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Certification: A Catalyst for Growth

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are increasingly driving decisions in the advertising industry, with many brands and agencies committed to investing in diverse-owned media. Official certification through Sertify helps publishers stand out by providing advertisers with the confidence that their dollars are being spent with verified diverse media outlets. This validation removes potential barriers and creates opportunities for publishers to secure meaningful partnerships with advertisers prioritizing DEI-focused spending.

How Sertify Supports Publishers

Sertify’s streamlined process provides publishers with an efficient pathway to official accreditation. Here’s what the process includes:

• Ownership Verification: A thorough review is conducted to confirm that publishers meet diverse business ownership criteria.
• Enhanced Credibility: Certification builds trust with advertisers seeking to meet DEI objectives.
• Access to Opportunities: Accredited publishers are well-positioned to secure high-value campaigns and increase their visibility in the marketplace.

Getting Started with Sertify

Freestar publishers can now begin the certification process through Sertify here. It takes only 5-10 minutes at no cost to them. For those who have already self-identified as diverse-owned, this next step ensures they maximize their competitive edge and remain attractive to advertisers with DEI goals. 

Looking Ahead

This collaboration with Sertify represents a shared commitment to fostering inclusivity and innovation in the advertising industry. By empowering publishers with the tools they need to succeed, we’re building a future where diverse voices are amplified and supported. Together, we’re unlocking new possibilities and driving meaningful progress for publishers and advertisers alike.

Contact us today to learn more or click here to get Sertify within minutes compliments of Freestar.

About Sertify

Sertify is dedicated to advancing equity in media by providing a straightforward and reliable accreditation process for diverse publishers and influencers. Their mission is to empower publishers, build trust with advertisers, and create a more inclusive digital ecosystem.

The post Introducing Sertify: A New Partnership to Empower Diverse Publishers first appeared on Freestar.

This year, Freestar turns 10! Reflecting on the past decade, it’s incredible to see how much the industry has evolved—innovations we couldn’t have imagined then are now the norm. We’ve continually adapted our product offerings and pitch, staying agile and ahead of industry shifts. The digital ad ecosystem is a complex, ever-changing landscape, and we’ve embraced the need to evolve alongside it.

“Our early adopters are teams and companies whose commitment to quality is baked into their ethos, and our partnership with Freestar is a great example of that. They take their responsibility as a top web publisher seriously, and their dedication to doing right by publishers and buyers is evident in every conversation we have.”
— Rocky Moss, Co-Founder, Deepsee

Over the past decade, we’ve grown significantly! By partnering with innovative companies like Deepsee, Jounce, HUMAN, and others, we confidently stand by the quality of the websites we monetize and the inventory we sell.

How We’re Using Deepsee

Supply Quality
Inventory quality standards have evolved significantly to keep up with technology, consumer behavior, advertiser demands, and the need for accountability. Publishers must meet our guidelines before joining our network, and now, Deepsee allows us to run monthly scans to ensure ongoing compliance with these standards.

Transparency
Transparency is the foundation of trust and efficiency in our industry, benefiting advertisers, publishers, technology providers, and consumers alike. Deepsee scans check for essentials like ads.txt files, legal compliance (privacy policies, CMP banners), and other critical elements to uphold trust.

Advertising
At Freestar, we prioritize partnerships with DSPs, SSPs, brands, and agencies. By maintaining robust internal guidelines aligned with industry standards, we ensure seamless collaboration while delivering exceptional monetization performance. Deepsee incorporates signals related to ad-industry expectations, such as frequency, positioning, and quantity of ads.

Notably, Deepsee recently added UI functionality for monitoring refresh rates at the site level, and we adhere to the standard 30-second refresh rate.

Brand Suitability
As revenue from PMP, PG, and direct deals grows, so does our focus on advertiser concerns. Deepsee scans for sensitive issues like adult-oriented content, pirated material, made-for-advertising signals, and more, ensuring brand-safe inventory.

Audience Development
Freestar’s audience development services are a key differentiator. Alongside our in-house traffic experts and partnerships, Deepsee enhances SEO and audience growth strategies with powerful signals. These include page speed metrics, content quality analysis (e.g., low-quality AI content detection, reading time, author performance), and actionable insights to help publishers refine their strategies and boost engagement.

Partnerships That Matter

As we look ahead to Freestar’s next decade, we are energized by the strength of our industry partnerships. Deepsee’s cutting-edge technology and actionable insights empower us with greater efficiency and strategic direction, enabling us to deliver unparalleled service to our publishers. Together, these partnerships drive meaningful innovation and reinforce our commitment to industry leadership—proving that true progress comes from partnerships that matter.

The post How Partners Like Deepsee (and Others!) Have Helped Pave the Way for Freestar’s Next Era first appeared on Freestar.

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.

We are thrilled to introduce the newest member of the C-Suite at Freestar– Minnie, our Chief Comfort Officer (CCO). 

Minnie brings 6 months of experience and unwavering joy to this paw-sition. Minnie was rescued from an Atlanta, Georgia area breeder that was shut down after more than 50 Pomeranians were discovered in deplorable conditions. Minnie was born with microphthalmia and has been blind since birth.

Minnie may have been born blind, but she has yet to realize it. This sweet girl is fearless and can run across her backyard to one of her siblings as if she is fully-sighted. Minnie also has a keen sense for human emotions, and responds with the appropriate levels of comfort and love at all times. 

