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How to choose effective ad networks for arbitrage in a highly competitive environment

How to choose effective ad networks for arbitrage in a highly competitive environment

The traffic arbitrage market today is a battlefield with the highest density of players. Gone are the days when you could launch a campaign in the first network you came across and get a stable profit. Competition forces you to raise rates, burn out your audience and complicate your funnels. In these realities, choosing a traffic source is no longer a routine and turns into a key strategic element that determines the success of the entire bundle. Incorrectly selected ad networks for arbitrage are a guaranteed drain on your budget right at the start.


The purpose of this article is to provide a systematic approach to choosing and analyzing ad networks. We will not list the top 10 networks, because the “best” network does not exist in a vacuum. There is only one that is optimal for a specific offer, geo, budget and your work model. We will analyze the criteria that will allow you to independently evaluate and select effective advertising networks for arbitrage, minimizing risks and increasing the chances of making a profit in an overheated market.

The foundation of choice: deep analysis of the offer and target audience

Before opening the lists of ad networks, you need to conduct a thorough analysis of what exactly you are going to promote. Any advertising networks for arbitrage are just a tool, and its effectiveness depends on how correctly you have defined the task.

Defining the vertical and its specifics

Each vertical has its own unspoken rules and preferred traffic sources.


Nutra (health and beauty products). Often requires a softer approach. Converts well on native advertising, which is disguised as editorial content, and on push notifications, especially with impulse demand offers. Aggressive formats like popunders may not work here due to the need to "warm up" the user.


Gambling and betting. This is a highly competitive vertical, where the audience is already accustomed to advertising. Aggressive formats work well here: popunders, clickunders, push notifications. In-app advertising is also effective, where you can accurately target users who already play mobile games. When choosing advertising networks for arbitrage for gambling, look for those that are loyal to this vertical and have large volumes of mobile traffic.


Dating. The specifics greatly depend on the subcategory (mainstream or adult). Mainstream dating works well through social networks and native advertising. The adult vertical is the realm of popunders, banners on thematic sites and specialized networks that are not afraid to work with adult content.


Finance (cryptocurrency, binary options). Requires a solvent and involved audience. Impulsive formats rarely work here. The main focus is on high-quality native and search advertising. Some advertising networks for arbitrage offer specialized financial traffic sources, which is a huge plus.

Geography and cultural characteristics

The choice of GEO directly affects the choice of network. Not all advertising networks for arbitrage have equally high-quality and volumetric traffic in all countries. For Tier-1 countries (USA, Canada, Western Europe), high-quality traffic and advanced targeting capabilities are important. The competition here is maximum, and the cost per click is high. For Tier-3 countries (Asia, Africa, Latin America), the volume and low cost of traffic come to the fore. Here you can successfully work with simpler formats, such as popunders, and networks that specialize in these regions.

Portrait of the target audience and conversion model

Who is your client? A man 45+ interested in joint health? A young woman 18-24 looking for a date? A trader monitoring the Bitcoin rate? The answer to this question affects not only the creative, but also the choice of network. Some advertising networks for arbitrage provide detailed targeting options by demographics, interests, devices, operating systems and even time of day.


The conversion model (SOI, DOI, CPA, RevShare) also dictates its terms. Cheap mass traffic may be suitable for simple SOI registrations. For CPA offers with a high check or RevShare, where the LTV (Lifetime Value) of the client is important, only high-quality, well-targeted traffic is needed, which not all advertising networks for arbitrage can provide.

Key criteria for evaluating an advertising network

Once you have a clear understanding of the product and audience, you can begin to evaluate potential traffic sources. Here's what you should pay attention to first.

  • Advertising formats and traffic volumes. Make sure that the network supports the formats you need (push, popunder, native, banner, in-app). The most important thing is to ask your manager for current traffic volumes for your GEO and targeting (for example, "Android, Chrome, mobile traffic, India"). Many large advertising networks for arbitrage provide this information in their interfaces. The lack of volumes for the required m parameters — a red flag.

