Key Points

  • There is no limit to how much advertising revenue a website can make.
  • But there are some benchmarks that tell you whether you're making enough for how much website traffic you have.
  • And there are always ways to increase your revenue within the ad space.

Maybe you've just implemented Google AdSense on your website. Maybe you've been pulling in ad revenue for a while but feel unsure that you're making as much as you should. In any case, you're aware that there's potential here - the potential to not just pay the bills but really grow your business through ad revenue.

But how much ad revenue does a website make? In truth, there is no upper limit. However, there are some common traffic benchmarks that can give you an idea of how much ad revenue you could make with more website traffic and whether you're making enough right now. Read on to learn more.

 

 

In general websites earn ad revenue based heavily on their number of monthly page views. Some starter benchmark ranges are:

The Playwire team has gathered this information through years of helping publishers maximize their ad revenue. We know what we're doing, and we can get your revenue where you want it. Contact us to learn more about how we help publishers like you.

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Read The Publishers' Guide to Ad Revenue

Ad Revenue Breakdown by Monthly Page Views

Never let an online ad revenue calculator be the last word on how much ad revenue you, as a website owner, can make. Instead, rely on data gathered by the ad tech industry experts at Playwire. Here's a potential website ad revenue breakdown by monthly page views:

500,000 Page Views

At half a million page views per month, your website is starting to hit the big time, but that may not be paying all the bills. You should be making at least $1,000 per month in website ad revenue at this level, but we have seen the top websites in our ad network make upwards of $5,000 per month at this level.

1 Million Page Views

Things are really heating up at 1 million monthly page views. If you're not pulling in at least $2,500 per month in ad revenue at this level, you are likely doing something wrong. But even that is the very low end for this tier - some Playwire publishers have reached $20,000 per month with 1 million monthly page views.

5 Million Page Views

Anything less than $10,000 per month at 5 million monthly page views is unacceptable. But really, with this much website traffic, you could be pulling in up to $100,000 per month - depending on your niche and various other factors. Still, it's possible - we've helped publishers in our network hit this level.

10 Million Page Views

You're pretty much a household name when you're pulling in 10 million page views every month, and your ad revenue should reflect that. Expect no less than $25,000 per month in ad revenue with this much traffic. But keep in mind that the revenue possibilities are enormous at this phase: Some publishers pull in as much as $250,000 every month with 10 million page views.

20 Million Page Views

The vast majority of publishers will never come close to 20 million page views per month. If you're among the elite few who reach this level, congratulations - you could make as much as $700,000 in ad revenue every month if you're maximizing every available source of ad revenue. At the very least, publishers at this level will bring in $50,000 per month.

40 Million Page Views or More

How does $2 million per month sound? Playwire has seen publishers in our network bring in that much ad revenue once they cross the 40 million monthly page views threshold. Even if you're not working with a partner like Playwire, you should still be making $100,000 per month minimum at this number of page views.

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The Complete Ad Revenue Resource Center

Factors That Affect How Much Ad Revenue a Website Makes

Did you notice the huge ranges in possible ad revenue at the various page view tiers? Those big margins tell us that a ton of factors contribute to your overall ad revenue earning power. Here are some of the most impactful factors that can push you from the bottom of your tier to the top:

Ad Units

Bottom-tier ad revenue numbers are usually associated with basic (borderline boring) website ads. Think display ads such as banner ads, native ads, and basic video ads. There's nothing wrong with these units, but their CPMs are simply way lower than those of premium ad units like rewarded video, flex leaderboards, sticky ads, and the like.

Demand

Every time an ad request isn't filled, you leave money on the table. And even if your fill rate is high, you may have lower CPMs than you should if you haven't sourced enough demand for your inventory.

Whether you're doing programmatic, header bidding, direct sales, or some combination of those, you need to ensure that you have broad demand from multiple sources. Google ad demand is great, but it's not the only source of demand. Incorporate multiple demand sources to get higher ad revenue and CPMs. 

Your Ad Tech Stack

One of the key differences between you and a publisher with the same number of page views who makes more than you is probably your ad tech stack - that is, the suite of tools you have chosen to make your digital advertising efforts work for you.

For example, are you using a data management platform (DMP)? If not, you're missing the opportunity to create extremely valuable audience segments that can command top dollar from major brands.

Who You're Working With

Ad tech is just one of those industries that attract a lot of players with big egos but little in the way of actual skill. If you're working with one of those players to increase your ad revenue, you may not be blown away by the results.

If you're unhappy with your current revenue partner, remember: You're not stuck with them. And making a change could make the difference between bottom-tier ad monetization and top-tier.

Measuring Ad Revenue Metrics

The simple act of knowing what to measure, and being vigilant about measuring it will help in your journey to increasing ad revenue.

Knowing which metrics to monitor, and how frequently to look at them, is the first and foundational step in maximizing your ad revenue. Learn about each of the most important metrics you should be looking at to track ad revenue and alert yourself to future revenue drops (or opportunities for increased revenue), and find out how to dig deeper into each of these metrics to diagnose problems.

Check out our complete guide for more information: How to Manage and Monitor Your Website Ad Revenue Metrics.

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Website Ad Revenue Metrics Pillar

Get More Ad Revenue with Playwire

We covered a lot of shoulds and coulds in this post, but will you do what it takes to increase your ad revenue? If you don't have the time to do yield optimization, premium ad units, direct sales, header bidding, and more, you may need to call in the professionals at Playwire. And we'll be happy to make it happen for you so you can focus all your time on creating high-quality content.

How much ad revenue can a website make? With Playwire, expect the maximum ad earnings. Ready to get started? Reach out to our team online today.

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Additional Website Ad Revenue Content

Browse some of our additional resources about website ad revenue: