If you are a publisher who wants to monetize your website with online advertising, you need an ad server to manage your ad inventory, deliver ads to your visitors, and track their performance. But with so many ad servers on the market, how do you choose the best one for your needs?

One of the most popular ad servers is Google Ad Manager (GAM), formerly known as DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP). GAM is a free ad server for publishers who have less than 90 million monthly impressions, and it offers access to Google's Ad Exchange (AdX), one of the largest and most lucrative ad exchanges in the world.

But GAM is not the only option, and it may not be the best one for your site. Depending on your goals, audience, and budget, you may want to consider other ad servers that offer more flexibility, functionality, or revenue potential.

In this article, we will compare GAM with some of the main alternatives on the market, and help you decide which one is right for you.

What are the benefits of using Google Ad Manager?

GAM has several advantages that make it a popular choice among publishers. Some of them are:

• It's free for small and medium publishers. If you have less than 90 million monthly impressions, you can use GAM without paying any fees or commissions to Google.
• It's reliable and scalable. GAM is powered by Google's infrastructure, which means it can handle high volumes of traffic and deliver ads fast and efficiently.
• It's integrated with Google AdX. GAM gives you access to Google's Ad Exchange, where you can sell your inventory to thousands of advertisers and networks, and benefit from dynamic allocation, which automatically optimizes your revenue by choosing the highest-paying ad for each impression.
• It's compatible with other Google products. GAM works well with other Google tools, such as Google Analytics, Google Adsense, and Google Tag Manager, which can help you measure and optimize your site performance and monetization.

What are the drawbacks of using Google Ad Manager?

GAM is not perfect, and it has some limitations and challenges that may affect your site performance and revenue. Some of them are:

• It's not very flexible or customizable. GAM is designed to work well with standard banner ads and programmatic advertising, but it may not support more creative or native ad formats that blend in with your site content and user experience. Moreover, GAM does not allow you to create your own self-serve advertising portal, where you can let advertisers manage their own campaigns and see their own reporting.
• It's tag-based, not server-side. GAM uses client-side JavaScript tags to deliver ads to your site, which can cause several issues, such as slowing down your site speed, losing revenue from ad blockers, and violating privacy laws by sending data to third parties without your consent or control. Server-side ad servers, on the other hand, allow you to integrate the ad serving technology into your backend web and mobile apps directly, without needing client-side code.
• It's Google. GAM is owned by Google, which means that Google has a lot of power and influence over the online advertising industry. This can pose some risks for publishers, such as losing access to some features without notice, experiencing downtime or bugs, facing legal troubles due to Google's policies or practices, or competing with Google for the same advertisers and revenue.

What are some alternatives to Google Ad Manager?

If you are looking for an alternative to GAM, there are several options available on the market that may suit your needs better. Here are some of them:

• PlayBox Technology's Display Ad Server: PlayBox's Ad server is a simple and affordable ad server that allows you to manage your own ad inventory and campaigns. It supports various formats and channels, such as display, video, mobile, and native. It also offers features such as geotargeting, frequency capping, and conversion tracking. It also, enables you to select any demand sources you wish via enabled access to any ad exchange or network, as well as integrate with third-party networks of your choice.
• Kevel: Kevel is a server-side ad server that allows you to build your own custom ad platform using APIs. With Kevel, you can create native ads that match your site design and user experience, build your own self-serve advertising portal for advertisers, and integrate with any third-party demand source or data provider. Kevel also offers faster ad delivery, higher revenue from ad block users, and more privacy compliance than tag-based solutions like GAM.
• Adform: Adform is a full-stack ad platform that offers an ad server as well as other tools for publishers, such as a supply-side platform (SSP), a data management platform (DMP), and a creative management platform (CMP). Adform's ad server is focused on programmatic advertising and supports various formats and channels, such as display, video, mobile, and connected TV. Adform also provides detailed analytics and reporting, as well as optimization features such as header bidding and dynamic creative optimization (DCO).
• Equativ: Equativ is an ad platform that offers an ad server as well as an SSP and a rich media solution. Smart AdServer's ad server is designed to help publishers maximize their revenue from direct and programmatic sales, and supports various formats and channels, such as display, video, mobile, native, and audio. Equativ also offers features such as header bidding, private marketplaces (PMPs), and holistic yield management.

How to choose the best ad server for your site?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as different ad servers have different strengths and weaknesses, and different publishers have different goals and preferences. However, here are some factors that you may want to consider when choosing an ad server for your site:

• Your site size and traffic volume. If you have a small or medium site with less than 90 million monthly impressions, you may want to use a free ad server like GAM or PlayBox Technology's ads erver. If you have a large site with more than 90 million monthly impressions, you may want to use a paid ad server that can handle your scale and offer more features and support.
• Your site niche and audience. If you have a niche site with a specific audience or topic, you may want to use an ad server that can support more creative or native ad formats that match your site content and user experience. You may also want to use an ad server that can help you find relevant advertisers or networks that cater to your niche.
• Your site monetization strategy. If you rely mostly on direct sales or sponsorships, you may want to use an ad server that can help you manage your own campaigns and reporting, and offer features such as self-serve portals or rich media solutions. If you rely mostly on programmatic advertising, you may want to use an ad server that can help you access multiple demand sources and optimize your revenue, and offer features such as header bidding or dynamic allocation.
• Your site performance and privacy standards. If you care about your site speed, user experience, and privacy compliance, you may want to use a server-side ad server that can deliver ads faster, avoid ad blockers, and protect your data. You may also want to use an ad server that is independent from Google or other dominant players in the industry.

Conclusion

Choosing an ad server for your site is an important decision that can affect your revenue and user experience. An ad server is a software that delivers and tracks ads on your site. It can help you manage your inventory, optimize your campaigns, and measure your performance. There are many factors to consider when choosing an ad server, such as:

• The features and functionality that you need
• The compatibility and integration with your site and other platforms
• The cost and pricing model
• The reliability and security of the service
• The support and customer service that you can expect

To help you make an informed choice, you should research different options, compare their pros and cons, and test them out before making a final decision. You should also review your goals and expectations, and monitor your results regularly to ensure that you are getting the best value from your ad server.