Featured - Freestar https://freestar.com Publisher First Thu, 03 Apr 2025 18:53:54 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://freestar.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/cropped-Icon-32x32.png Featured - Freestar https://freestar.com 32 32 Freestar Intelligence: We Handle The Complexity So You Don’t Have To https://freestar.com/freestar-intelligence-we-handle-the-complexity-so-you-dont-have-to/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=freestar-intelligence-we-handle-the-complexity-so-you-dont-have-to Wed, 02 Apr 2025 17:03:13 +0000 https://freestar.com/?p=17583

AdTech Unraveled: Solving the Complexity Puzzle

The early days of programmatic advertising were pretty straightforward – just a few bidders, minimal complexity, and fairly predictable results. In today’s landscape, it’s an entirely different story. The industry is now flooded with demand-side platforms (DSPs), supply-side platforms (SSPs), ad exchanges, identity solutions, and constantly shifting privacy regulations. The sheer number of acronyms, technologies, and optimizations can make it feel impossible to keep up. 

Publishers are left asking:

  • Which bidders are the most effective? 
  • Do I call them via Prebid client-side or server-side, Amazon TAM, or Google Open Bidding?
  • How do I balance user experience while still achieving revenue goals? 
  • How do I optimize price floors and auction timeouts? 
  • Which identity solutions actually drive results?

You probably already understand the value of managing all of these elements and tailoring them to your audiences, but even the most sophisticated publishers can’t manage everything across different geographies, device types, and audiences efficiently by hand.

Introducing Freestar Intelligence: The Engine that Powers Real-Time Optimization

Freestar Intelligence is our proprietary decision engine that provides real-time customization at a granularity you could only previously dream of. Combining over a decade of hands-on experience, the horsepower of artificial intelligence and machine learning(AI/ML), and relentless experimentation (over 25 million experiments a week, in fact), we have built an optimization machine that takes the guesswork out of maximizing revenue. Continually enhanced by our expert team of data scientists and engineers, Freestar Intelligence dynamically adjusts auction mechanics (the back-end) and user experience (the front-end), leveraging our ever-growing suite of solutions to remove the headaches of manual yield management.

But what does that actually look like in action? Let’s take a look under the hood and break down the key ways Freestar Intelligence works to effortlessly maximize revenue for publishers every day.

Dynamic Ad Stack: Smarter Auction Mechanics 

Freestar’s Dynamic Ad Stack (DAS) ensures all the behind-the-scenes elements of the auction are performing at their full potential by leveraging the power of AI/ML to adapt to market dynamics in real-time. Unlike traditional static configurations, DAS ensures every aspect of auction mechanics is fully optimized in real-time. The following are some of the many great features of DAS:

→ Next-Gen Header Bidding: Faster, Smarter, Lighter

Freestar’s modular header bidding wrapper is designed to be as efficient as possible, loading only the necessary code components. This “micro wrapper” approach cuts memory usage by 40% and reduces latency by 500ms compared to traditional setups. By reducing the number of resource-intensive features by up to 30%, it improves page load times while minimizing the impact on device performance.

The result? Faster load times, reduced JavaScript bloat, and a smoother user experience. With fewer active modules, there’s less strain on a visitor’s device, reducing memory leaks and improving performance across all browsers. 

→ Dynamic Bidder Configurations and Timeouts: A Personalized Approach

Not all bidders perform equally in every situation, which is why DAS customizes the auction mechanics for every ad request. By dynamically selecting the ideal mix of server-side and client-side bidders, fine-tuning auction timeouts based on geo, device, and network speed, and leveraging historical auction data for real-time optimizations, our AI/ML-powered configuration system ensures revenue from each impression is maximized.

The result? Unlike fixed configurations that treat all visitors the same, this more granular approach results in faster page loads, higher engagement, improved user experience, and on average, a 5 to 8% revenue uplift for publishers.

→ Staying Ahead by Testing Identity Partners

With the decline of third-party cookies, alternative identity solutions are essential as advertisers will pay more when they know something about your users. If you don’t have identity solutions in place, you’re leaving a lot of revenue on the table. However, not all solutions deliver the same results. Freestar’s Identity Testing Framework removes the guesswork by: 

    • Running side-by-side tests on multiple identity providers
    • Tracking real revenue impact
    • Optimizing for the best mix of partners

The result? Publishers using this framework have already seen a 25 to 50% higher performance on cookieless browsers and even a 3 to 5% increase in Chrome, ensuring they stay ahead in a privacy-first world.

→  Floor Pricing: Ensuring the Price is Right

Setting the right floor price safeguards your high-value ad inventory while avoiding overpricing that can result in low fill rates that hurt overall revenue.  Our Freestar Intelligence -powered Dynamic Flooring technology takes the guess work out of striking the right pricing balance and automatically adjusts floor prices for each ad request based on factors like:

    • Device type (mobile vs. desktop)
    • Time of day
    • Geography
    • Historical bid patterns

The result? Publishers using this technology have seen a 21% increase in CPMs compared to manual floors and a 7% lift over Google’s automated floors. 

Dynamic Ad Products: Smarter Ad Placement Without Extra Work

The front-end on-page experience is just as important as what happens behind the scenes. However,  ad placement can be a challenge – too many ads disrupt the user’s experience, but too few leave revenue on the table. A dynamic versus static setup ensures that each user is served the right type of ad format at the right time.

Unlike many of our competitors, Freestar’s Dynamic Ad Products are not a one-size-fits-all solution. Our agnostic approach allows us to customize each publisher’s ad placements using our AI/ML engine to power smarter ads that take into account user behavior and device type.

Whether it’s showcasing multiple ads within a single ad placement, inserting the ideal video player, displaying high-impact formats, or customizing a desktop vs. mobile experience, our suite of dynamic ad products empowers you to do more with less. All while maintaining a positive user experience and adhering to the Coalition for Better Ads standards.

Our latest development, Intelligent Ad Insertion (IAI), uses Freestar Intelligence to:

  • Determine the optimal mix of in-content and high-impact ad placements
  • Maximize revenue without compromising user engagement

The result? Publishers using IAI have seen an additional 5% revenue uplift, all without lifting a finger!

