Q4 is coming. If you want to ensure you’re ready for what is the busiest time of year for many sites, now is the time to consider making setup changes while there’s still time to test them.

Hosting is one of those things publishers often set up once and forget about. But it can have a real impact on site speed, Core Web Vitals, and the experience people have when they visit your site. All of that matters when traffic picks up.

Core Web Vitals, In Plain English

Google uses Core Web Vitals to measure real-world user experience, and they’re a factor in how your site ranks in search. The three metrics can sound technical, but they boil down to simple questions:

LCP: Is your main image loading slowly?

CLS: Is something visibly shifting while the page loads?

INP: Did you click something and it didn’t respond?

Passing Core Web Vitals isn’t the finish line. A faster, smoother site increases engagement and return visits, benefits that extend well beyond the checkmark in Search Console.

Why Your Numbers Never Match

Google Analytics, your hosting dashboard, and your Mediavine numbers probably won’t match exactly. That’s normal. Each one measures traffic differently, including how it defines sessions, filters bots, and processes the data.

Bot traffic is a big part of the difference. Automated traffic can make up a meaningful share of the requests hitting your site, while Google Analytics is designed to measure human visitors. So your GA numbers can be lower than the total traffic your server is actually handling.

The goal isn’t to find one number and call it the “true” number. It’s to understand what each tool is measuring and use the right one for the question you’re trying to answer.

For example, your analytics can help you understand your audience, while your hosting and Mediavine data can give you a better picture of everything happening on the site, including traffic that analytics doesn’t capture.

When to Consider a Migration

A few signs that your current setup may be holding your site back: Core Web Vitals are slipping, bounce rate is climbing, or your site has simply outgrown the plan you’re on.

If you do decide to migrate, the process doesn’t have to be disruptive. A good hosting partner manages the move for you, hands-on, with zero downtime for your live traffic and revenue. More on how that works below.

Pressure-Test Your Setup

Work through this before Q4 traffic tests it for you. If you answer “not sure” more than a couple times in any category, that’s your signal to act now.

Speed & Core Web Vitals

• Do you know your current LCP, CLS, and INP scores?
• Has your load time changed meaningfully in the last 6 months, and do you know why?
• When did you last audit your active plugins and theme for performance impact?
• Are you using a page builder or theme known to cause layout shift?

Traffic & Reporting

• Do your Google Analytics, hosting dashboard, and Mediavine numbers roughly agree, or is there an unexplained gap?
• Have you reviewed how much of your traffic may be bot-driven in the last 90 days?
• Do you know your site’s current uptime record?

Hosting Fit

• Has your traffic grown significantly since you last evaluated your hosting plan?
• Do you know what happens to your site’s performance during a sudden traffic spike?
• When was your last migration or infrastructure review?

Readiness for Scale

• Do you have a plan in place if traffic doubles overnight?
• Does your hosting provider know your Q4 content, campaign, and traffic plans?
• Do you know who to contact if something breaks during peak traffic?

The Hosting-Revenue Connection

Everything above traces back to one thing. Site performance comes from three layers, not just the server.

Server infrastructure is the foundation, determining whether your site has the capacity to handle a traffic spike without slowing down or competing for resources.

Network edge is how that content gets delivered. A strong content delivery setup reduces time to first byte (how long it takes your server to respond before anything even starts loading), meaning your pages start loading faster for readers no matter where they are. This directly supports stronger Core Web Vitals scores.

The application layer covers everything running on the site itself, including the theme, plugins, scripts, and ad tags. This is where many performance issues show up, and where a technical audit typically starts.

If any one of these layers is slowing things down, you can see the impact in Core Web Vitals and the user experience. For publishers, that can ultimately affect revenue too.

How BigScoots Approaches This

If you’re rethinking your setup after working through the checklist above, here’s how BigScoots specifically supports publishers through that process.

BigScoots owns 100% of its own hardware, a rare setup in an industry built on shared, leased infrastructure, and builds in extra capacity to handle traffic spikes, so your site isn’t competing with other customers for resources during a spike. On the network side, BigScoots uses Cloudflare Enterprise to cache content across 330+ global cities, helping reduce time to first byte no matter where your readers are.

Migrating to a new hosting partner doesn’t have to be scary. BigScoots handles the migration for you from start to finish, with a person managing the process rather than leaving it to an automated tool. Then, 24 to 48 hours after the move, a second team member reviews the site to ensure everything is transferred correctly. The switch is designed to happen without downtime or an interruption to your live traffic and revenue.

For enterprise sites with custom architecture, the BigScoots team provides hands-on migration support. If you’d rather manage the move yourself, there’s also a self-service migration tool available.

Hosting isn’t a decision you should make once and never revisit. Your hosting partner’s capabilities should scale and grow with your site as you build through Mediavine’s programs, from Journey through Official, Select, Signature, Premiere and Premiere Plus. BigScoots hosting is built to support that full range, from newly launched Journey sites to high-traffic Premiere Plus networks, without publishers needing to rebuild their technical foundation every time they move up a tier. At every stage, there’s no long-term lock-in: upgrade ahead of anticipated growth or seasonal spikes, and move back down when things settle.

Get Ready Now

Q3 is the window to consider whether your hosting is optimized for the busiest traffic and earnings season for many sites. Making changes now means your site is stable and proven out before the traffic and revenue of peak season arrive, not during it.

Missed the live session? Watch the full webinar replay, download the Q4 Readiness Checklist, and reach out to your Mediavine Account Manager or the BigScoots team directly if you have questions about your specific setup.

Home is a place, of course, but it can also be a Sunday dinner, a recipe you watched your mom make countless times, the familiar taste of a dish that takes you straight back to childhood, or the moment you add your own twist to a meal passed down through generations.

This Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re celebrating the publishers in the Mediavine community who are building businesses rooted in their own stories, cultures, and experiences. We’re exploring the idea of home, not only as the place where we live, but as something we create through food, family, heritage, and tradition.

