3 Top Alternatives to Advanced Ads for WordPress

August 27, 2020

The digital publishing world changed dramatically this year. When people began sheltering-in-place at home in March, traffic on hyperlocal news sites spiked. Overall visits on news websites rose by 57%, according to a study by comScore. This opened the door for many publishers to take their businesses to the next level. Now, many more publishers are getting serious about investing in digital ad sales as a way to grow their publications. 

Local news publishers have many options to monetize their websites through display advertising. Publishers who run their websites on WordPress have an especially large number of choices. If you currently use Advanced Ads or any other WordPress-based plugin, certain ad plugins could be slowing your website down and making it harder to gain a foothold in the local advertising market.

Many WordPress-based ad plugins are designed for novice publishers who are just starting out. Although Advanced Ads and other WordPress-based ad plugins may look visually similar to the more robust options that larger media companies use, they do not support the needs of digital publishers who grow their businesses with email newsletters and native content programs. In some cases, lesser-known ad plugins can actually slow down site speed, which negatively impacts a publisher’s search ranking.

If you are considering getting serious about digital ad sales, now is a good time to migrate off of Advanced Ads or any other WordPress-based plugin, and adopt a more professional solution. Here are three options to try.

Top Alternatives to Advanced Ads for WordPress

1. Broadstreet

Broadstreet is widely considered to be the “next step” when graduating from a startup to an established publishing business that depends on digital ad sales for revenue growth. Many of Broadstreet’s current users migrated to Broadstreet from Advanced Ads for WordPress or Google Ad Manager because those other solutions were too tedious and time consuming to use.

Having served thousands of local news publishers, Broadstreet has refined its product offerings and expanded its team to provide the best support industry-wide. Broadstreet boasts the largest library of turn-key ad formats on the internet, helping sales teams set themselves apart and win over advertising prospects. Digital news publishers frequently cite Broadstreet’s automated reporting tools as a factor for switching, making it easier to both run and automate ad sales reporting.

2. Google Ad Manager

Unlike Broadstreet Ads, Google Ad Manager focuses primarily on meeting the needs of the largest publishers with significant direct sales. Google Ad Manager does not offer as many ad formats as competitors like Broadstreet, and many of the ones they do offer can sometimes feel outdated. Regardless, Google Ad Manager is still a popular and capable platform. Its free cost makes this an acceptable option for publishers who are stretching the budget.

3. Adrotate

The WordPress plugin directory is teeming with options for digital publishers. Adrotate is an ad plugin that newcomers in the publishing space have been using with mixed results. Adrotate is simpler to use than plugins like Advanced Ads, so publishers can create their own campaigns with HTML or Javascript code. However, Adrotate might not be suited for publishers who are looking to take their businesses to the next level or expand their direct sales programs. It does not offer the same level of customer support as ad managers like Broadstreet, and its library of ad formats is considerably smaller.

If you have been thinking about migrating off of Advanced Ads, or any other WordPress-based plugin, now is the time to make the change. Publishers who are serious about digital ad sales need to be using the highest quality platforms with fully asynchronous, SSL-secured adserving. To learn more about all your options, get in contact with Broadstreet’s team of online advertising experts.