AdTech is Complex: You Don’t Have to Manage It Alone

The reality is that today’s Adtech world is far too complex for publishers to navigate on their own. Monetization isn’t about simple plug-and-play solutions. It requires a team, a strategy, and cutting-edge technology. That’s where Freestar comes in. We provide both the engine that powers dynamic solutions at scale and the expert team to drive the technology. While Freestar Intelligence certainly leverages the power of AI/ML, you can rest assured, we don’t let AI run the whole show. At the end of the day, we know AI/ML will always require a real heartbeat to steer it in the right direction. And Freestar’s direction has always been and will remain “Publisher First”, creating solutions that empower publishers to focus on what they do best: create great content.

Want to learn more? Register now for our upcoming webinar to see how Freestar Intelligence is shaping the future of ad monetization. 

The post Freestar Intelligence: We Handle The Complexity So You Don’t Have To first appeared on Freestar.

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You’ve Got the Team, We’ve Got the Tech: Introducing Freestar Flex! https://freestar.com/youve-got-the-team-weve-got-the-tech-introducing-freestar-flex/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=youve-got-the-team-weve-got-the-tech-introducing-freestar-flex Mon, 03 Mar 2025 12:00:02 +0000 https://freestar.com/?p=17539

For the past decade, publishers have relied on Freestar’s fully-managed ad tech solutions to increase revenue, decrease headcount costs, and simplify monetization. But we know that fully-managed is not the ideal approach for all publishers. Some have sophisticated in-house ad ops teams that want more control over their ad stack but lack the time, resources, or expertise to build a world-class header bidding solution from scratch.

That’s exactly why we created Freestar Flex.

We have taken the best elements of Freestar’s award-winning monetization platform and added in self-managed publisher tools that provide the best of all worlds – full transparency and control coupled with Freestar’s proven technology and expertise that has been perfected over a decade of driving publisher success.

Designed for Publishers Who Want More Control

Until now, publishers wanting more control were faced with a difficult choice: invest significant time and money into developing their own monetization technology or utilize sub-par solutions from companies that either don’t exclusively focus on header bidding or lack Freestar’s vast knowledge, experience and technology.

With Flex, we’re bridging that gap by offering our battle-tested monetization platform in a more flexible manner that empowers publishers to seamlessly manage their own header bidding setup. Built for teams that want more autonomy, Flex delivers the transparency, efficiency, and advanced AI/ML optimization tools needed to maximize revenue without the hassle of building from scratch and trying to keep up with the ever-changing world of ad tech.

Technology That Works for You

Flex isn’t just another behind-the-scenes ad tech tool; it’s a powerful, intuitive platform designed to put publishers in charge. With both manual and AI/ML-optimized floors, timeouts, and bidder configurations, publishers can fine-tune auction mechanics in real-time to maximize performance. The advanced reporting and analytics suite unifies dozens of disparate data sources and provides deeper insights to help publishers make data-driven optimization decisions. Built-in A/B testing tools allow publishers to run experiments with different ad stacks to compare performance and optimize with confidence.

Additionally, Flex includes a comprehensive identity testing framework to future-proof publisher monetization in a privacy-compliant manner. The platform also seamlessly integrates a myriad of third-party technologies and partners through one simple implementation, making it an incredibly powerful monetization engine and not just a Prebid wrapper. Finally, while Flex provides self-managed tools and offers class-leading AI/ML optimization options, publishers will still have on-demand access to Freestar’s white-glove consultative support via an integrated chat feature that provides direct access to our expert teams if needed.

Tested, Proven, and Ready for You

Although Flex is only now being publicly unveiled to the world, it is far from brand-new, as we have been working on it for over a year. That time has included dozens of iterative sprints, hundreds of hours of rigorous testing, and a ton of invaluable feedback from industry-leading publishers who have helped test and refine the offering. We are incredibly excited to introduce many new features with Flex that will empower publishers in different ways than we have in the past; however, its core is the same monetization platform trusted by hundreds of publishers for the past 10 years that has allowed Freestar to become the number one ad management partner for large websites in the world. As a result, we know Flex can help take even the most sophisticated publisher’s monetization to another level while decreasing the time and effort needed to make it happen.

See Freestar Flex in Action

Curious to learn more about Freestar Flex? Check out our interactive highlight demo for a preview of the platform’s capabilities in action.


Ready For The Real Thing?

If you feel like you are beginning to outgrow a fully-managed offering, you are looking for a tool kit powerful enough to support your expert ad ops team, or simply want to learn more about everything Freestar has to offer, request a live demo by submitting your contact information and discover how we can take your monetization strategy to the next level!

The post You’ve Got the Team, We’ve Got the Tech: Introducing Freestar Flex! first appeared on Freestar.

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7 Reasons Why Publisher Quality is the #1 Factor to Successful Ad Monetization https://freestar.com/7-reasons-why-publisher-quality-is-the-1-factor-to-successful-ad-monetization/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=7-reasons-why-publisher-quality-is-the-1-factor-to-successful-ad-monetization Thu, 16 Jan 2025 17:15:08 +0000 https://freestar.com/?p=17423 Over the past 3 years, Freestar has implemented extensive measures to ensure our publishers consistently meet today’s high-quality standards, benefiting both their audiences and our advertising partners. Publisher quality remains a critical factor for successful ad monetization, and we’re committed to upholding these standards.

Publisher quality is a core pillar of our audience strategy, deeply integrated across many aspects of our business. It influences everything from the publishers we target and how we monitor quality signals to how our audience team collaborates with publishers to grow audiences in the right areas. This commitment to quality forms the core of our Freestar DNA. High-quality publishers can deliver better user experiences, attract more engaged audiences, and deliver better ad performance, all of which leads to higher revenue. 

Here’s a breakdown of why quality matters:

1. Audience Trust

High-quality publishers typically have established trust with their audiences, leading to = users are more engaged and receptive to content, including ads. Users who trust the website tend to view more pages per session and stay longer – two key engagement metrics that are consistent with top performing ad revenue per page.

How to Increase User Trust:

  • To establish a strong and authoritative brand presence online, it’s crucial to ensure that comprehensive information about your company is readily available for users and search engines alike. Start by creating a detailed About Page and featuring it prominently in your top site navigation. This page should provide a clear, engaging description of your business and the value it offers, making it easier for platforms like Google to generate a knowledge graph around your brand. Don’t forget to include essential details such as contact information and an updated privacy policy to inspire trust and transparency.
  • Prioritize UX over monetization. Websites cluttered with excessive ads, pop-ups, and other disruptive elements not only frustrate visitors but also erode trust, making users less likely to engage with content or ads. A modern, streamlined website design, especially optimized for mobile users, is imperative. Navigation should be intuitive, with critical sections easily accessible from the main menu, and the addition of breadcrumb navigation can further enhance the user journey by simplifying content discovery.
  • Relevancy should be a guiding principle across your site. Google tends to reward content that demonstrates authority in a specific niche, so focusing on a well-defined area of expertise will make it easier to build credibility and brand recognition. Rather than attempting to be an expert in every field, carving out a specialized domain allows for a more organic and effective growth strategy, positioning your brand as a trusted thought leader in your industry.