Few stories capture that idea quite like that of Jamie Silva, founder of A Sassy Spoon. A Miami native and first-generation Cuban-American, Jamie launched A Sassy Spoon in 2016 to share the Cuban recipes she grew up eating, along with Latin-inspired comfort food.

Ten years later, what started as a leap into entrepreneurship has grown into an established brand and, just as importantly, a digital home where Jamie can preserve the food, memories, and traditions that shaped her.

Turning Tradition Into Her Own Terms 

This year marks a major milestone for Jamie: 10 years of A Sassy Spoon. Getting there meant choosing a path that wasn’t necessarily the one she had been raised to follow.

Jamie’s parents came to the United States from Cuba in the 1970s. Like many children of immigrants, she grew up with a familiar definition of success: pursue an education, find a stable job, build a family, and work hard. Entrepreneurship, and all the uncertainty that comes with it, wasn’t exactly part of the plan.

But in 2016, Jamie decided to take the leap anyway. As she puts it:

“I started A Sassy Spoon® from scratch, and I built it into something that let me create a home on my own terms, one where I get to be close to my culture, my family, and the food I grew up on, instead of the version of home I was handed as the ‘safe’ path.”

Today, A Sassy Spoon has reached more than 14 million pageviews, with Jamie serving as its founder, recipe developer, food photographer, and content strategist. But the accomplishment she’s most proud of isn’t captured by a traffic number. It’s building a business that lets her stay close to what matters most.

Rooted in Family Recipes

Long before A Sassy Spoon existed, Jamie grew up watching her mom cook in the family kitchen. The recipes at the heart of the site trace back to those moments: classic Cuban dishes prepared from scratch, often measured not in cups and tablespoons but in her mom’s favorite measurement, un poquito, or “a little bit.”

Sundays were particularly memorable. They meant family gathering around slow-cooked dishes like arroz con pollo and carne con papas. Those Sundays are some of Jamie’s favorite childhood memories, and they’ve only grown more meaningful with time.

Those memories would eventually become the spark for A Sassy Spoon.

“A Sassy Spoon®’s whole foundation is about watching my mom cook classic Cuban recipes growing up. It’s literally why the brand exists and why it reads as authentic as it does. Food is a big deal in Cuban families (well, in Hispanic families in general.) so, I’m grateful I get to recreate and preserve those recipes on A Sassy Spoon® not just for my own family, but for my readers’ families too.”

And this year, that story has come full circle. Jamie’s mom recently moved in with her, which means the two now get to cook together every day. In many ways, the kitchen that inspired Jamie’s business has come back to life, this time in her own home.

A Taste of Home, Wherever You Are

There’s a reason food can create such a powerful connection to home. A recipe can outlive the person who first taught it to us. It can cross borders and generations. It can turn an ordinary weeknight dinner into a reminder of a kitchen, a person, or a place that might otherwise feel very far away.

For Jamie, preserving Cuban food has always been about preserving those connections. As a first-generation Cuban-American, she felt that Cuban cuisine was underrepresented compared with other Latin cuisines. A Sassy Spoon became her way of keeping those recipes alive, along with the culture, memories, and traditions surrounding them alive. In the process, Jamie has created a space where Cuban food can be shared, celebrated, and passed on to the next generation.

Her mission has resonated far beyond her own family. Jamie regularly hears from readers who have moved away from South Florida or lost Cuban relatives who once made the dishes they grew up on. Without those family members to guide them, recipes can be difficult to recreate, especially when they were passed down through observation and un poquito rather than written instructions.

“As a first-generation Cuban-American, I feel the need to keep my Cuban heritage alive in the best way I know how, through food. I hope people feel connected to my content when they see all the memorable Cuban recipes they can continue to make for generations to come.”

For some readers, Jamie’s recipes offer a way back to something familiar. For others, they’re their very first introduction to Cuban food. Either way, those recipes make their biggest impact at the table, shared with loved ones.

When a Digital Brand Becomes a Gathering Place

Jamie’s story reminds us what makes publishing so powerful. A website can be a business and still be deeply personal. 

A Sassy Spoon has grown because Jamie has spent a decade creating useful, approachable recipes for her readers. Behind those recipes is something that can’t be manufactured: a lifetime of memories, family traditions, and cultural knowledge.

Readers search her site for classic Latin dishes like ropa vieja and maduros, and are greeted with a reminder of home. Jamie has built a place where readers can find both the recipes their families likely made and the comfort of feeling close to the people who made them.

A Decade In, With More to Share

Ten years after taking the leap to start her own business, Jamie has built something bigger than the path she originally imagined for herself. She’s built a successful independent brand around the food she loves. She’s created an archive of recipes that might otherwise live only in memories and family kitchens. 

And she’s helping other Cuban families keep those dishes on their own tables for another generation. Now, she gets to share a kitchen again with the person who helped inspire it all.

For Jamie, these recipes are a way to stay connected to where she came from while creating something her family, and her readers, can carry forward and pass on.

This Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re proud to celebrate Jamie, A Sassy Spoon and the publishers throughout our community whose businesses show us that home, like culture and tradition, is something we carry forward, make our own, and share with the people who come next.

Explore A Sassy Spoon to discover Jamie’s collection of approachable Cuban and Latin-inspired recipes, from the classics she grew up with to new favorites worth bringing to your own table.

When you join Mediavine, you’re getting a lot more than a few standard banner ads. Your site runs a dynamic mix of display, video, and high-impact formats, and Mediavine’s technology decides which spots run, which formats compete, and when they load, so every auction starts in your favor.

For years, the industry playbook was simple. More ads meant more revenue. More banners, more video, more everything. More was more. While that approach can pay off in the short term, it often comes at a real cost. It chips away at the very things that keep readers coming back like trust, a great experience, and a reason to stay on your site instead of bouncing.

