Should you join DFP small business to display AdSense ads?

Should you join DFP small business to display AdSense ads?

Since March 2008 when Google acquired DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP) for  US $3.1 billion, AdSense publishers have become more inquisitive on how this system works and whether it can help them maximize their AdSense revenue and bypass the Ad display restriction and limits like showing more than three AdSense content units per page. We received many emails regarding this ad management service. After a thorough research and contacting a Google agent directly, we are publishing this article to clear several misconceptions revolving around this topic. Both Blogger and Wordpress users who have implemented multiple Ad units per page via DFP on their blogs are advised to read this guide carefully. 

What is DFP Small Business?

DoubleClick is a digital marketplace that connects ad agencies, marketers and Web site publishers( people like you and me ). It is indeed a complete toolkit to manage ads, including streamlined trafficking, targeting, advanced forecasting and reporting, revenue optimization, and direct access to advertisers

It is helpful for those publishers that are using multiple ad networks besides AdSense and wants to manage ad placements through a common control panel.  If you set an ad inventory using DFP, the advertisers can directly choose to display their ads on your spot no matter they are using adwords or other networks like chitika. You can also set up a minimum  CPC price for the inventory. DFP then lets advertisers compete/bid for that ad space and then it will display the best paying ad. Suppose if chitika was paying a higher CPC for an Ad as compared to AdSense then your ad spot will display Ads from chitika network instead of AdSense and vice versa.

Watch the video below to see how it works:

Benefits of DFP

There are three major benefits of using DoubleClick that are worth noticing:

1. Maximize your website revenue: Since advertisers bid for you ad spot therefore you get highest-paying ads available that increases your earning potential for the selected spot. This does not mean it will increase your AdSense or any other network earning significantly. Read this
   
2. Largest network of online advertisers
   
3. Greater Control: You control over when, where, and to whom your ads deliver. They have some extremely useful tools for ad serving, reporting and optimization which are worth trying and saves a lot of time. The system is surely automated. Once you setup inventories, rest all serving is done by DFP system.
   

Who should join it?

DFP is worth trying only if you are using multiple ad networks and you are running a large website with growing traffic and thousands of pageviews per day. It is also useful for those whose websites or blogs have the potential to attract direct sponsors. If your website displays direct ads both banner and contextual then this system would work best for you to find thousands of such interested advertisers.

• Read: What are direct Ads and how to rich direct advertisers?
• Read: The difference between CPM, PPC and CPA

What do you mean by multiple Ad Networks?
If besides AdSense you use any other ad network for generating income then you can choose to use DFP. You may probably be using one of these popular AdSense alternatives and if not then DFP is not for you:

1. adBrite
2. BidVertiser
3. Chitika
4. Clicksor
5. eClickZ

What do you mean by a large website?
A webpage with strong online authority, active readership, above 10K pageviews (optional) and  frequent post updates. Any website where you would love to advertise your product!

How to start using DFP?

If you qualify for it then to start you will find the following links useful:

• Sign up for DFP Academy
• DFP tutorials
• DFP Official Forum
• DFP official YouTube channel

To learn how to setup DFP on your site watch this extremely useful video created by Amit agarwal who I assume is currently using DFP on his blog:

Can it increase your AdSense Earnings?

Of course yes and of course not!

If you have clearly understood the explanation and descriptions above then it might have become clear to most of you that DFP increases overall revenue of your website and not just AdSense or any other specific network. Your AdSense ads will not appear on that zone all the time, they will appear on that spot only if AdSense is paying you high for that keyword/ad compared to other networks.  So clicks made on that zone will be collective revenue made from all those networks which appeared on your site. This system will surely increase the potential revenue collectively from all these networks and let you make more money from direct advertisers and multiple networks.

What Microsoft and others feared?

After the purchase of DoubleClick for Publishers, Google biggest rivals such as Microsoft and AT&T Inc. stress a lot on Law officials to strictly monitor this business deal because they feared that it could give Google too much control over online advertising so there were high privacy concerns. DFP is often blamed for sending malware and using spyware. But as usual Google put down all such allegations and won the case. 
You can now confidently use this service normally like you use other Google services.

Can you display more than 3 AdSense units with DFP?

If you are already running three Adsense for content units on your blog and you have have also installed a DFP ad placement on your blog then there are chances that if an Adsense Ad appears on your DFP spot, you will encounter 4 AdSense ad units per webpage which strictly does not comply with Adsense Program policies.
No matter whatever service or software you use, displaying 3 content units is the maximum you can show, exceeding this limit would take small publishers into disqualification without any doubts.
At present following are the ad limits per webpage:

• Adsense for content: 3 units at most
• Adsense Link units: 3 units at most
• Adsense for Search (CSE): 2 Search boxes at most.

Kindly comply with these limits and avoid applying new ways offered by others. Be selective on what you read and carefully follow people you trust as authority.

• Read: Best Tips to optimize Adsense on your blog

Do we use DFP for MBT?

You might have observed that we are displaying Four AdSense units per page but this does not mean we are using DFP. Premium AdSense publishers have some special privileges and we therefore use them carefully.

• Read: How to display Four AdSense Content Ad units?

We are not yet using DoubleClick ad serving. We are still working on building traffic on our second blog and once this year's target is achieved we will surely dive into the pool of this largest advertising network ever. MBT though qualifies for DFP but so far we are really happy with AdSense and our experience with chitika or any other network has not been so pleasing therefore as long as AdSense remains our highest paying sponsor we wont need looking at alternatives.

Do you qualify for DFP?

Now when you have learnt almost every thing related to this hot forum topic that has been widely discussed at official AdSense blog, so what have you decided? Do you qualify to apply for DFP and if yes then kindly share the ad networks that you are using besides AdSense. Share your experiences and tell us how far this tool could help big publishers. I just hope this little effort on our behalf proves helpful for most of you. Take good care of yourselves and your loved ones. Peace and blessings. : )