Google AdSense and AdX are both Ad Networks with specific features. Publishers often get confused about which ad network to use to monetize their web traffic. Let’s go over the differences that may help you choose the best one per your requirements.
How AdSense Serves Ads
A self-managed tool for publishers run their ads. After getting approval on AdSense, a publisher gets an ad tag and places it on their website. This makes the ads start working, a simple and easy to use process. However, AdSense May befit advertisers more than the publishers.
As AdSense ads come from Google Ads (or Google Adwords). These Adwords are designed in a way that they offer low-cost impressions. A reason why cost per impression is less as compared to cost per click in AdSense. Moreover, it won’t allow publishers to set a floor price. This makes it difficult for them to utilize the inventory.
How AdX serves Ads
AdX or Ad Exchange is the DoubleClick Ad Exchange service that brings together advertisers, publishers, and ad agencies. It has a primary focus to provide private auctions, real-time bidding, and preferred deals.
This will raise competition for the inventory and also allows publishers to earn well.
If you properly understand the structure how AdSense and AdX works you can better understand the major differences between them.
Major differences between AdSense and AdX
AdSense is one of the largest Ad Networks for small and medium sized publishers. Whereas Adx involves bidding for inventories by multiple advertisers in real-time and is good for large publishers.
AdSense is easy to use and can be managed by publishers themselves. On the other hand, AdX has an option for publishers self managed account or one that can be managed by a MCM. Or Google Channel Partners (GCPP) like Exmarketplace.
AdSense payment is only based on the CPC and CPM models. Whereas AdX works with preferred deals, programmatic deals, private auctions, and other auctions like header bidding (Prebid) in addition to CPM based models.
Therefore AdSense is suitable for publishers that have less page views or run a small to medium scale business. While AdX suits well for large publishers having millions of page views. Using AdX can be a lot of work for the publishers themselves. In this case they can hire a third party company like Exmarketplace, that can manage well and use better optimization strategies to boost ad revenue.