We believe there’s a better way. The goal isn’t to fill every inch of your page with ads. It’s to help you earn more from the traffic you already have, without turning your site into an obstacle course for readers.

How the System Works

Every time a reader loads a page, each ad spot runs a quick, automatic auction, and spots run fresh auctions as the reader scrolls and lingers. Dozens of ad buyers compete for the space in real time, and the highest bid wins.

Mediavine’s work happens before that auction opens. We decide which spots to run, when to load them, which formats compete, and the minimum price we’ll accept, using what we’ve learned about how each spot actually performs: whether readers see it, how long it stays in view, what it does to your page speed. We test those decisions continuously against live traffic. The goal isn’t winning any single ad; it’s the most revenue from the page as a whole.

This all happens automatically, in the background, every time a page loads. Mediavine’s Optimized Ad Experience handles the in-content decisions (ad spacing, frequency, placement rules, and ads inside HTML lists) so you don’t have to fine-tune that layer page by page. Everything else stays in your hands, including adhesion toggles, recipe ad density, interstitials, the leaderboard, the sidebar, the ad density slider, and category opt-outs.

Every format we use, from video to display, follows guidelines set by the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) and follow CBA (Coalition for Better Ads) standards. That means the ads on your site are held to recognized industry standards.

Why You’ll See a Mix of Ad Types

Video ads usually pay more than display, or image-based ads. Big brands spend a lot of their ad budgets on video, and there are far fewer places for video ads to run, so advertisers are willing to pay more for each spot. The catch has always been that video ads need a video to play in, which meant you had to make your own.

That’s changed. Mediavine’s video players can run ads on pages with no video on them, and with Video Maker, your site’s content can become video without you producing a single clip. You’ll find the details on each player below.

Display is the backbone. It asks nothing of you, fits nearly any page or placement, and draws from the deepest pool of bidders, which is why it fills most of the spots on most sites. High-impact formats add another layer, bringing in premium demand that standard display can’t reach.

These formats all work together. What we tune is how many of each your pages carry and where they sit, tested against live traffic rather than guessed at. You don’t have to manage that balance yourself.

Where an ad sits matters more than how many run. Mediavine’s Optimized Ad Experience is built on that idea, putting ads where they perform best while protecting the reader experience. And the data backs it up. Sites running Optimized Ad Experience earn 12% higher RPM and 10% higher CPM than sites that aren’t. More than 4,700 Mediavine publishers have already made the switch.

Video Ads

Video ads are exactly what they sound like: short video clips that play on your site, either before your own video content, or as a standalone unit within your page. They tend to earn more per view than standard display ads, which is part of why they’re worth having on your site if you publish any video content at all, even just a few short clips.

Universal Player
The Universal Player is Mediavine’s own video player. It brings video ads to every page on your site, even pages without any video content. The player docks to the corner of the screen and stays visible as readers scroll.

Universal Player Plus
A complimentary player to Universal Player, Universal Player Plus puts real video content into the player (either your own or auto-generated).

That makes your inventory eligible for advertisers who only buy video adjacent to content, a better-funded pool than the ads that run without it, which is why Universal Player Plus typically earns higher CPMs.

It starts within your content and transitions to the same sticky position as Universal Player when a user scrolls past. 

And you don’t need to make the video yourself! Mediavine’s Video Maker can generate it from your own content. Universal Player Plus is on by default, and you can turn it off any time from your dashboard.

Video Pre-Roll
A short ad that plays before your video starts, on both desktop and mobile. Pre-roll only runs on click-to-play videos you’ve embedded with Mediavine’s video embed code, not in the Universal Player or Universal Player Plus. Readers choose when to press play and stay in control of the player the whole time.

Mid-Roll
An ad that plays partway through a video. Mid-roll only runs on click-to-play videos longer than eight minutes that you’ve embedded with Mediavine’s video embed code, not in the Universal Player or Universal Player Plus. You’re opted in by default. To opt out, go to Video Settings in your Mediavine Dashboard.

Video In-Content
A video ad that appears within your written content, sitting on the page much like an embedded video would.

Display Ads

Display ads are the more traditional, image-based ads you’re probably already picturing: banners, boxes, and sidebar ads made up of a static or lightly animated image that links to an advertiser’s site when clicked. They can appear within your content, in your sidebar, or along the bottom of the screen.

Display Adhesion Units
A banner that stays along the bottom of the screen as readers scroll.

In-Content
Standard display ads placed within your content, typically between paragraphs, sections, or images.

Recipe Ad

A 300×250 ad placed in a high-attention area of the page. On food sites, that’s inside the recipe card, where you can manage it with the Default Recipe Ads and Recipe Instruction Density settings in your dashboard. Other sites can use the Recipe Ad alongside checklists, tutorials, or other content readers spend real time with.

Interstitials
A full-screen ad that can appear as a reader clicks a link and moves from one page on your site to another, so it never interrupts the content they’re actively reading. Interstitials come in separate mobile and desktop versions, both controllable from your dashboard.

Desktop Sticky Sidebar
A sidebar ad that stays visible as readers scroll through your content on desktop.

Slidebar

Slidebar adds more sticky sidebar ads on longer posts, so instead of one ad following the reader down the page, a new one appears as they scroll. It can increase sticky sidebar impressions and desktop revenue, especially on sites with long posts and a good share of desktop traffic. 

High-Impact Ads 

Not every ad has to look like a traditional banner. High-impact units give advertisers more engaging ways to capture attention, and they give you a way to earn more from placements you already have.

These are rich-media display formats that are larger and more visually dynamic than a standard display ad, while still designed to complement your content rather than compete with it.

For you, that means access to premium advertiser demand and more ways to earn from your existing traffic. When high-impact ads are enabled, they compete in the same auction as every other ad on your site. They only serve when they win, which means they only show up when they’re the highest bid for that spot.

