Advertising Plugins to Help Monetize a WordPress Website.
Most people who have a website would like to earn some income with their website. It might be from selling products directly from their website or another way is by placing 3rd party ads on the website. Below are a list of WordPress plugins to help manage banner ads, text ads, and affiliate ads.
Income producing ads can be banner ads, which are images generally with links to the 3rd party advertisers’ websites. The ads can be affiliate ads using something like Google AdSense or ClickBank, or a affiliate network company like Commission Junction or LinkShare, who provide HTML code, or you can go direct with a company and get their HTML code. HTML code creates an ad with links to the 3d parties’ websites.
The thing about HTML code is it does not play well with WordPress, unless done a specific way. Many companies have created plugins that hopefully make it easier to understand how to place banner ads and affiliate code. But that is not the only reason to use an advertising plugin, plugins can have various features such as, the ability to rotate the ads, meaning each time a reader comes back to a page they will see different ads, it might have an analysis of the ads, the ads could be hosted off site or on your site, it might be optimized to work well with certain affiliate programs, and so on.
In looking for an advertising plugin to use on my own WordPress website, here is what I learned. Listed below in alphabetical order. Most software add-ons call their free versions “Lite” versions, so I will go along with that. I did not note WP version required, you should check that for yourself for your WP version. Also check for money back guarantees, many plugins do not offer guarantees.
Note: I do not intend to spend hours looking at each plugin to find their features, so I may miss some features if they are not obvious. Also, this is not all ad plugins, for sure, but this was enough for me to look at.
Be sure to read the reviews on the ones that interest you, not just for opinions, the writers often inject useful tips.
But first a little share for you.
How to Insert HTML Ad Affiliate Code Into a WordPress Site
Where and how do you put HTML advertising code in a WordPress website.
Affiliate programs provide HTML code which is to both an ad and a sharing link with your personal affiliate tracking ID embedded in the code. Copy ALL of the HTML code and paste it into your WordPress site in the below described manner.
1) In the content area, use the “TEXT” tab. When you are typing in your content area, look to the top right and you will see two tabs, “Visual” and “Text”. “Visual” is where you see just the words you are typing, like a word-processing program. The “Text” is where you can enter HTML code.
2) In the sidebar, select and use the “TEXT” widget. The widget labeled “Text” will accept HTML code.
3) If you are using a page builder plugin, like SiteOrigin’s Page Builder, then again, use the “Text” widget for the content or sidebar areas.
Also, if there is no image associated with the code, like some ClickBank links, you can just do a text link or place an ad picture and use your affiliate code to link to it. How: In the WP linking popup window paste ONLY the http:// portion of your affiliate code, up to the first “ closing quote mark (do not include the quote marks) and check the box titled “Open link in a new window/tab”.
Some code centers the ad, but if not, while still in the “Text” tab window add center and close center around the code. <center> YouCodeHere </center>
New direction. Ability to share ads from one location.
I have modified my needs to the primary feature of being able to host my affiliate ads in one location and share those ads across multiple sites. (Not WPmultisite WPMU, but multiple independent sites.) This is my new updated first choice list.
My first group of plugin choices before I changed my mind about what I wanted, in alphabetical order. I was initially interested in ad rotation, low cost, and no reoccurring monthly fee to use the plugin. Your needs are surely different than mine, so the second group might have what you need.
Advertising Plugins
Research in progress. Some features listed require Pro version.
Advertising Advanced System – Free Lite. — Pro $29 for one site. — Developer $139.
WP 4.3 Stars – 800 Installs.
Rotate ads. Reports. Single and Block Ads. Popover. Zone Pricing and Placement. CPC, CPM, CPP. Emails for ad renewal. Spam – limits impressions.
Website – Advertising Advanced System
Ad King Pro – Might be Free, don’t see any pricing.
WP 4.1 Stars – 1,000 Installs.
Rotate ads, fading option. Click tracking. Widgets and Shortcode. Image, flash SWF file, Google Ad Sense and plain text. Set ads size to keeping page layout intact. Reports.
Website – Ad King Pro
Ad Injection – Might be Free, don’t see any pricing.
WP 4.2 Stars – 40,000 Installs.
Rotate ads. Google AdSense and Amazon. Widgets and Sidebar. Can restrict by age and IP. Template insertion. Post and pages. Various positions. For advanced users.
Ad Inserter – Might be Free, don’t see any pricing.