2. Ad Viewability

Ads that appear on quality sites are more likely to be seen by users because these publishers prioritize clean layouts, faster loading times, and optimal ad placements. Better viewability leads to higher ad effectiveness, as ads are more visible and accessible to users, which increases CPMs. 

Since August, we’ve achieved a 147% increase in the volume of PMP deals across our network. These deals are designed to meet the high expectations of premium advertisers, with most requiring a minimum viewability rate of 70% to ensure optimal ad performance. As a result, only sites that consistently meet or exceed this standard are considered for inclusion in these premium packages, emphasizing our commitment to delivering quality inventory and driving value for both publishers and advertisers.

3. Brand Safety

High-quality publishers provide a brand-safe environment for advertisers. Advertisers are increasingly cautious about where their ads appear to avoid being associated with inappropriate or harmful content. 

Because quality publishers reduce the risk of brand damage, they attract premium advertisers willing to pay higher rates for safe, reputable placements. One of the reasons that audience curation is on the rise is the ability to select a collection of domains that the advertiser is confident in.  

Partners That Keep Us Honest

For years we have relied on Jounce Media for their data on high-risk supply, and their insights around MFA and keeping supply paths clean. Freestar is proud to be a Jounce Bellwether Publisher, recognized for the high-quality supply that spans our 800+ enterprise publishers.  

We recently launched a partnership with Deepsee.io in order to track key quality signals for publishers, both legacy and prospects. By leveraging Deepsee’s robust data insights, we now have greater confidence in demonstrating to advertisers that our publishers provide a brand-safe and highly desirable environment. Deepsee’s advanced analytics allow us to monitor and validate key safety metrics, ensuring our inventory aligns with the highest industry standards and offering reassurance to advertisers looking for quality, and secure placements.

Additionally, here are the  Freestar publisher requirements that must be met prior to eligibility. 

4. Better Ad Relevance and Contextual Targeting

Contextual targeting often presents the best possible ad experience for a user.

Quality publishers typically provide specialized, well-curated content that allows for effective contextual targeting. Advertisers can serve ads that align closely with the content, creating a more relevant experience for the user. This boosts ad performance and monetization potential, as relevant ads are more likely to convert.

5. User Retention and Ad Block Avoidance

Users on high-quality sites are less likely to use ad blockers since ads are often integrated thoughtfully and presented in non-intrusive ways. This improves the publisher’s ability to monetize, as they can reach more of their audience with ads and build long-term revenue through user retention.

Low-quality sites are also much more likely to be added to an advertiser block list, either based on the full domain or just by keyword exclusivity.

Low-quality sites face a significantly higher risk of being added to advertiser block lists, whether through full domain exclusions or keyword-based restrictions. This not only limits monetization opportunities but also undermines the site’s ability to attract premium ad campaigns, highlighting the importance of maintaining high standards to meet advertiser expectations. 

6. Long-Term Partnerships with Advertisers

In a recent Hubspot trend report, 68% of publishers believe more direct deal revenue is the best opportunity for increased revenue in 2025. 

At Freestar, we maintain strong, direct relationships with many premium advertisers, and work with them on behalf of our publishers, in order to increase the amount of revenue brought in by ID-based deals and curation packages. This approach ensures our publishers can tap into exclusive opportunities, optimizing their inventory while delivering targeted, relevant experiences.  

It’s quality publishers that are able to form strong, lasting relationships with advertisers who see value in the consistency and reliability of their placements. These partnerships lead to repeat business and often open up opportunities for exclusive or direct deals, bypassing intermediary fees and increasing profit margins.

7. Compliance with Industry Standards

High-quality publishers are generally more compliant with industry standards and best practices. Keeping above-board on data privacy, transparency, and fraud prevention makes them trusted partners for advertisers and networks.

For our own business efforts, we see a strong correlation between publisher quality and their agreement to the expectations Freestar internal teams set. Quality publishers have a strong alignment to our internal standards including adherence to timeline, willingness to implement ad layout recommendations, demand approvals and even proactive engagement in communication channels, thus making them long-term partners for Freestar.    

Publisher quality impacts every part of the ad monetization process—from the perception and engagement of the audience to the ROI and trust of advertisers. 

The post 7 Reasons Why Publisher Quality is the #1 Factor to Successful Ad Monetization first appeared on Freestar.

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Why January is a Chill Month for Publisher Ad Revenue: Seasonal Trends Explained https://freestar.com/why-january-is-a-chill-month-for-publisher-ad-revenue-seasonal-trends-explained/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=why-january-is-a-chill-month-for-publisher-ad-revenue-seasonal-trends-explained Thu, 02 Jan 2025 22:00:37 +0000 https://freestar.com/?p=17473 January has arrived and once again we face what is historically the slowest month of the year for publisher ad revenue. But before you seep into those new-years-blues, let us explain. We understand, and will feel the same pain to our bottom line throughout these next few weeks. However, January and the rest of Q1 don’t have to be entirely daunting. With the right strategies in place, there are effective ways to mitigate these losses and even turn this traditionally slower period into a time of growth and opportunity for your business!

Why Does This Happen?

To best understand this trend, keep in mind what has just ended – Q4! More ad dollars go to publishers in October through December than any other time of the year, making January’s CPM drop seem even more drastic. 

Post-holiday Slowdown

The post-holiday slump in advertiser spending is a predictable trend each year. Aside from a few unique product verticals such as fitness equipment, and wellness products, brands anticipate people will buy less in January as they recover from any financial debt brought on by the holiday season. For the average consumer, January is also a time to regain control of the household finances and monthly budgeting. The goal is to spend less, not more, resulting in less time online searching for the latest luxury products. 

Seasonal Advertising Trends

You know that holiday-hangover, when you awake from a sugar-induced coma only to find an empty wallet and a piercing headache from WAY too much wine and family interaction? Advertisers can also feel that way, as they enter the new year having just spent much of their budget on holiday campaigns spanning across multiple devices and consumer touch points! January often serves as a much-needed breather for publishers—a time to pause, reflect, and strategize for the year ahead to pump the brakes on spend, reassess the budget and analyze the performance of Q4 campaigns.