The value isn’t in adding more ads to the page. It’s about making the placements you have work harder for you.

High-impact formats attract premium advertiser demand because they offer more creative flexibility and visibility than standard display ads. That gives Mediavine more ways to compete for advertiser dollars, and gives you another source of incremental revenue.

The result is a broader mix of demand competing for each ad spot, helping your existing traffic earn more without requiring you to create more content or find more readers.

High-Impact In-Content 

Rich-media units that appear within your content, giving advertisers a more prominent spot where readers are already engaged.

High-Impact Adhesion 

High-impact adhesion units stay visible as readers scroll. Advertisers pay a premium for that kind of exposure, which gives you another way to earn more from the same traffic.

Your Traffic, Working Harder

You don’t need to decide which format runs in every placement. Mediavine’s technology handles that for you, continuously adjusting based on the demand available.

That means your site can tap into display, video, high-impact, and other forms of advertiser demand, with the system choosing the best-earning option for each ad spot.

The goal is to make your existing traffic work harder, giving advertisers more valuable placements while preserving a great experience for the people who come to read, cook, learn, or browse.

Your readers get great content, your site gets access to a broader range of advertiser demand, and Mediavine’s technology handles everything in between.

We just made our ad auctions run up to 24% faster, generating real, measured revenue for publishers, without a single disruption to your site. Here’s how.

That auction system runs on infrastructure our engineering team builds and maintains, work you’ll never see or need to think about, but that shows up directly in your revenue.

Built Faster, From the Ground Up

Our engineering team rebuilt Mediavine’s server-to-server (S2S) auction infrastructure from the ground up. This technology sits behind every ad auction on your site, helping advertisers compete for each impression as quickly and efficiently as possible.

The old system was already handling an enormous amount of traffic, tens of thousands of these lightning-fast auctions every single second, across every Mediavine publisher’s site combined. Rather than pause everything to rebuild it in one high-risk push, the team moved traffic onto the new system in stages, starting at 2%, holding at 26% for nearly two weeks to confirm it was solid, then moving to 38%, 50%, and eventually 100%. Every increase was backed by real production data before the next one began.

The Numbers That Matter to You

• Auctions now run 18-24% faster. More advertisers get to place a bid before the auction closes. More bidders competing for the same ad space means higher prices, which means more money for you.
• Faster auctions pull more competing demand into every impression. More bidders on the same placement raises what advertisers pay, which lifts the value of each impression across the network. That applies to every page view, every day, not to a one-time window.
• The new system also uses far less computing power, about 60% less processing power and a third of the number of servers it used to need. Here’s why that matters to you: less strain on the system means more room for it to stay fast and stable even during your busiest moments, like when a post goes viral or during the high-traffic rush of Q4, instead of slowing down right when you need it most.

The Work Never Stops

This is an example of how our engineering team works, making small, carefully tested improvements to the systems your revenue depends on, checking real results at every step, rather than disappearing for months to make one giant risky change. That approach is what lets us keep improving the infrastructure behind your monetization continuously, without ever disrupting your site or your business.

If you’re a publisher evaluating who to trust with your monetization, especially if you’re running a larger, high-traffic site, this is worth knowing. The technology underneath your ad revenue isn’t something we built once. It’s actively engineered, tested, and improved by a team that treats speed and reliability as core to the product, not an afterthought.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an ad auction, exactly?

Every time someone loads a page on your site, there’s a split-second process happening behind the scenes. Advertisers compete against each other for the chance to show an ad on that page. This is an auction, and it has to happen in milliseconds, faster than a blink, before the page finishes loading. The faster and more efficient that auction is, the more advertisers get a real chance to bid before the window closes, and more competition means better prices for that ad space.

What is Mediavine’s S2S auction infrastructure?
Mediavine runs a real-time, server-to-server (S2S) ad auction system that powers how advertisers compete for available ad space across the Mediavine publisher network.

Every time a visitor loads a page on a Mediavine publisher’s site, that system instantly runs an auction where advertisers bid for the opportunity to display an ad. In a matter of milliseconds, the highest-value bid wins, helping ensure each impression is matched with the best available demand.

This process happens thousands of times every second across the Mediavine network, creating a faster, more efficient marketplace that connects publishers with premium advertisers while maximizing the value of every ad opportunity.

Will my site load faster?
This update primarily improves the speed and efficiency of the ad auction itself. While publishers may not notice a dramatic change in page load times, faster auctions help maximize advertiser participation and improve the revenue opportunity for each impression.

What changed with the recent rebuild?
Mediavine rewrote the core infrastructure behind this auction system from scratch to run faster and more efficiently at scale. The rebuild took Mediavine’s software team 43 days to complete and launch, rolled out gradually and validated against real production data at every stage.

How much faster are ad auctions after the rebuild?
Ad auctions now run 18-24% faster. Faster auctions give more advertisers the opportunity to bid before the auction window closes, increasing competition for ad space.

Does a faster ad auction actually increase publisher revenue?
Yes. More advertisers competing for the same ad space increases competition, which drives up what advertisers pay. In the first 24 days after launch, the rebuild generated additional revenue for publishers across the network, along with a lift in average advertiser pricing.

How much more efficient is the new system?
The rebuilt system uses about 60% less processing power and a third of the servers it used to require. That reduced load gives the system more headroom to stay fast and stable, especially during your highest-traffic moments.

Do publishers need to do anything to benefit from this?
No. The rebuild runs automatically on every page view across the Mediavine network. Publishers don’t need to change any settings or take any action to benefit from it.

Through Shine PSAs, Mediavine gives publishers the opportunity to put otherwise unfilled inventory to work, supporting nonprofit organizations that make a real difference in communities around the world. Rather than leaving ad impressions unfilled, Shine PSAs deliver public service announcements that help trusted organizations raise awareness, connect with new audiences, and amplify causes that matter.

