Your site is attracting more eyes, and you are ready to start monetizing that traffic through ads. To make the most of your ad spaces, you want ad providers to pay top dollar for impressions.
At Monumetric, we ensure the best returns by driving up the competition. We create this competition by backing your site with multiple potential advertisers. When multiple advertisers want space on your site, your ad revenue increases.
Before we maximize your earnings with better revenue, your site must be screened to see if it meets ad providers’ criteria. This approval process is the first step in working with us.
Why Approval Matters
Ad providers are the key to monetizing your site. Our connections with top-tier providers will get you the highest value for each ad placement. When you sign up with us, these providers decide whether it’s worth advertising on your site.
During the approval process, ad providers review your site and make a decision. A “yes” unlocks the door to monetization, while a “no” means there’s room for improvement before trying again.
We want to help you get approved the first time and start making money immediately. The more ad providers approve your site, the more advertisers will be willing to invest in your ad space.
To provide the best insights, we spoke with industry experts Chris Hallenbeck, Director of Traffic for OpenX, and Morrie Hudiburg of Sovrn. They review thousands of sites and shared their top tips for securing approval.
What Do Ad Providers Look For?
The Approval Process
Morrie: We are looking for high-quality sites with unique content. Sites are quickly disapproved if they have copied content, fraudulent traffic, excessive ad clutter, or other violations.
Chris: We assess adherence to industry best practices, ensuring advertisers get value from their ad placements. Reviews include ad density, documented levels of organic traffic, social media presence, and a site’s reputation regarding non-human traffic (NHT).
Morrie: Each site is reviewed by multiple team members and tested using third-party traffic quality tools. We also analyze user interaction on the site and social media. Our high standards ensure we connect quality demand with quality publishers.
Chris: We use a mix of quantitative data and qualitative judgment to evaluate a site’s inventory quality.
Common Misconceptions About Approval
Morrie: The most common misconception is that the site will get approved if it goes through the approval process. We’ll look at every site, but there’s no guarantee it will pass all the standards and be approved for our network!
Chris: The most common misconception is that we’re only concerned with fraud. We are indeed interested in preventing fraudulent inventory from reaching the exchange. Still, we are focused on ensuring the inventory we accept for the exchange will be perceived as good quality. In other words, some sites have great content but place all their ads in locations where they are rarely seen or refresh ad tags regardless of whether they are in view or not.
How to Increase Your Chances of Approval
Morrie: Be familiar with the standards of each of your partners, but for Sovrn, quality is our number one priority. Each site in our network was approved because they have high-quality, unique content on a quality site.
Chris: Brand new sites that haven’t developed a reputation via 3rd party tools and a social media following are the most commonly rejected. We recommend publishers submit sites with an established following and organic audience for the best chances of acceptance.
What if My Site Gets Denied?
Morrie: If your site is denied, it could be approved with some changes depending on the denial reason. A site that was already on our blacklist would not have a chance of being approved in the future, but a site that was denied for ad clutter could be approved if the extra ads are taken down.
Chris: We are willing to re-evaluate rejected sites when the reasons for rejection are mitigated. For example, a site with ten ads per page was rejected — but upon reducing the number of ad units per page to 5, we revised that decision and allowed the site in the exchange.
Pro Tips for Approval
Both experts agree: Focus on quality content!
What Defines Quality?
- Original, frequently updated content
- Organic and direct traffic
- No inappropriate content (NSFW, hate speech, illegal material)
- High user engagement (comments, shares, and interactions)
Red Flags to Avoid
- Low engagement (few comments, weak social media presence)
- Too many ads (excessive ad clutter)
- Broken or inactive site (site downtime during review)
- Inappropriate content (nudity, illegal content, or offensive material)
- Copied content (stolen or unoriginal material)
- Fake traffic (bots or artificial engagement)
Note: Ad providers may have additional approval criteria.
Get Ready to Monetize
Before submitting your site, review these expert tips to ensure your site meets ad providers’ expectations. Taking the right steps now will increase your chances of approval and unlock higher revenue potential.
We hope this guide has answered your questions and inspired you to join Monumetric. Reach out to our team for a free audit and start optimizing your monetization today!