After January’s brief pause to spend, advertisers will reemerge with dedicated spend for tentpoles that fall later in Q1, such as the Superbowl, Valentine’s Day, President’s Day sales, tax season promotions, and spring break. 

Less Competition = Lower CPMs

The result of less advertiser spend and reduced media consumption by users is lower CPMs. For publishers, this shift means lower RPMs and less total monthly revenue. Not only does less competition among advertisers for ad placements mean lower CPMs, but with fewer active campaigns, there is more ad inventory available, driving down prices further. It’s the perfect storm. 

How To Capitalize on the Slower Season

Proactive steps can be taken in January to maximize revenue in the short-term, while also laying the groundwork for stronger performance in later months of the year. 

Plan Ahead

Every January, publishers express concerns over the drop, but this decline is both predictable and manageable. As you build out annual revenue projections, budgeting for this drop ensures you are prepared and that will mitigate any panic that this revenue decrease brings.

Optimize For Seasonal Content

If applicable to your brand, publish content that aligns with popular January topics like fitness, health, budgeting, organization, and goal-setting. These topics attract advertisers focused on New Year’s resolutions. If more so reliant on trending content, use January to create or update evergreen content that can generate consistent traffic throughout the year.

Invest in the Long-term

With the stress of Q4 behind us, January can be used for those much needed A/B tests. Test article headlines, content formats, or layouts to improve user engagement and conversion rates. If you aren’t yet capitalizing on the growing amount of digital video spend, test the video player in Q1. Early adoption gives you plenty of time to optimize the experience and maximize revenue potential well ahead of Q4 2025. According to Google, “Video ads are on average earning 8.9x higher CPMs compared to standard banner ad CPMs on Ad Exchange.”

Diversify Revenue Streams

As in most cases, diversification is key. Our core competency may be ad monetization but we regularly consult publishers on revenue opportunities outside of that.   

  • Data monetization
  • Subscription models
  • Content licensing 
  • Affiliate marketing
  • E-commerce 
  • Sponsored partnerships

Improve the UX

Some of the most common issues preventing publishers from brand growth are outdated website designs, unintuitive site navigation and confusing  taxonomies. Newer companies with more modern design and friendlier UX are beating legacy sites who didn’t make the necessary changes. With lower traffic and slower pace, offers an ideal low-risk window to make these changes. Enhancing the website’s design and functionality now not only improves user experience but also positions your brand to compete more effectively down the year. 

Direct Sales Strategy

Start building direct relationships with relevant advertisers in your space. You don’t need to hire an expensive sales team, but you can reach out to these advertisers to evangelize your website and inventory.  

Update your media kit, create customized ad packages that align with annual tentpole events, assign pricing to ad units, and find ways to offer interesting things to advertisers. At Freestar, we follow the same pattern. We leverage our SSP and DSP relationships to ensure that our publishers are well represented in the private marketplace, PG and other premium environments. Annual revenue to our publishers from deal-based IDs and curated audiences is up over 50%We also work directly with brands and agencies, evangelizing segments of high-quality inventory for relevant direct sales campaigns.  

Focus On Audience Engagement

As we move into 2025 and beyond, audience success metrics are shifting to prioritize engagement, loyalty, and authentication. Metrics like total pageviews and sessions, once the gold standard, no longer tell the full story. Instead, deeper signals – such as engaged users, repeat visitors, and authenticated traffic – paint a more accurate picture of brand value and monetization potential.

Offer unique and customized ways for your audience to connect with you and with each other. 

  • Leverage short-form video: Create engaging short-form videos that are shareable and captivating. 
  • Optimize your Newsletter: Strengthen your newsletter strategy by offering customized content options, ensuring readers receive the information that is targeted and more relevant to them.
  • Build community spaces: Foster community through social media or forums to encourage audience interaction and connections.

Shake Up the Ad Strategy

Just like everything else in your business, the ad strategy should be looked at again each year to avoid growing stagnant. At Freestar, we pride ourselves on white-glove service and the strategic partnership we provide. We bring new ideas for ad layout, ad products and optimizations to our publishers throughout the year.   

The amount of ad units per page doesn’t have to be the same year round. If you typically run a conservative layout, you can afford increasing in January. You can also be strategic about where you increase the amount of units. Instead of across the whole site, you can temporarily add units to a segmented group of top content performers.

Hang In There!

We understand the frustrations of low CPMs! The January drop occurs every year, across every ad network and provider. If you plan in advance, and use this month to complete some outstanding dev tasks or UX improvements, the labors of January can result in even more revenue in later months of the year.

The post Why January is a Chill Month for Publisher Ad Revenue: Seasonal Trends Explained first appeared on Freestar.

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5 Key Takeaways from the Publisher Predictions Webinar: Traffic, Monetization, and Market Trends https://freestar.com/5-key-takeaways-from-the-publisher-predictions-webinar-traffic-monetization-and-market-trends/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=5-key-takeaways-from-the-publisher-predictions-webinar-traffic-monetization-and-market-trends Thu, 05 Dec 2024 20:07:29 +0000 https://freestar.com/?p=17452

Our latest webinar of the Publisher Predictions was an insightful deep dive into the most pressing issues and opportunities shaping the publishing and adtech landscape. From decoding audience engagement to navigating the complexities of SSP consolidation, the session offered actionable strategies for publishers aiming to thrive in a dynamic market. If you missed it, here are the top takeaways you need to know:

1. Building Smarter Traffic Strategies with Identity Graphs and Audience Segmentation

Publishers are leveraging identity graphs to unlock deeper insights into their audience profiles, creating a bridge between anonymized data and identifiable user attributes. This enables more precise audience segmentation, allowing publishers to tailor content and advertising for higher engagement and ROI. SSO (Single Sign-On) has emerged as a pivotal tool for integrating these insights, ensuring a seamless user experience while safeguarding privacy.

Pro Tip from our experts: Use your content as a testing ground to refine audience segments – track what resonates and iterate to drive higher traffic quality. Look into data to drive your content strategy.

2. Video Monetization: Filling the Gaps with a Mobile-First Approach

Video continues to dominate the ad revenue conversations in 2024 and well into 2025, but it’s no longer enough to prioritize desktop placements. Mobile-first video monetization strategies are essential, especially as mobile traffic accounts for a growing share of publisher audiences, especially when targeting the younger mobile-first demographic. Publishers can improve fill rates and monetize short-form content by optimizing video placements and format, particularly on social platforms.