It’s a simple concept with meaningful impact: when an ad can’t or shouldn’t be monetized, it can still do good. This summer, our ongoing partnership with No Kid Hungry helps turn those impressions into action by connecting families with resources to find meals for their children when they need them most.

Why Summer Break Can Mean Food Insecurity

For many children, school is more than a place to learn; it’s where they receive dependable, nutritious meals each day. 

When summer arrives and school cafeterias close, that support can disappear almost overnight. Millions of families suddenly face the challenge of replacing breakfast and lunch while balancing already stretched household budgets.

That’s where No Kid Hungry steps in.

Their Summer Meals initiative helps families locate free meal sites, access summer grocery benefits, and connect with community programs that ensure children continue receiving the nutrition they need throughout the break. Whether through neighborhood meal sites, grab-and-go options, or rural meal distribution, these latest efforts could help as many as 31 million children in the United States. No Kid Hungry’s ongoing programs work to make healthy meals available wherever families need them most. 

Amplifying a Mission That Matters

Awareness is often one of the biggest barriers to accessing available resources.

Families may not know that free summer meal programs exist in their communities or aren’t sure where to find them. By serving No Kid Hungry public service announcements through Shine PSAs, publishers help those messages reach more parents and caregivers at exactly the right time.

Each donated impression becomes another opportunity for someone to discover resources that can make a meaningful difference during the summer months.

No Kid Hungry has felt that impact directly. As Allison Ruta, Senior Manager of National Consumer Media & Champion Engagement for the No Kid Hungry campaign, put it: “Awareness is one of the biggest barriers in our work to end hunger, so we’re so grateful for the support and visibility from Mediavine and your incredible network who are helping us make a difference.”

The Opportunity Behind Unfilled Inventory

Because no advertising platform fills every available impression, Shine PSAs put that space to work for good.

Every ad opportunity is evaluated against advertiser targeting, available campaign budgets, user consent settings, geography, brand suitability, and real-time demand. When there isn’t a qualifying advertiser for a particular impression, that inventory intentionally goes unfilled to maintain the highest quality of monetization.

This is exactly the opportunity Shine PSAs were built to address.

Instead of displaying an empty space, eligible unfilled inventory can be used to serve public service announcements from trusted nonprofit organizations, like No Kid Hungry. Because these impressions wouldn’t have been monetized otherwise, publishers can support important causes without replacing paid advertising opportunities.

It’s an effortless way to make every impression count, even when it isn’t an eligible monetizable ad.

Making an Impact Beyond Advertising

At Mediavine, we’re always focused on helping publishers maximize the value of their inventory. Sometimes that value is measured in revenue. Other times, it’s measured in impact.

Shine PSAs make it possible to use eligible unfilled impressions to support nonprofit organizations tackling some of today’s most important challenges. Over the past few years, publishers have helped amplify campaigns focused on environmental stewardship, disaster relief, inclusion and more. Through our partnership with No Kid Hungry, those same impressions are helping to shine a light on childhood hunger during one of the most challenging seasons of the year.

Ready to join the Mediavine publishers making a difference? Follow these quick steps to start running Shine PSA campaigns:

• Go to Settings in your Mediavine Dashboard
• Open the Shine section
• Enable No Kid Hungry or any additional nonprofit partners you’d like to support

Thank You to Our Publisher Community

Shine PSAs are only possible through the partnership of our participating publishers.

By donating eligible unfilled impressions, you’re helping trusted nonprofit organizations reach new audiences, raise awareness and connect people with life-changing resources. This summer, those impressions are helping No Kid Hungry ensure more families know where to find free meals for their children while school is out.

Thank you for helping make every eligible impression count.

One of the world’s largest advertising platforms has changed how advertisers evaluate and buy publisher inventory and it could directly impact your revenue.

In Q2’s Kokai release, The Trade Desk began integrating Sincera‘s site-quality data directly into its buying methodology. This means advertisers using The Trade Desk can now automatically assess, filter and bid on inventory based on three key quality signals from your site: ads-to-content ratio, ads in view, and ad refresh rate.

Let’s break that down. These signals measure how much of your page is ads, whether those ads are actually visible to visitors, and how often they reload. Advertisers used to need extra steps to check this. Now it’s automatic, built directly into the tool they already use to decide where to spend.

This update is already influencing buying decisions across the open programmatic marketplace. Understanding these signals and optimizing for them is becoming increasingly important for publishers looking to maximize demand and revenue.

The three things they’re now measuring

How many ads are on your page compared to your content. 

Think of it like a ratio. If your page is 80% ads and 20% content, that’s a problem. Advertisers see that as a low-quality environment and are now empowered to avoid it automatically. A cleaner page with more content and fewer ads actually performs better with premium buyers. The optimal range is between 14-25%.

How many ads are visible on screen at the same time. 

This one surprises people. More ads visible at once isn’t a good thing. It signals a cluttered, overwhelming experience. Premium advertisers don’t want their brand showing up on a page that looks like a banner farm. They’re now measuring for it. The optimal range is 3 or fewer ads visible at once.

How fast your ads are cycling. 

Ad refresh rate is how frequently the ads on your page swap out for new ones. High refresh rates inflate the number of impressions your site generates, but each individual impression is worth less because it was on screen for a fraction of a second. Advertisers have always disliked high refresh rates. Now they can automatically penalize for them. The limit is 30 seconds, with optimal ranges between 45-120 seconds.

What this actually means for your earnings

When advertisers can filter by these signals, the money moves. Publishers who score well on all three attract more demand, and more competition for your ad space means higher earnings per page view. The advertisers most likely to filter on quality are also the ones with the biggest budgets. Performing well on these signals doesn’t just protect what you’re already earning. It positions your site for the premium demand that pays the most.

