Resources
Know what you're buying. Know what you're worth.
Honest comparisons and practical guides for advertisers and publishers. Every fact about another company links to its own public page, with the date we checked it.
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Advertising basics
GuideHow online advertising worksSearch, social, display, networks and direct sponsorships: how each way of buying ads works, how it's priced, and how to tell what you actually got.GuideCPM, CPC and CPA: how online ads are pricedWhat CPM, CPC, CPA and flat-fee pricing mean, who carries the risk in each, and how to convert any ad price into a cost you can compare.GuideDirect vs programmatic advertisingProgrammatic ads are bought by auction across many sites; direct ads are bought from one publisher at an agreed price. How they differ, and when each fits.GuideWhat is native advertising?Native ads look like the content around them: sponsored articles, in-feed posts, featured paragraphs. What counts, how to label it, and how to do it well.GuideWhat counts as an ad view?An impression means an ad was served, not seen. The viewability standard, how it's measured, and what to ask any seller before you pay for views.GuideWhat is an ad network?An ad network buys space on many sites and sells it to advertisers as one product. How networks work, what publishers earn, and how a marketplace differs.GuideHow to avoid paying for fake ad trafficBots, accidental clicks and stacked ads: what invalid traffic is, how platforms filter it, and five checks before you pay any site for views or clicks.GuideBrand awareness vs direct response advertisingAwareness ads make people remember you; direct response ads make them act now. How each is bought, priced and measured, and how to split a small budget.GuideHow to write a sponsored post people actually readA sponsored post works when it reads like part of the page: the right angle, a useful paragraph, one link and a clear label. A step-by-step guide.GuideAdvertising terms, explainedPlain definitions of the ad terms you'll meet: CPM, CPC, CPA, RPM, CTR, impressions, viewability, programmatic, native, rel="sponsored" and more.