AdSense and Google Ad Manager which was formerly known As DoubleClick For Publisher (DFP) are the two different product from Google which help publisher to earn money by running ads.
Adsense help you run the ads from advertiser who are with Google, and Google Ad Manager help you run Ads from Google demand as well as Local Advertisers, Advertiser ads that you want to run on your own, Or promote your own specifc product on your site.
Ad Manager and AdSense are both powerful tools that help you sell your ad inventory but perform different functions. You should choose the product that’s the right fit for your advertising needs.
Understanding the differences between Ad Manager and AdSense, together with the strengths and weaknesses of each allows publishers to use the right tool for the right job, which is vital when trying to optimise their ad revenue.
Let’s start with the basics before moving on to more interesting use cases.
What is AdSense?
What is AdSense?
AdSense acts as an ad network, providing you access to demand from advertisers and helping you set up your ad inventory. AdSense is best for publishers who want more automation, easy to implement ad solutions, and have a small dedicated ad management team.
Since it’s launch in 2003, AdSense has been helping websites of all sizes to earn money by serving ads on their websites.
What is Google Ad Manager (GAM) ?
What is Google Ad Manager (GAM) ?
Ad Manager acts as an ad server that can support multiple ad networks including AdSense, Ad Exchange, and other third-party networks. Ad Manager is for publishers who have significant direct sales, require granular controls, and want to work with third-party networks.
Its primary purpose is to give publishers to tools to control how ads are served on a website, wherever those ads are sourced from, as opposed to providing the ads.
Google Adsense Eligibility – General
- A place to monetize your website—blogs, forums, and online services perform exceptionally well on AdSense
- A fast and easy way to implement ad delivery
- Google to optimize your ad inventory for you and maximize your revenue through Auto Ads
- Easily accessible performance reports
Is Google Ad Manager Suitable For Publisher ?
- A central place to monetize all of your platforms (websites, mobile apps, videos, or games)
- A significant portion of your ad revenue is through direct deals from buyers
- To use third-party networks to compete for ad inventory
- More complex reports to gain granular insights
“Ad Manager is a premium version of AdSense”
Not true. Ad Manager is a different product from AdSense. AdSense is an ad network that offers high-quality advertiser demand, optimization insights, and easy-to-implement monetization opportunities. Ad Manager is a unified platform with granular inventory controls and other features that allow you to manage direct deals, third-party networks, and programmatic demand across desktop, mobile web and apps.
“Ad Manager serves higher quality ads”
Not true. AdSense and Ad Manager publishers have access to the same premium advertisers and certified buyers. You can serve high-quality ads from both AdSense and Ad Manager.
| Criteria | Google Ad Manager | Google AdSense |
|---|---|---|
| You can traffic other ad networks or directly sold ads | Yes | No |
| You only have to place the tags on your pages to see ads | Yes, if you allow Google AdSense to show through Ad Manager | Yes |
| You can make Google AdSense compete with other ad networks to maximize your revenue | Yes | No |
| You can have a consistent reporting among all ad serving activities | Yes | No |
| You will be paid by Ad Manager / Google AdSense | Yes | No |