And this is just one update from one platform. The direction the industry is moving is clear. Ad quality signals are becoming a standard part of how programmatic buying works. More DSPs will follow.

Where Mediavine publishers stand

If you’re part of the Mediavine network, you’re already well positioned for these changes. Our platform is built around the same quality signals advertisers increasingly value, including balanced ad-to-content ratios, strong viewability and controlled ad refresh rates.

Mediavine’s Optimized Ad Experience (OAE) takes this a step further. As platforms like The Trade Desk continue using quality signals to evaluate inventory, OAE automatically keeps your site within preferred thresholds, helping maximize advertiser demand while delivering a better experience for your readers.

The result is fewer ads, higher viewability, improved ad-to-content ratios, and stronger long-term revenue potential, all without requiring ongoing manual optimization.

Q4 is the highest-earning quarter in digital advertising. Advertiser budgets peak, demand goes up, and CPM spikes significantly. The publishers who earn the most in Q4 are the ones who made moves in Q3, getting onboarded, optimized, and ready before the season that drives a significant portion of annual revenue.

The publishers who win Q4 aren’t just lucky with traffic. They’re with the right network. Here’s what that looks like.

What Makes Mediavine Different

Technology built and owned in-house.

Most ad networks rely on a patchwork of outside tools. Mediavine builds and maintains our own technology, including server-to-server bidding (a faster, more secure way to run ad auctions), page speed optimization, and ad placements designed to load quickly without slowing your site down. When Mediavine improves our technology, that improvement goes directly to your revenue. There is no middleman taking a cut.

99.5% human-verified inventory, independently validated by IAS, Jounce, and The Trade Desk. Zero MFA.

MFA stands for “Made for Advertising,” low-quality sites built purely to generate ad clicks, not to serve real readers. Mediavine has none of that. Every site in the network is a real publisher with real content and a real audience. That matters to advertisers, and when advertisers trust the inventory they are buying, more of them compete for your ad space. More competition means higher rates for you.

Publishers come first. Actually.

Every product decision Mediavine makes is measured against one question: does this improve publisher performance? Not advertiser convenience and definitely not the priorities of a private equity firm. We’re prioritizing publishers.

Lower ad density, better placements, faster pages.

More ads on a page does not mean more money. It usually means slower load times, a worse experience for your readers, and lower rates because advertisers pay less for cluttered inventory. Mediavine deliberately runs fewer, better ads because that is what drives revenue over the long term.

Hands-on account management.

Not a support ticket system and not a tiered response queue. Every publisher above Mediavine Official is assigned a dedicated account manager who is accountable to how your site performs.

Why Q3 Is the Right Window

During Q3, traffic is more predictable and the pressure is lower. You have time to get onboarded with a new network, get comfortable, and get your setup optimized before the season that drives a huge portion of your annual revenue.

Mediavine’s onboarding is built to get publishers up and running fast. From the moment you are approved, you have access to Mediavine’s full ad technology, a dashboard that shows you exactly what your revenue is doing and why, and for all publishers above Mediavine Official, a dedicated account manager who actually knows your site.

“Good Enough” Often Masks Real Upside

Most publishers who switch to Mediavine say the same thing: they had no idea how much money they were leaving on the table until they saw what their site could actually earn.

That is not a knock on your current ad solution. Ad management is complicated. A setup that’s been left alone for a while may seem fine, until you compare it with the results that a fully optimized setup can deliver. The difference shows up in your RPM, how often ads actually load on your pages, and how your revenue holds up when your traffic fluctuates.

If your RPM has been flat for a while, or your performance guarantee looks great for the first 90 days and a lot less great after that, those are signs something is off.

The Real Cost of Staying with the Wrong Network

Performance guarantees are one of the most common tactics competing ad networks use to attract publishers. On the surface, the offer sounds compelling. What often gets overlooked is what happens after the guarantee period ends.

The key factor is revenue share, the percentage of ad revenue you actually keep. Mediavine Premiere publishers retain 90% of the revenue their sites generate. Many competing networks retain 25%, leaving publishers with just 75%.

Consider a site earning $500,000 annually. Even with an aggressive guarantee promising a 30% revenue lift for six months, switching ad management would cost that publisher more than $112,000 over two years compared to staying with Mediavine. With a more typical guarantee, the two-year cost exceeds $135,000.

Short-term guarantees can create an initial boost, but long-term revenue share has a far greater impact on publisher earnings over time. The guarantee period is temporary. The revenue share you are left with is not.

Q3 Is the Window and Q4 Is the Payoff.

If you have been wondering whether it is time to switch, the answer is yes, and the time is now. You still have the runway to do it right, get set up, get optimized, and go into Q4 ready.

Apply to Mediavine and find out what your site could actually be earning.

Apply Now at mediavine.com/apply.

The most successful publishers in digital media build trust by showing up authentically, creating genuine content, and cultivating communities that connect.

This Pride Month, we’re celebrating five LGBTQ+ publishers in the Mediavine network who have built thriving digital businesses by doing exactly that. Their niches range from food and travel to gardening and disability advocacy. Their audiences vary significantly, but they all share a commitment to authenticity, inclusivity, and creating welcoming spaces.

Introducing…

Kathryn Doherty

Looking for practical recipes that make family dinners easier? Family Food on the Table is packed with approachable, healthy meals designed for real life. Founded by Kathryn Doherty, the site helps busy families get nutritious meals on the table without unnecessary stress or perfectionism.

Kathryn’s content is rooted in meeting readers where they are, whether that’s juggling work, school activities, or simply trying to get dinner ready after a long day. Her welcoming approach and practical solutions have made Family Food on the Table a trusted resource for families of all kinds.

Danielle Madden

Meal prep can feel overwhelming, but Project Meal Plan makes it accessible. Created by Danielle Madden, the site focuses on approachable meal prep recipes and planning strategies that help readers simplify their weekly routines.