Pro Tip from our experts: Experiment with vertical and immersive video formats to capture mobile users’ attention in competitive feeds.

3. Monetization Diversification: The Power of Curation and Omnichannel SSPs

Publishers are strategically curating ad inventory and packaging premium placements to attract higher bids. By partnering with omnichannel SSPs, they’re diversifying programmatic ad spend across channels like video, display, and CTV, reducing reliance on any single ad type or buyer. Supply path optimization (SPO) is critical in creating transparency and efficiency for buyers, translating to stronger revenue for publishers.

Pro Tip from our experts:  Regularly assess the performance of your SSP partners to ensure you’re maximizing omnichannel demand, being agile and adaptive.

4. The AI Evolution: Tracking User Behavior to Inform Strategy

AI/ML continues to transform how publishers understand and predict user behavior. Predictive algorithms enable content teams to anticipate trends and tailor experiences in real time, while monetization teams use AI to fine-tune programmatic auction strategies. However, successful implementation requires a balance of automation and human oversight to maintain brand integrity and user trust.

Pro Tip from our experts: Use AI to enhance first-party data insights but ensure editorial teams retain control over content narratives, thus maintaining competitive advantage regarding content refresh and contextual targeting. 

5. SSP Consolidation: What It Means for Publishers

The ongoing consolidation of the SSP market is reshaping the adtech ecosystem. Publishers should proactively evaluate their SSP partnerships and diversify their demand sources to mitigate potential vulnerabilities.

Pro Tip from our experts: Look for SSP partners that align with your business model, offering transparency, innovation, and consistent support.

Connect with our Speakers:

Kurt Donnell
CEO

Heather Carver
CRO

Lindsay Valdez
VP, Audience Strategy

Jamie Murphy
VP, Product

The post 5 Key Takeaways from the Publisher Predictions Webinar: Traffic, Monetization, and Market Trends first appeared on Freestar.

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The Current State of Publisher Website Traffic and How to Avoid Algorithm Penalties https://freestar.com/site-issues-that-could-lead-to-google-penalties/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=site-issues-that-could-lead-to-google-penalties Fri, 16 Aug 2024 19:54:39 +0000 https://freestar.com/?p=17321

As a publisher, staying ahead of Google’s algorithm updates can feel like an uphill battle. However, significant traffic drops, especially since the September 2023 Helpful Content Update, have made this more challenging than ever. At Freestar, we are committed to helping publishers avoid penalties and regain lost traffic—leading to more revenue opportunities.

While traffic declines across all sources have been a concern, the most painful drop has been in organic search traffic. Since September 2023, Google has released nine algorithm updates, and another just launched last week. These changes, combined with the rise of AI-generated search results, have caused 80% of publishers to report drops in search traffic in 2023. The key to recovery—and ultimately to driving revenue—lies in staying compliant with Google’s guidelines and optimizing your site for both users and search engines.

Despite these challenges, there is cautious optimism among publishers. According to a recent survey, just over 90% of publishers expect some rebound in traffic in the coming months, driven partly by major events like the Olympics and political elections. There’s also hope that Google will allow recovery for sites that have addressed the issues for which they were penalized.

However, unless the penalty is manual, Google typically provides no specific information as to why a site may have been penalized. That’s why it’s crucial to understand common reasons websites might be hit by an algorithm update, all of which relate to practices that violate Google’s Search Essentials. By focusing on high-quality content, strategic internal linking, and staying ahead of emerging trends, publishers can navigate these updates and position themselves for recovery.

Dive deeper into how websites might be penalized and how to avoid these pitfalls so you can focus on growing your audience and improving your revenue.

 

1. Low-Quality Content

One of the most common issues we see from publishers claiming a penalty is low-quality content. At Freestar, we spend more time working on content strategy than on traditional SEO or even technical SEO. The fastest site in the world won’t matter if the content is subpar. Low-quality content can manifest in several ways:

  • Thin Content: This doesn’t just mean short content; it refers to content that’s unsubstantial or not helpful to users. Any article that doesn’t thoroughly deliver on the promise of the headline could be considered thin content. This includes low-quality auto-generated content, scraped content, or rephrased content that’s essentially copied.
  • Duplicate Content: If your site has identical or very similar content across multiple pages or domains, this can lead to a thin content penalty.
  • Affiliate Content: Google has released several algorithm updates targeting low-quality affiliate content and unsatisfactory product reviews. Make sure to follow best practices when writing review content.

Content length isn’t a definitive quality indicator, however, if you’re unsure, spot-check the top results in Google to see what users are expecting. If your website has thin or outdated low-quality content, consider doing a content audit and updating or noindexing that content.

 

2. Unnatural Links

Natural backlinks are one of the most heavily weighted ranking signals used by Google today, but acquiring links through manipulative practices can get you penalized as they pose a threat to the website’s visibility.

  • Buying Links: Buying or selling links to manipulate rankings can lead to penalties. Google may identify purchased links when they appear on unrelated websites, although not all paid backlinks fall into this category. For example, links in press releases or guest posts on other websites might not be penalized.
  • Low-Quality Backlinks: Having too many links from low-quality or spammy sites can harm your website’s ranking. If you’ve been hit with an unnatural link penalty, finding the source of the bad links can be tedious. Google offers the disavow tool within your Google Search Console (GSC)to request certain links be ignored, though it doesn’t recommend using it in most cases.

 

3. User Experience (UX) Issues

User experience plays a crucial role in SEO rankings, search, and visibility Here are some common UX-related issues that can negatively impact your site:

  • Slow Page Load Times: Slow-loading pages provide a poor user experience, causing visitors to bounce even before the page loads.. As an ad tech company, we understand how ad code can affect load times, but publishers should focus on optimizations that don’t sacrifice revenue, such as optimizing images or improving server performance and measuring key metrics such as the exit and the drop-off rates through GA4
  • Poor Mobile Usability: Most Google searches occur on mobile devices, so optimizing your site for mobile is essential. Websites that aren’t mobile-friendly may suffer in rankings, especially after Google’s switch to mobile-first indexing in 2020.
  • User-Generated Spam: While user-generated content can be valuable, as we’ve seen with the rise of Reddit, spammy content from users can result in a loss of traffic. It’s essential to understand, monitor, and moderate user contributions to maintain quality.