Minnie is incredibly loving and wants nothing more than to be held in her mom’s arms and showering her with kisses, or cuddling in a pet bed with her sister, Chloe. Everyone who meets her instantly falls in love and she has never met a stranger. Minnie adds humor, joy, and plenty of cuddles into the workday.

Minnie is so grateful for her new life and is so happy to be a part of the team at Freestar.

The post Welcome to the Pack, Minnie– Freestar’s First Chief Comfort Officer! first appeared on Freestar.

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.

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.

AI in Content and Ad Optimization

It’s a critical lever of efficiency and growth for publishers. In 2025, the application of AI will become even more sophisticated, enabling publishers to unlock new revenue streams and improve user experiences across platforms/devices.

Key Use Cases of AI for Publishers:

1. Content Personalization: AI analyzes user behavior to deliver hyper-personalized content, increasing engagement and dwell time which in turn increases user engagement on the website, thus uplifting all engagement metrics without getting penalized and staying compliant.  
2. Ad Targeting: Machine learning algorithms optimize ad placement and formats to maximize yield purely based on user behavior/interaction based on content relevancy.

Granular Audience Segmentation

As the digital landscape becomes increasingly privacy-centric, first-party data is emerging as the key element of successful audience targeting. In 2025, publishers will tend to focus on granular segmentation to better understand their audiences and deliver more tailored advertising solutions and AI in content will drive the results. Discover more on how our ID solutions work and impact your strategies. 

Monetizing Granular Segments

Highly targeted audiences command premium CPMs, particularly in Private Marketplace (PMP) and Programmatic Guaranteed deals. Advertisers value these segments for their potential to drive conversions, making granular audience segmentation a critical monetization tool and drive engagement. 

Freestar’s solutions, powered by advanced data analytics, help publishers unlock the full potential of their first-party data, ensuring maximum yield from targeted ad campaigns. Get in touch with our Audience development teams to understand the full scope. 

The Evolution of Video Inventory and Curated Deals

Video remains one of the most lucrative formats in 2024 and well into 2025 as well. 

• CTV and OTT Growth: Connected TV and over-the-top video platforms will open new revenue channels for publishers. This helps in getting targeted in advertising. 
• Interactive Video Ads: Engaging formats like shoppable ads and polls will enhance user engagement and ROI.

Publishers must diversify their video offerings to meet advertiser demand and optimize ad placements across platforms.

The Value of Strategic Partnerships

In a complex and fragmented ecosystem, the right partners can make or break a publisher’s monetization strategy. 

Why Freestar?

Freestar stands out as a trusted partner for publishers, offering tailored solutions to meet the unique needs of every client. Here’s how we can help:

1. Our advanced algorithms ensure optimal yield across all ad formats.
2. We empower publishers to monetize their audiences responsibly and effectively.
3. With a dedicated team of experts, we provide unparalleled support to ensure success. It’s like experts helping experts. 

As we look ahead to 2025, publishers are poised for both challenges and unprecedented opportunities. At Freestar, we’re committed to helping publishers navigate this ever-changing landscape. Whether through innovative products, actionable insights, or exceptional support, we’re here to empower your growth every step of the way.

What’s next?

Register now for the webinar to know more about all predictions from our experts.

The post Publisher Predictions for 2025: Part 2 first appeared on Freestar.

The Privacy-First Era: Building Trust and Compliance

2025 will solidify the shift toward a privacy-first digital ecosystem, driven by evolving regulations such as GDPR, CCPA, and newer regional policies. As third-party cookies phase out, publishers must adopt strategies that prioritize user privacy while maintaining robust monetization capabilities. Central to this evolution is the implementation of Single Sign-On (SSO).

Why SSO Matters in 2025

SSO solutions offer publishers a powerful way to unify user identities across their platforms. By enabling users to access content with a single set of credentials, SSO not only improves the user experience but also provides publishers with the following advantages:

1. Enhanced Data Collection: SSO allows publishers to collect first-party data more effectively, as users are more likely to share accurate information when accessing personalized content across the website. 
2. Improved Compliance: SSO simplifies consent management, making it easier for publishers to adhere to privacy regulations. This is achieved by consolidating user preferences and permissions in one place and making it easier and transparent for users to know what information is being collected upon entry. 
3. Increased Engagement: Streamlined login processes encourage users to stay longer and explore more content, boosting overall engagement metrics.

Any publisher investing in a robust SSO solution will be better positioned to thrive in a post-cookie world.

Ad Stack Optimization: Header Bidding Revolution

In the advertising world, efficiency and yield optimization are essential. Header bidding has long been a game-changer for publishers, enabling them to maximize ad revenue by allowing multiple demand sources to bid simultaneously. Freestar stands as a pioneer with this header bidding wrapper technology, extending the open source Prebid.js framework. 

Learn more about Freestar’s 4-step approach to performance optimization for memory management. 

The Role of Header Bidding Wrappers

Header bidding wrappers have emerged as a crucial component of a modern ad stack. These tools provide publishers with greater control and transparency over their bidding processes. Key benefits of adopting a header bidding wrapper include:

• Customizability: Wrappers allow publishers to set rules for prioritizing specific demand partners, creating a tailored auction environment.
• Reduced Latency: Conducting a single auction for multiple slots reduces page load times, enhancing the user experience. This directly works with content strategies that will form the core which we will be discussing further in our part 2 in this series. 
• Analytics and Insights: Advanced wrappers offer real-time data on auction performance, empowering publishers to make data-driven decisions.

To learn more about all the predictions, join us on the webinar on December 4th, 2024.

The post Publisher Predictions for 2025: Part 1 first appeared on Freestar.