Danielle has built a loyal audience by creating a space where everyone feels welcome. Through practical recipes and thoughtful community engagement, Project Meal Plan empowers readers to build confidence in the kitchen while making healthy eating more achievable.

Maartje Hensen

Travel looks different depending on who you are, and Once Upon a Journey embraces that reality. The travel and lifestyle platform created by Maartje Hensen draws from personal experiences navigating the world as a non-binary queer traveler.

Through destination guides, travel resources, and lifestyle content, Maartje offers a perspective that helps readers explore the world with confidence while celebrating both adventure and authenticity.

Raffaele DiLallo

For plant enthusiasts seeking expert advice without the intimidation factor, Ohio Tropics is a go-to destination. Founded by Raffaele DiLallo, the site offers practical guidance on houseplant care, rooted in years of hands-on experience.

Known for his approachable teaching style and honesty about both successes and failures, Raffaele has cultivated a thriving community of plant lovers who appreciate the welcoming, judgment-free environment he cultivates.

Meriah Nichols

At the intersection of disability advocacy, travel, parenting, and personal storytelling sits Meriah Nichols‘ platform. Through her work, Meriah explores life through multiple lenses, including disability, motherhood, and queerness, creating content that challenges assumptions and celebrates diversity.

Her long-running relationship with her audience has allowed readers to grow alongside her as she shares her evolving experiences and perspectives, building a community rooted in connection and understanding.

Branden Harvey

Good news is a radical act and Branden Harvey has built a media company around it. As the founder and CEO of Good Good Good, Branden created the Goodnewspaper, a printed newspaper dedicated entirely to good news, hosts the podcast Sounds Good, and has built an online community of more than 500,000 people committed to making the world better.

Before Good Good Good, Branden traveled the world as a humanitarian photographer, working with clients including the United Nations and Feeding America. He was invited to the first-ever White House photography meetup and was hired to cover Pope Francis’ visit to the United States on behalf of The Vatican. His work has been featured by The New York Times, Men’s Health, and Mashable, among others.

Branden brings the same intentionality to his publishing work that he brings to everything else. The belief that the stories we tell shape the world we live in.

Building Community Through Authenticity

Despite serving different audiences and content verticals, the foundations of these publishers’ successes are remarkably similar. They’ve built businesses by making people feel seen, welcomed, and understood.

Creating Spaces Where Everyone Belongs

For many LGBTQ+ publishers, Pride is deeply connected to the idea of belonging. That philosophy often extends beyond identity and into the communities they build online.

Danielle Madden says her identity has shaped the environment she creates for her readers. “My identity as a bisexual woman has made me keenly aware of some of the challenges faced by anyone who has ever felt different or out of place. That awareness shapes the kind of space I try to create at Project Meal Plan.”

Even as a recipe site, her goal is simple: “I want anyone to feel welcome within that niche if they find Project Meal Plan.”

Kathryn Doherty shares a similar philosophy. To her, Pride is “an opportunity to celebrate progress, community and love in all its forms,” something reflected in both her content and her approach to readers. She creates recipes “designed to work for families of all kinds” and says her audience feels comfortable sharing their specific needs because they know they’ll be met with understanding rather than judgment.

For Branden Harvey, that sense of belonging runs through everything Good Good Good publishes. “Every single day, Good Good Good publishes stories of people who have found ways to make a difference in the world,” he says. “For our readers, those stories serve as a reminder that change is possible and that hope is real. Many of our readers take that newfound sense of hope and turn it into action.”

When audiences feel welcomed instead of judged, trust follows.

Showing Up Honestly

Many of these publishers spoke about authenticity not as a branding strategy, but as a way of moving through the world.

For Kathryn Doherty, that means embracing imperfection. “I show up as I am— no makeup and hair not done, kitchen not clean— and try to share recipes that are helpful and solve problems.”

For Raffaele DiLallo, authenticity is inseparable from Pride itself. “Pride, to me, is about showing up fully as yourself without apology,” he says. “I spent years compartmentalizing different parts of my identity, and at some point I just got tired of that.”

That mindset has shaped Ohio Tropics from the beginning. “I don’t make Pride a headline, but I also don’t hide from it. That authenticity is baked into everything I do.”

Readers consistently respond to publishers who choose honesty over perfection, and connection over performance.

Turning Lived Experience Into Unique Perspective

In a publishing landscape where content is increasingly commoditized, lived experience remains one of the strongest differentiators a publisher can have.

For Maartje Hensen, their identity directly informs the stories they tell. “As a non-binary queer person, my identity has heavily influenced my work. My travel and lifestyle blog draws from my own experiences navigating the world as a queer person.”

Their definition of Pride reflects that perspective. “Pride is a protest. It’s a time to make our voices be heard for the most marginalized in our community,” they explain. “And sure, it’s also a celebration of queer joy, because we don’t have to be miserable while fighting this battle.”

Meriah Nichols sees Pride through a similarly expansive lens. “Pride means moving beyond acceptance or merely surviving in a world not built for us,” she says. “Pride means reclaiming joy, ditching shame, and celebrating how our differences shift culture forward.”

The most memorable publishers aren’t trying to sound like everyone else. They’re leaning into experiences and perspectives that only they can bring to the conversation.

Representation Isn’t a Campaign

Several publishers emphasized that authentic inclusion can’t be limited to a single month on the calendar.

Raffaele DiLallo offers straightforward advice for brands hoping to connect with LGBTQ+ audiences: “Don’t show up once in June and disappear.”

He notes that audiences can quickly spot the difference between genuine support and performance. “They can tell the difference between a brand that actually values them and one that’s using a rainbow logo as a marketing tactic.”

Meriah Nichols echoes that sentiment. “Pride isn’t performative. It isn’t a once-a-year thing to be celebrated or paid attention to.”