 

4. Technical Issues

Most technical penalties are related to malicious practices. Although they’re less common today, here are some key issues to watch for:

  • Cloaking: Cloaking involves showing one version of a page to search engines while showing a different version to users. This practice violates Google’s guidelines.
  • Hidden Text or Links: Examples include keyword-stuffed text hidden in a white background or excessive optimized links in a footer.
  • Hacking: If your site is hacked and starts distributing malware or spam, contact your hosting company immediately. Google targets these issues in spam-related algorithm updates.
  • Sneaky Redirects: When users click a link and are redirected to a different URL without their knowledge, this is known as a sneaky redirect and should be avoided.
  • Copyrighted Material: Publishing unauthorized content that infringes on someone else’s intellectual property not only breaks copyright laws but also violates Google’s search guidelines and ad policies. Ensure all content on your site is original or properly licensed.

 

5. Over-Optimization

Similar to spam signals, over-optimization can trigger penalties. Here’s how to avoid common pitfalls:

  • Exact Match Anchor Text: Overusing exact match keywords in anchor text can be seen as manipulative. Strive for natural phrasing in links, prioritizing user experience over keyword stuffing.
  • Excessive Internal Linking: Internal linking is important for site structure, but overdoing it with too many links, especially to the same keywords or pages, can be seen as an attempt to manipulate search rankings.
  • Overuse of Structured Data Markup: While implementing structured data is valuable, abusing schema markup to create misleading rich snippets can result in penalties.
  • Heavily Optimized Navigation: Keep your main navigation simple and focused on your most important or pillar pages. Avoid adding extra keywords to target SEO phrases.

Consequences of over-optimization can lead to both manual and algorithmic penalties which ultimately lead to loss of trust in users thus damaging brand identity.

 

Looking Ahead

The August 2024 core update aims to address feedback from publishers regarding the significant changes in search engine results pages (SERPs) over the past year. Staying compliant with Google’s guidelines, focusing on valuable content, and delivering a positive user experience is crucial to avoiding penalties and safeguarding your revenue stream.

At Freestar, we’ve witnessed a significant rise in the number of publishers struggling with the effects of Google’s algorithm changes over the past year. We understand how these penalties and traffic declines can hit your bottom line hard. That’s why we’re dedicated to helping you navigate these challenges, recover lost traffic, and unlock your full revenue potential.

Don’t let Google Algorithm updates hold you back. Contact us today!

 


To gain further insights and strategies for managing publisher traffic and maximizing revenue, watch our recorded webinar, The Truth About Publisher Traffic

The post The Current State of Publisher Website Traffic and How to Avoid Algorithm Penalties first appeared on Freestar.

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5 Ways Publishers Can Maximize Ad Revenue This Political Season https://freestar.com/5-ways-publishers-can-maximize-ad-revenue-this-political-season/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=5-ways-publishers-can-maximize-ad-revenue-this-political-season Thu, 15 Feb 2024 19:51:16 +0000 https://freestar.com/?p=17129 November 5th may be the Super Bowl of the Election, but the election season starts long before then. Super Tuesday, a day on which a dozen-plus states will hold their primaries, is March 5th. By the end of March, more than 50% of delegate-related events will have taken place. And then it’s off to the races for the nearly $13 billion projected ad spend towards the 2024 presidential election. That budget spans across broadcast, cable, streaming, and digital platforms.

When it comes to the digital media’s share of that spend, there are strategies to consider that can significantly impact a publisher’s piece of the pie.

Ad Revenue Strategies For Election Years

1. Reconsider Block Lists:

Publishers can reconsider their block lists. This year, there will be a surge in advertising demand as political candidates and organizations allocate substantial budgets for campaigning. In order for publishers to capitalize on any of this increased demand, they must first take a look at their blocklists.

At Freestar, we offer several options for blocklists. In both our default and standard blocklists, political ads remain unblocked. Because of this, we implement strict guidelines to ensure brand safety and detect misinformation or manipulative creatives so publishers can reap the revenue benefits while keeping UX at the forefront.

Regardless of the extra measures around safety, we recommend providing a way for users to flag inappropriate ads. This makes users feel heard and allows them to take immediate action to remove while providing important insights that allow publishers to optimize ad choices.

2. Expand Ad Layouts:

Websites with conservative ad layouts can add units and formats. With all the added demand, increasing the number of impressions you have to sell helps too! If you’re currently on the conservative side of ad quantity, and particularly if you’re not running video format, making these two optimizations during an election year can turn up meaningful revenue.

We always aim for audience (and a positive UX!) over ad revenue, but brushing right up against that tipping point is a perfect place to be with all this extra ad spend. Many of the world’s largest publishers use this strategy during key times of seasonality.

3. Create content relevant to key election dates and events:

Editorial direction can play a big part in the revenue made from an election year. With third-party cookie loss, contextual signals will be a key targeting strategy for many political campaigns. Depending on your content vertical, get creative with articles angled towards the election. News sites, like Reuters and Al Jazeera, lead the trending content creation surrounding the political landscape, but most niches can find a way to speak to a relevant political narrative. Consider content types outside of trending news, like evergreen explainers, DIYs, and op-eds.

Then, publish this content around the time of key races and events that will likely attract significant advertising attention.

4. Offer Political Ad Packages:

For publishers selling direct, create political ad packages. If direct sales are part of your ad strategy, it’s always a good idea to develop specialized ad packages tailored for themes, in this case, for political advertisers. These packages can include various ad formats, placements, and targeting options.

Create a mixture of fully dedicated sponsored posts, homepage takeovers, video impressions, and banners to give the advertiser variety in reaching their target audience.

5. Optimize for Viewability:

One metric that continues to be mentioned in almost every political campaign is ad viewability. Viewability refers to how visible the ads are to users on the publisher’s website. Optimize your site to highlight premium ad placements with increased visibility, such as homepage takeovers or exclusive sponsorships. Make sure units in the sidebar are sticky, and double-check that no ads overlap.

By implementing these strategies, publishers can position themselves to capture a significant share of the increased ad spending during political seasons and maximize their overall revenue. If you’re currently partnering with Freestar and want to optimize for maximum revenue during the 2024 presidential election, reach out to your customer success manager today! And if you are not currently a partner with us, feel free to reach out to info@freestar.com to get started.

 

The post 5 Ways Publishers Can Maximize Ad Revenue This Political Season first appeared on Freestar.