WP 4.9 Stars – 10,000 Installs.
Rotate ads. Widgets and Shortcode. Block alignment. Various ad locations available. Rotate ad versions with |rotate|. Post and Pages. AdSense and Amazon ads.
Ads by datafeedr – Might be Free, don’t see any pricing.
4.4 Stars – 7,000 Installs.
Rotate ads. Posts, Pages or Text Widgets. Shortcode. Post, header, sidebar.
Google Adsense, banners, images, text, in-house ads, videos.
Tutorial Videos.
Ads EZ – Free Lite. Limited to Banner ads. — Pro $14.95 HTML code affiliate ads.
WP 3 Stars – 10 Installs.
Rotate ads. Ad categories. Geolocation. Security. Centralize banner ads in one location, use simple short codes or invocation codes to place them on other websites.
Demo
Amazing Ads Manager – Might be Free, don’t see any pricing.
WP 4.5 Stars – 90 Installs.
Rotate ads. Customize by category and CPT (custom post type). Google AdSense. Widgets and Shortcode.
Simple Ads Manager – Might be Free, don’t see any pricing.
WP 3.5 – 20,000 Installs
Rotate ads. Widgets and Shortcode. Display by post, page, category, and more. Ad Zones. Blocks of ads. Scheduling. Reports.
2nd Group
Ad Rotate – Pricing is confusing and in Euros.
WP 3.7 Stars – 50,000 Installs.
Website – Ad Rotate
AdPlugg WordPress Ad Plugin – Free Lite up to 100,000 ads per month. Pro $10 month.
WP 4.8 Stars – 800 Installs.
Rotates ads. Zones. Reports. Sounds like it is a hosting service for ads which are retrieved and placed on WP site with Shortcode.
Website – AdPlugg WordPress Ad Plugin
Ads – Might be Free, don’t see any pricing.
Google AdSense and Bing. Shortcodes. Alignment.
WP 5 Stars – 200 Installs.
AdSanity – Pricing by number of sites: $29 one, $69 three, and $129 unlimited.
WP – ?
Rotate ads. Single and Group ads. Reports. Sidebar widget.
Video
Website – AdSanity
Advanced Ads – Free — Add-ons Bundle per site: $50 single, $75 three, $150 ten.
WP – 4.9 Stars – 6,000 Installs.
Rotate ads. Google AdSense support, other affiliate html code, images. Uses Shortcode. Header, Footer, and Content areas. Also sounds like an ad creator software.
Add-ons: Ad Tracking, Responsive, Sticky, Popup and Layers, Slider.
Website – Advanced Ads
CM Ad Changer – Free Lite. Pro is by Clients: $25 one, $45 five, and on up to $90 for 50.
Bundle Add-on $80. Sounds like this plugin needs a hosting server.
WP 3.7 Stars – 800 Installs.
Rotate ads. Manage ads across multiple sites. Resizes and changes responsive banners. Reports. Shortcode. GeoLocation.
Demo – Tutorials.
Website – CM Ad Changer
WP Ad Center – Pricing by site: $49 single, $79 five, $129 unlimited.
WP – ?
Rotate ads. Widgets and Shortcode. Reports. Ad zones. Advertisers can buy and pay for ads.
Website – WP Ad Center
WP Ad Guru Lite – Free Lite. Pro $50 with one year of updates.
WP 4 Stars – 500 Installs
Rotate ads (Pro version only). Ad Zones. Geo Location. Slider. Popups. Widgets and Shortcode.
Website – WP Ad Guru
WP Bannerize (use new version) – Single site $39 year, other options $15-$19 month.
WP 3.4 Stars – 20,000 Installs.
Website – WP Bannerize – New Version
More Specific Use Ads Managers
Banner Ad Manager Plugins
There are also plugins specific to banner ads, with features like rotating or sizing. Do a plugin search at the WordPress site for “banner ads“.
Banner Ad Managers, also some have payment accepting option so merchants can auto place their own ads.
Advanced Advertising System
Banner Ad Manager – $16 one site.
Banner Manager for WordPress – $20 one site. Rotates, code or image, reports.
Banner Manager Pro
OIO Publisher – $47
WP Pro Advertising System (with additional add-on purchase.)
Google Ads Plugins
Ads EZ Plugin for Google AdSense – Free Lite. — Pro $8.95
WP 3.8 Stars – 2,000 Installs.
