Premium Traffic versus RON: Which Open Web Traffic Source should I bid for?

Open Web Traffic Sources are the various channels through which visitors find and access a website. With ExoClick, as an Advertiser, you can get access to high volumes of Premium and RON traffic across a large range of ad formats. So if you want to know the answer to the question, ’Which Open Web Traffic Source should I bid for?’, compare Open Web Traffic Sources and discover the best strategy for your campaigns, read on.

What is Open Web?

The term “Open Web” refers to websites that are accessible to all users. However, Open Web does not include Members Area websites in this category, as they are not open to everyone, being membership websites.

Why use Open Web Traffic Sources for online advertising?

It is good to use a mix of Traffic Sources when creating advertising campaigns. With Members Area, you have access to a specialized audience that allows for deeper targeting of niche verticals, in ExoClick’s case, Dating website users, which is highly sought-after traffic. Whereas, with Open Web, you gain access to large volumes of traffic across a wider range of Categories at a lower cost, meaning you can test your campaigns, refine, and gather data on your target audience.

Understanding the difference between Premium versus RON (Run of Network) traffic is essential for building profitable campaigns with ExoClick. So let’s look at each individually. 

Premium Traffic versus RON: What is Premium Traffic in online advertising?

We will start by exploring ‘what is Premium Traffic in online advertising?’, how to find Premium Traffic Sources in the marketplace, and the best practices for successful Open Web campaigns.

Premium Traffic: This type of traffic is carefully selected for its high quality and is designed to support the scaling of successful campaigns. Advertisers can discover industry leaders in their specific verticals and bid for placement opportunities. While these placements may come at a higher cost due to the quality of traffic and geographical targeting, they provide Advertisers with a clearer way to estimate both campaign costs and potential performance.

How to find Premium traffic on ExoClick?

Premium Traffic can be found in the Marketplace. Our Premium sites are composed of the most frequently visited and high-quality Traffic Sources on our network. You can see the list of these Traffic Sources and the relevant ad placements available, as well as the website, GEOs, and traffic volumes. 

• Go to ‘Zones’ or ‘Marketplace’.

• Choose “Premium” traffic filter in Marketplace → Traffic Type. Select any other customizations you require, but do not narrow down the filters too much, or you may miss the perfect placement for your offer!
• Once you find the placement, you can go through the usual campaign setup steps. 
• You can then choose your bidding strategy. Premium traffic is available CPM/ CPC, Smart CPC, or talk to your Account Manager or Customer Success team to discuss the possibility of a flat or monthly Traffic Share deal.

Benefits of bidding for Premium Traffic

Premium websites are premium for a reason: They offer quality, engaging content, have loyal regular users and a high level of organic traffic, the way the website is laid out for a great user experience on desktop and mobile because the webmasters spend hours testing and analyzing data to provide the best ad experience. Therefore, your ad becomes part of this user journey on the website.

Increased conversion rates and enhanced user engagement: Because they focus on effective strategies, campaigns targeting premium websites can achieve higher conversion rates that lead to increased sales and customer retention. Premium sites provide enhanced user engagement through personalized experiences and relevant content delivery. This further drives end users to take desired actions, such as clicking on a relevant ad, creating a more impactful customer journey.

Verified publisher traffic for quality assurance: ExoClick account managers scrutinize all premium websites regularly to ensure they are continuing to provide a premium end user experience. 

Best Practices for Premium Traffic Sources

• When launching a Premium traffic campaign, begin with Smart CPC or Smart CPM. Once you identify the most promising zones that yield high conversions, consider scaling up your efforts. Once you have a decent amount of data you could use Smart Bid to optimize your Premium site bidding.
• If you find a zone that is performing well, reach out to your Account Manager or Customer Success team to discuss the possibility of securing a flat-rate or traffic share deal for those zones. These agreements allow you to have exclusive access to a zone for a set period, maximizing the potential of your traffic.

Premium Traffic versus RON: What is RON Traffic in online advertising?

RON (Run-of-Network) refers to an advertising strategy where Advertisers target specific websites, without knowing the exact ad placement. Essentially, it’s a broad reach approach that can help Advertisers maximize impressions. 

Benefits of RON (Run of Network) Campaigns

Lower Cost: This traffic is not verified by ExoClick Account Managers; however, it presents a valuable opportunity for testing due to its lower costs. It is also an excellent choice for those looking to identify the best zones for their offers and those looking to launch wide-reaching campaigns with minimal entry costs.

New Traffic Sources to test: Additionally, hundreds of websites are added to RON every day, meaning the possibilities for Advertisers testing new offers or creatives at scale are endless!

High volumes: Advertisers can obtain a greater number of ad impressions at a lower CPM rate. This approach allows Advertisers to reach a wider audience while benefiting from more affordable traffic. 

Less competitive: Every Advertiser is fighting for the top Premium ad zones, with RON, you have a greater chance of owning an ad zone for part of your campaign duration to fully exploit that Traffic Source for your offer.

How to find RON offers on ExoClick?

You can find RON ad placements in the Marketplace, also.

Under Traffic Type, choose RON. 

How does bidding on RON placements work?

RON is the default option when creating a campaign. You are able to see the ad type, Traffic Source, volumes, impressions, and the site name available in the Marketplace. RON zones are always non-specialized zones. So, to find the best zones for your campaigns, you will need to create campaigns and test the zones for yourself. Remember, you will not be able to see the exact placement information, so create different campaigns to find your best zones. 

Best practices for RON campaigns

• Separate campaigns should be established for Premium and RON because targeting them together in one campaign would mean that your RON ad zones will cost more due to the higher cost for Premium ad zones.
• You should try to create and run both RON and Premium campaigns simultaneously to see which one yields the best results. 
• You can use RON for volume testing. Set your bid low and whitelist the top-performing zones for the best campaign results. 
• Check daily for new websites signing up to ExoClick via RON, as each represents a new Traffic Source to test.

Why use Open Web Traffic Sources for online advertising?

Open web Traffic Sources offer a flexible approach to online advertising, with the best choice depending on your budget and goals. When we look at Premium Traffic versus RON, we can see that RON campaigns are great for smaller budgets or for testing new ideas, as their lower CPM gives you more time to experiment. For larger budgets, Premium Traffic can be highly effective, but you need to monitor it carefully to avoid quickly spending your entire budget.

The key is to create separate campaigns for each type of traffic. This allows you to use RON for broad testing and Premium Traffic to target the best-performing ad zones. ExoClick offers a wide inventory of both RON and Premium Traffic, along with automation tools to help you get the best results. If you’re not using ExoClick, sign up today! If you are an existing Advertiser looking to learn more about Open Web Traffic Sources for you, speak to your Account Manager or the Customer Success team to improve your campaign performance.