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Revolutionizing Ad Optimization: Freestar’s Dynamic Ad Stack https://freestar.com/revolutionizing-ad-optimization-freestars-dynamic-ad-stack/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=revolutionizing-ad-optimization-freestars-dynamic-ad-stack Tue, 06 Feb 2024 20:34:26 +0000 https://freestar.com/?p=17126

The Challenge of Ad Stack Optimization

In the fast-paced world of digital advertising, optimizing ad stacks has long been a cumbersome and recurring challenge for publishers. The manual efforts involved in adjusting bidder configurations, managing timeouts, setting floor prices, and adapting to market dynamics have often consumed valuable time and resources. As the industry evolves, the need for a dynamic solution becomes increasingly apparent. Enter Freestar’s game-changing innovation – the Dynamic Ad Stack.

What is Dynamic Ad Stack?

Freestar’s Dynamic Ad Stack (DAS) redefines ad optimization by leveraging the power of machine learning to personalize every ad request. Unlike traditional static ad configurations, DAS constantly learns and adapts to market dynamics, ensuring optimal performance and revenue maximization.

So how does it work? DAS operates by using a percentage of the traffic to conduct ongoing experiments. The data gleaned from these experiments is then used to optimize the remaining traffic, setting the configuration dynamically based on, amongst other factors, geo and device type.

 

The ‘Dynamic’ in Dynamic Ad Stack

DAS earns its ‘dynamic’ title by optimizing several key elements in the ad configuration on a publisher’s website based on a range of factors. This results in an ever-changing configuration.

Freestar also continues to invest in DAS, so the feature set is also dynamic – there is a full roadmap of upgrades planned for 2024 and beyond. At the time of writing, DAS optimizes the following elements:

  • Bidder stack: Identifying the optimal set of bidders for each auction to maximize revenue.
  • Bidder timeouts: Reducing timeouts dynamically without compromising demand, resulting in faster auctions and improved page speed.
  • Client vs Server: Dynamically updating bidders to determine the best combination of client-side and server-side setups for each publisher, considering factors like speed and total number of bidders.
  • Floor price: Setting a minimum CPM per auction to maximize revenue per ad request

DAS optimizes per site and ad unit and time of day. Some of the additional factors used to make the optimization decision are:

  • Geo: Where the user is in the world.
  • Device type: Whether the user is on a mobile device, desktop or tablet and what browser they are using.
  • User’s network speed: Different configurations, especially whether bidders are run client or server side, can be influenced heavily by the user’s speed of connection.

Why Publishers Need Dynamic Ad Stack

Real-Time Ad Request Optimization

DAS excels in real-time ad request optimization. This capability ensures that publishers consistently deliver the most relevant and lucrative ads to their audience.

Fine-tuning Demand Partners

One of the standout features of DAS is its ability to fine-tune demand partners dynamically. By analyzing performance metrics, DAS optimizes the selection of demand partners for each auction, maximizing revenue and ensuring a competitive edge for publishers.

Page Loading Speed Optimization

In an era where user experience is paramount, DAS focuses on optimizing page loading speed. By dynamically adjusting bidder configurations and reducing timeouts, DAS enhances the efficiency of the auction process, resulting in faster page load times and a more satisfying user experience.

Increased Ad Revenue

Ultimately, the primary goal of DAS is to increase ad revenue for publishers. The dynamic optimization of bidder configurations, coupled with real-time adjustments, contributes to consistently higher revenue generation, making DAS an invaluable tool for publishers seeking to maximize their monetization potential.

Future-Proofing with Dynamic Ad Stack

Navigating Privacy Laws

As privacy laws evolve and the industry adapts to the post-third-party cookies era, DAS remains a future-proof solution. By relying on machine learning and real-time adjustments, DAS ensures publishers can navigate the changing landscape of privacy regulations seamlessly.

The Technology Behind Dynamic Ad Stack

Leveraging AI and Machine Learning

At the core of DAS’s success is its reliance on artificial intelligence and machine learning. These technologies enable DAS to continuously predict the best ad stack setup, learning from historical performance and experiment data to optimize auction outcomes.

Big Data and Cloud Computing

Underpinning the DAS AI and ML components is an enormous amount of data. By exploiting the big data capabilities of a 100% cloud computing environment, DAS ensures that it is always adapting to the latest market trends, providing publishers with a cutting-edge solution for ad optimization.

Dynamic Ad Stack: A Game-Changer in Ad Optimization

Freestar’s Dynamic Ad Stack revolutionizes ad optimization by transforming it from a time-consuming manual task into a dynamic, AI-powered solution. By constantly learning, adapting, and optimizing, DAS ensures that publishers can stay ahead of the curve in the ever-evolving landscape of digital advertising. As the industry faces new challenges, DAS stands out as a beacon of innovation, offering publishers a powerful tool to maximize revenue whilst still providing a great user experience. Embrace the future of ad optimization with Freestar’s Dynamic Ad Stack.

The post Revolutionizing Ad Optimization: Freestar’s Dynamic Ad Stack first appeared on Freestar.

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Video Advertising Techniques Publishers Should be Using To Monetize Their Website https://freestar.com/video-advertising-techniques-publishers-should-be-using-to-monetize-their-website/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=video-advertising-techniques-publishers-should-be-using-to-monetize-their-website Thu, 05 Oct 2023 16:31:37 +0000 https://freestar.com/?p=16985

Video Advertising Techniques Publishers Should be Using To Monetize Their Website

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital advertising, video monetization has emerged as a powerful tool for publishers looking to increase their revenue streams. As internet users continue to consume video content at a staggering pace, it’s essential for publishers to tap into the potential of video advertising. In this blog post, we’ll explore some effective video advertising techniques that publishers should be using to monetize their websites or apps successfully.

In-Stream Video Ads

In-stream video ads are short video clips that play before, during, or after the main video content. Publishers can monetize their video content by incorporating in-stream ads. These can be further categorized into:

  • Pre-Roll Ads: These ads play before the main video and are typically 15 to 30 seconds long. They’re a popular choice because of their high visibility.
  • Mid-Roll Ads: These ads appear during the video, often at natural breaks in the content. They are less intrusive than pre-rolls and can lead to higher engagement.
  • Post-Roll Ads: These ads play after the main video content has concluded. While they may have lower viewership, they can still be effective if the content is engaging enough to retain the audience.

Out-Stream Video Ads

Out-stream video ads, also known as native video ads, are standalone video units that appear within non-video content, such as articles or social media feeds. These ads are less intrusive and can be a great option for publishers who want to monetize without relying solely on video content.

Interactive Video Ads

Interactive video ads are designed to engage users actively. They often include interactive elements like polls, quizzes, or clickable links within the video. These ads can boost user engagement and increase ad revenue.

