thing about this platform is that they literally offer full control to the Publishers in terms of their page and pricing. Â This network gives huge benefits to the Publishers in terms of revenues, increased demand, accessibility, and safety. Their robust infrastructure and advanced technology are perfectly meant for publishers. Index exchange leads to the digital market and is surely the perfect choice for publishers.
7-Â Amazon Publisher Services:
We all know that Amazon is one of the giant Internet marketplaces around the world and is known by almost everyone. It is a great platform in terms of generating revenues for mid-sized and large Publishers. Amazon provides header bidding Solutions through two different services, namely transparent ad Marketplace(TAM) Â and unified Ad marketplace (UAM).
Their unified ad Marketplace helps Publishers to improve earnings with one simple server-to-server header bidding integration. They offer unique and unified demand which means that they combine unique product Ads for Amazon and demand from SSPs making sure that all bidders compete equally and transparently.
Their simple server-side integration enables you to connect with all buyers quickly.
8-Â Criteo:
Criteo is a leading advertising network that was founded 15 years ago in 2005 in Paris France. It is an amazing advertising platform known for increasing website conversions, app conversions, and in-store conversions.  Criteo maximizes revenues for web and app publishers ensuring the full value of every impression you get including standard displayÂnative ad units,Âvideo ads, and evenÂAdblocker Impressions.
You can also fully choose your integration methods. further, enable you to earn the full value of each impression with a uniqueÂCPAÂ that is inserted into your ad server. The best thing about this network is that they enable you to partner directly without involving third parties and intermediaries in the supply chain. This offers maximum yield without losing any revenue.
Another great sale about this platform is its app bidding tools and hyper-relevant ads in top engaging formats that do not disturb the User experience and drive higher revenues across all platforms. Moreover, their lightweight solutions are optimized for mobile environments. The most useful feature that they provide is the maneuver aroundÂad blockers which recovers ad-block impressions, that’s pretty cool.
In addition, If you are an app developer, it can be a great choice for you because it helps in increasing the app traffic and getting more app installs by targeting new users’ active visitors’ catchy ads that drive installs. It is, on the whole, a great advertising network for publishers and app developers.
9-Â Sovrn:
Sovrn is another great advertising platform that works on the header bidding model. They offer higherÂCPMs and easy integration that does not require any codes to be added. The good thing about this network is that it is equally good for publishers of all sizes and is risk-free and hassle-free. Therefore, it is the best header bidding ad network for beginners. Sovrn is also involved with video in Google’s open bidding and also helps in earning more with videos. Moreover, it is also compatible with Amazon. So you can easily add Sovrn to Amazon’s TAM demand stack and enjoy double benefits.
Sovrn provides 3 different Solutions in terms of header bidding. The first one known as heater complete has built-in features, full Demond stack control, and header bidding wrapped. The second one is the header adapter which is a pre-bid adapter that gives in-time updates. The third one is named Sovern header API, it is an ultra-customizable solution for Publishers having custom needs and separate technical resources.
If you are looking for a rewarding header bidding network that is safe and convenient to use, Sovrn can be a good choice. It provides simplicity of integration. You just have to paste the Javascript into the header of your website. This enables you to run an ad auction for you to maximize the value of your inventory. So you can load an advertisement afterward and get paid.
10-Â Yieldbot:
Yieldbot is another header bidding advertising network with high-quality intent targeting ads in multiple formats. It is basically a New York-based company that was founded in 2010. The distinctive and amazing thing about this platform is that it works with the world’s biggest and most powerful brands like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, GSK, Quikr, and many more.
But this makes it less suitable for small-sized publishers. Yieldbot’s open-source header bidding framework enables the Publishers to take control of their ad stack and utilize it properly.
Yieldbot provides optimizing service based on real-time performance feedback to maximize relevance. As ads are showcased, engagement is measured and analyzed. They also offer a direct publisher site integration that enables a rich choice of context-specific Creative types.
Another great thing about this platform is the multiple advertising formats that are more yielding and better performing with modern features like dynamic text, dynamic mobile branded Pharma comma product listing responsive cards, click to pin, and click to the calendar.
Conclusion
Header bidding offers a game-changing opportunity for publishers to optimize ad revenue by increasing transparency, boosting CPM rates, and ensuring higher fill rates. By leveraging the right header bidding ad networks, you can unlock the full potential of your ad inventory and significantly improve your earnings. Explore the networks we’ve listed and choose the ones that best align with your monetization goals.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the difference between header bidding and traditional waterfall ad serving?
Header bidding allows all demand partners to bid on inventory simultaneously, increasing competition and CPM rates. In contrast, waterfall ad serving involves offering inventory sequentially, which can result in lower bids as demand partners are approached one by one.
How does header bidding improve transparency for publishers?
Header bidding enables publishers to see exactly how much each impression sells for, providing insights into the value of their inventory. This transparency ensures that publishers can track every ad placement and optimize revenue.
Are there any disadvantages to using header bidding?
While header bidding can significantly increase revenue, it may also increase page load times if not implemented properly. Publishers should use lightweight wrappers and optimize their sites to minimize any potential impact on user experience.
What kind of ads can be used with header bidding?
Header bidding supports various ad formats, including display, video, native, and even pop-under ads. Publishers can choose formats that best suit their audience and layout.
How do I start using header bidding on my website?
To start with header bidding, you need to choose a suitable ad network, implement the header bidding code, and configure a wrapper to manage your demand partners. Partnering with an experienced ad tech provider can help simplify the process.