Demo
Ads In Post Ads – Might be Free, don’t see any pricing.
WP 5 Stars – 300 Installs
Responsive ads in content area. Alignment.
AJAX Plugin for AdSense – Free Lite — Pro $7.95 (Ad EZ for other options.)
WP 5 Stars – 200 Installs.
Demo
AdSense In-Post Ads – Might be Free, don’t see any pricing.
WP 4.5 – 2,000 Installs
Shortcodes.
AdSense Inserter – Might be Free, don’t see any pricing.
WP 5 – 400 Installs.
Place ads on post and pages with short code.
Google Ads Master – Might be Free, don’t see any pricing.
WP 3.6 Stars – 3,000 Installs.
Google AdSense Plugin – Free.
WP 3.4 Stars – 100,000 Installs.
Official AdSense Plugin, written by Google.
WP Simple Adsense Insertion – Free.
WP 4.5 Stars – 5,000
Website – WP Simple Adsense Insertion
AdSense Click Fraud Monitoring – Control malicious or unintended third party clicks.
WP 4.4 Stars – 10,000 Installs.
Amazon Ads Plugins
Amazon Auto Links – Widget and Shortcode.
WP 4.4 Stars – 5,000 Installs.
Amazon Product Feeder – Might be Free, don’t see any pricing.
WP 3.3 Stars – 700 Installs.
Three demo pages: Demo1 – Demo2 – Demo3
ClickBank Ads Plugins
ClickBank Ads (For WordPress) – Fee is built in, they receive 10% of ads served.
(ClickBank Ads for other formats.)
ClickBank Affiliate Ads – Might be Free, don’t see any pricing.
WP 3.2 Stars – 3,000 Installs.
ClickBank Press – Might be Free, don’t see any pricing.
WP 3.1 Stars – 2,000 Installs.
Clickbank WordPress Plugin (Storefront) – Might be Free, don’t see any pricing.
WP 5 Stars – 10 Installs.
Clickbank WordPress Plugin (Niche Storefront) – Might be Free, don’t see any pricing.
WP 2.7 Stars – 1,000 Installs.
Other Ad Related Plugins
Corner Ad – Displays partial ad in top corners, that open with hoover.
WP 4.4 Stars – 1,000 Installs.
Easy Chitika – Free Lite. — Pro $4.75 (Ad EZ for other options.)
WP 5 Stars – 700 Installs
Easy Text Links – Free Lite — Pro $7.95.
WP 5 Stars – 700 Installs.
Insert Post Ads – Might be Free, don’t see any pricing.
WP 4.1 Stars – 6,000 Installs.
Insert ads after content paragraphs.
Floating Banner Advert Rotator with Tracker – Might be Free, don’t see any pricing.
WP 4.3 Stars – 600 Installs.
Rotates ads in banner box at bottom of page.
Footer Popup Banner – Might be Free, don’t see any pricing.
WP 5 Stars – 500 Installs
Pop-up Ads Bottom Right Corner – Might be Free, don’t see any pricing.
WP 5 Stars – 200 Installs.
Cloaking
Easy Affiliate Links
Linker
Pretty Link
Simple Link Cloaker
ThirstyAffiliates – Free. — Add-ons $29 – $49 each.
WP 4.5 – 9,000 Installs.
WP Wizard Cloak
More Plugins – Not Sorted Yet.
Ad Press
WP 3.6 – 900 Installs.
Advertising Manager
WP 3.1 – 10K Installs.
Affiliate Link Manager – Uses domain and hosting to host and manage affiliate programs.
WP 3 – 1K Installs.
Custom Ads Management
WP 5 – 100 Installs
Easy Ad Placement
WP 0 – 100 Installs.
Easy Ads/Easy AdSense
WP 3 – 800 Installs.
Easy Code Placement
WP 5 – 1K Installs.
Insert Code
WP 4.5 – 30 Installs.
Insert HTML Snippet
WP 4.7 – 20K Installs.
Now! AdSense
WP 3.8 – 5K Installs.
Super Links Google Ad Plugin
WP 0 – 100 Installs.
Ultimate Ads Manager
WP 4.8 – 100 Installs.
WP125 – Groups 125X125 ads to make a collection, like 250X250 would have 4 ads.
WP 3.9 – 50K Installs.
Other Notes
And if these are not enough options – check out:
40 WordPress Advertising Plugins
Additional info:
33 Way to Monetize Your Website