Video Header Bidding

Video header bidding is a programmatic advertising technique that allows publishers to auction their video ad inventory to multiple demand sources simultaneously. This increases competition among advertisers and can lead to higher CPMs (Cost Per Mille) for publishers.

Video Ad Personalization

Personalization is a key trend in digital advertising. By leveraging user data and AI-driven algorithms, publishers can serve video ads that are highly relevant to individual users. This not only improves user experience but also boosts ad revenue through increased engagement and click-through rates.

Mobile Optimization

As mobile device usage continues to rise, it’s crucial for publishers to optimize their video ads for mobile viewing. This includes ensuring that video ads are responsive and load quickly on mobile devices.

Ad Placement and Frequency

Careful consideration of ad placement and frequency is essential. Publishers should strike a balance between monetization and user experience. Too many ads or poorly placed ads can drive users away, while a well-placed, well-timed ad can enhance the overall viewing experience.

Quality Content Production

Finally, quality content production cannot be overlooked. High-quality video content is more likely to attract advertisers willing to pay a premium for ad placements. Publishers should invest in creating compelling and engaging video content that appeals to their target audience.

In conclusion, video advertising presents a significant opportunity for publishers to monetize their websites or apps effectively. By incorporating in-stream and out-stream ads, embracing interactivity, optimizing for mobile, and personalizing content, publishers can tap into the full potential of video advertising. Additionally, utilizing programmatic techniques like video header bidding and striking the right balance with ad placement and frequency will contribute to a successful video monetization strategy. Ultimately, the key to successful video advertising for publishers lies in delivering engaging content while maximizing revenue potential.

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Understanding MFA Websites and How to Respond When Flagged https://freestar.com/made-for-advertising-what-to-do/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=made-for-advertising-what-to-do Wed, 13 Sep 2023 20:33:34 +0000 https://freestar.com/?p=16915 Earlier this year, the Association of National Advertisers released a report revealing that MFA websites account for 15% of all annual ad impressions. This translates to approximately $13 billion wasted on media campaigns running on platforms designed solely for advertising purposes.

While the existence of these substandard MFA websites is nothing new, recent developments, including the growing demand for transparency on the buy-side and sell-side, the misuse of AI-powered content creation tools, and Supply Path Optimization (SPO) efforts, have intensified the scrutiny on MFA sites. Regrettably, these websites have thrived for years with minimal resistance, eroding trust within the digital advertising ecosystem.

Traditionally, the battle against MFA websites primarily concerned the demand side. However, Supply-Side Platforms (SSPs) like Index Exchange, Magnite, Sharethrough, and PubMatic have also initiated measures against MFA websites. Before delving deeper, it is crucial to comprehend the nature of these sites and why publishers should be concerned about their presence.

What Constitutes MFA Websites?

If you are connected to the ad tech industry, the term MFA (made-for-advertising) likely rings familiar. MFA websites are platforms that employ unethical tactics to generate traffic and deceive users into viewing excessive ad impressions. While the degree of obnoxiousness may vary, they typically share common characteristics, including:

  • An excessive number of ads per page, significantly impairing user experience.
  • Low-quality, derivative content, often scraped from external sources.
  • Frequently image-centric, with minimal static text content.
  • Deceptive navigation designed to encourage users to view more ads.

Why Should Publishers Be Concerned?

At first glance, the crackdown on MFA websites appears to be positive news. Most users express their aversion to spam-filled, clickbait-ridden content profiting from unsuspecting advertisers who believe their creative campaigns are reaching engaged audiences.

However, the situation is more intricate than it seems. As a programmatic ad monetization vendor, Freestar occupies a pivotal position between SSPs, DSPs, and publishers. Because of this, we receive alerts when spending on any of the sites we monetize is obstructed.

1. Identifying MFA websites may appear straightforward based on the aforementioned definition, but industry-wide standards are not universally established.

Recently, certain sites on the restricted spending list have left us perplexed. It is not always as clear as one might anticipate. As mentioned earlier, the extent of MFA practices varies, and some flagged publishers do not consider themselves to be employing any of the tactics outlined.

2. The stringency in identifying, exposing, and curtailing these websites is steadily increasing.

Hence, it is crucial to enhance content quality now, adhere to industry guidelines, and avert the revenue loss associated with being labeled as a made-for-advertising website.

What to Do When Flagged for MFA

In most instances, a reconsideration may be granted if substantial improvements are made to enhance website quality and reduce excessive advertising. The changes required for a site to shed its MFA classification are neither simple nor likely to yield immediate revenue gains. By adhering to the following recommendations, your chances of a second opportunity increase significantly:

  • Limit the number of ads per page to a maximum of 3-5. An excessive volume of ads on a page is the primary criterion for categorizing a site as MFA. Common problematic ad layouts include pop-ups, pop-unders, stacked ads, multiple auto-playing video players, and ads obstructing content.

  • Enhance content quality by either removing specific pages or applying a no-index tag to the following infractions:
    • Clickbait headlines.
    • Gossip or false information.
    • Content devoid of purpose.
    • Unhelpful content.
    • Short or inadequate content.
    • AI-generated content.
    • Non-unique content.
  • Remove infinite scroll or extreme pagination from your content presentation options.
  • Implement a comprehensive site navigation structure that encompasses primary content themes. Identify authentic audience-engaging content through analytics, such as organic social reach, organic search traction, Pinterest pageviews, and Reddit discussions, excluding content driven primarily by paid media efforts.

  • Familiarize yourself with Google Search Essentials and adhere to recommended best practices.

    • Create helpful, reliable, user-focused content.
    • Incorporate relevant keywords in prominent page locations, including titles, headings, alt text, and link text.
    • Ensure your links are crawlable to facilitate Google’s exploration of other pages on your site via these links.
    • Promote your website within communities where you can engage with like-minded individuals regarding your products and services.
    • Adhere to specific best practices for various content types, such as imagesvideosstructured data, and JavaScript, to ensure user comprehension.
    • Enhance your website’s visibility on Google Search by enabling features that align with your site’s objectives.
    • If there are specific content elements that should not appear in search results or if you wish to opt-out entirely, employ the appropriate method to control how your content appears in Google Search.

We recognize the challenge of transitioning away from lucrative revenue sources. However, for the long-term prosperity of your business, these changes are invaluable. For further information on MFA websites, Freestar is delighted to be your resource. Contact us today to engage with an expert.

The post Understanding MFA Websites and How to Respond When Flagged first appeared on Freestar.

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