  • Purchase model. CPM (cost per 1000 impressions), CPC (cost per click), CPA (cost per action). For testing and data collection, it is often easier for beginners to start with CPC. The CPM model requires more experience in optimization, since you pay for impressions, not clicks, and a poor CTR can quickly drain your budget. Some advanced advertising networks for arbitrage offer CPA models or Smart tools (for example, Target CPA), which automatically optimize the campaign for a given cost per conversion, but they require preliminary “training” on your data.

  • Targeting capabilities. This is one of the most important points in a highly competitive environment. The more accurately you can set up targeting, the less money you will spend on the wrong audience. A gentleman's minimum set: GEO (up to city), device type, OS, browser, connection type (Wi-Fi/Mobile). Advanced networks offer targeting by provider, browser language, IP ranges and audience interests.

  • Moderation policy and permitted verticals. Check with support in advance whether your offer and your creatives will pass moderation. This will save you a lot of time and nerves. Some networks strictly prohibit gambling or nutra with aggressive approaches, while others, on the contrary, specialize in this. Honest advertising networks for arbitrage always have clearly defined rules for advertisers.

  • Technological platform. Convenience of the interface, speed of work, availability of API for automation, and most importantly - the ability to integrate with a tracker. Without S2S Postback integration, full-fledged arbitrage is impossible. You must transfer conversion data back to the network for optimization. The network's own anti-fraud filter is also important. If the network does not fight bots, you risk wasting your budget on fraudulent traffic.

  • Minimum deposit and replenishment methods. For beginners and those who want to test a new network, a low entry threshold is important. A minimum deposit of $100-200 is normal. If the network requires $1000, it is most likely focused on large teams. Convenient replenishment methods (cards, PayPal, WebMoney, Capitalist, cryptocurrency) are also an indicator of customer focus.

Testing and scaling process

The choice has been made, the account has been created, the budget has been replenished. Now the most important stage begins - testing. Never pour your entire budget into one campaign in a new network.

First launch strategy

Start with a small budget, enough to assess the potential. The goal is not to make a profit, but to collect data. Launch a campaign with broad targeting (but within your GEO and device type) to evaluate the overall performance of sites within the network. Use several different creatives and landing pages to understand what works best.


The key metrics at this stage are the cost per click (CPC) and click-through rate (CTR). If clicks are too expensive and the CTR tends to zero, your creatives may not be suitable for the audience of this network.

Analysis of the first data and optimization

After you have run the test budget and received the first 10-20 conversions, work with the data in the tracker begins. Your main task is to create black and white lists.


Blacklist is a list of site IDs (site ID, placement ID) that spent more than the cost of one conversion, but did not bring in a single lead. They should be immediately disabled in the campaign settings. This is the main tool for saving the budget.


Whitelist is a list of sites that show a good CR (conversion rate) and bring cheap leads. When you collect enough data, you can create a separate campaign that will work only on this list, setting a higher bid for it to buy the maximum amount of quality traffic. This is how scaling happens. Working with these lists correctly is what distinguishes a professional from a beginner when working with advertising networks for arbitrage.


Testing is a continuous process. The market is changing, new sources appear, old ones burn out. Successful arbitrageurs are constantly searching for and testing new advertising networks for arbitrage in order to diversify sources and always have a profitable combination in reserve.

Conclusion: a strategic approach instead of blind luck

In the conditions of fierce competition in 2024, the choice of advertising network for arbitrage is becoming no less important than the choice of the offer itself. Success no longer depends on luck or insider information. It depends on a systematic, analytical approach.


Start with a deep analysis of your product and audience. Then methodically evaluate potential networks based on key criteria: traffic format and volume, purchasing model, targeting capabilities, moderation policy, and platform technology. Don’t be afraid to talk to managers, ask direct questions, and demand statistics.


And most importantly, test. Allocate small budgets, collect data, ruthlessly turn off ineffective platforms, and scale what brings int result. Only such an iterative, data-driven approach will allow you to find and squeeze profit where others see only scorched earth. Your choice of advertising network for arbitrage is not a lottery, but a balanced investment decision on which your entire future success depends.