Instead, she argues that diversity should be reflected consistently in the people brands hire, partner with, and elevate throughout the year. “The things that we’re proud of are natural and normal parts of human diversity,” she says. “They need to be integrated into brands and advertising in authentic, holistic ways.”

Branden Harvey’s approach to running Good Good Good reflects that same principle year-round. “I made the decision to keep Good Good Good fully independent so we could make our own autonomous decisions and live out our mission without outside pressure,” he says. That independence means the publication never has to compromise on the stories it tells or the communities it covers, in June or any other month.

Community Is the Foundation

Pride and community go hand in hand. It’s about creating spaces where people can show up as themselves and know they’ll be welcomed.

Whether they’re helping families get dinner on the table, teaching meal prep, sharing travel experiences, helping plant lovers thrive, or advocating for disability and LGBTQ+ visibility, these publishers have built loyal audiences through that same principle.

Their success is a reminder that the strongest publishing brands aren’t built solely on traffic or trends. They’re built on trust, connection, and a genuine commitment to serving the people who show up every day.

Branden Harvey puts it simply: “The world is made better — bit by bit. And then one day you look up and realize all those small acts of hope and action have added up to a better world.”

Have your own story and want to be featured in our blog content? Reach out to marketing@mediavine.com

In recognition of Juneteenth, Mediavine is honoring this pivotal moment in American history by spotlighting the inspired work of Black publishers in our network. Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom, resilience, and culture, and we honor that spirit by uplifting Black voices and highlighting the culinary traditions that bring people together.

We invite you to explore this curated collection of thoughtfully crafted recipes you can make for Juneteenth. From beverages to entrees to desserts, you’ll find a celebration of flavor and heritage that honors this cultural moment.

Spotlighting 6 Incredible Publishers

These six talented publishers’ recipes and stories reflect the richness, depth, and joy of Black food culture:

Kenneth Temple is a Food Network Chopped Champion and New Orleans native who loves cooking the best Southern Creole classics from scratch. His Creole Oxtail Stew is a bold, slow-cooked celebration of New Orleans flavor. This is the kind of dish that brings everyone to the table.

Food Fidelity is Marwin Brown, a recipe developer and passionate home cook who brings together Southern comfort food, soul food traditions, and global influences in approachable, flavor-packed recipes. His Homemade Pork and Beans transforms a nostalgic classic into something special, combining tender pork belly, molasses, brown sugar, and slow-simmered beans for a smoky-sweet dish that’s hearty enough to earn a place alongside any spread.

Heal Me Delicious is run by Nicole Charles from her home kitchen in Toronto. Drawing on the bright, bold Caribbean flavors of her childhood in Trinidad, Nicole’s Watermelon Jelly and Custard is a dye-free, gluten-free summer dessert that layers homemade watermelon jello with creamy vegan custard and fresh fruit. It’s refreshing, absolutely beautiful, and made entirely from scratch.

Cooks with Soul is the husband and wife team of Marrekus and Krysten Wilkes, sharing hundreds of Southern soul food recipes, many passed down through generations. Their Berry Hibiscus Lemonade is a direct nod to the cultural significance of the iconic “red drink” in the Black community. It’s a vibrant, homemade blend of hibiscus tea, fresh strawberries, and raspberries that’s as meaningful as it is delicious.

Razzle Dazzle Life is Tamara Johnson, a self-proclaimed Southern gal serving up simple family recipes and weeknight dinner inspiration. Her Texas Style Smoked Beef Brisket is a 12-hour labor of love, filled with garlic butter, rubbed with spices, and smoked low and slow until it’s melt-in-your-mouth tender. Tamara calls it a must for Juneteenth, and we couldn’t agree more.

Whisk It Real Gud is April Boller Wright, a food blogger, recipe developer, and photographer based in Maryland. Her Southern Peach Cobbler has been shared over 223,000 times, and one taste tells you exactly why. With a buttery, crisp topping that bakes up like pie crust and peaches that stew in a rich caramel syrup, it’s the kind of dessert that becomes a family staple.

Celebrating Culture Through Community

At Mediavine, our publishing community is at the heart of everything we do. Juneteenth is a reminder that the recipes we share, the stories we tell, and the tables we gather around all reflect the history, resilience, and joy of Black culture in America.

To everyone who cooked, shared, and celebrated with us: thank you.

Ready to discover more? Follow our featured publishers above for more incredible recipes.

A performance guarantee sounds like a no-risk proposition. Run the math over two years and a different picture emerges, regardless of what the guarantee promises.

Performance guarantees are one of the most common tools competing networks use to recruit Mediavine publishers. The offer varies. Sometimes it’s a 30% lift, sometimes 15%. Sometimes the guarantee runs three months, sometimes six. The pitch always sounds favorable in the short term. 

What it doesn’t show you is what happens after the guarantee period ends.

Here’s what the numbers actually look like across four common scenarios.

All scenarios are based on a site earning $500,000 per year in gross revenue. These figures reflect Mediavine’s 90% revenue share for Premiere publishers. The alternative network’s standard revenue share is 75%.

Scenario 1: 30% guarantee, 3 months

The most aggressive offer. A 30% lift above current revenue for the first three months, then standard 75% revenue share for the remainder.

Year 1: Mediavine $450,000 / Alternative network $403,125 

Year 2: Mediavine $450,000 / Alternative network $375,000

Two-year cost of switching: -$121,875

Scenario 2: 15% guarantee, 3 months

A more modest guarantee. A 15% lift for three months, then standard 75% revenue share.

Year 1: Mediavine $450,000 / Alternative network $389,375 

Year 2: Mediavine $450,000 / Alternative network $375,000

Two-year cost of switching: -$135,625

Scenario 3: 30% guarantee, 6 months

A longer guarantee period at the higher lift. Six months at 30% above current revenue, then standard 75% revenue share.

Year 1: Mediavine $450,000 / Alternative network $412,500 

Year 2: Mediavine $450,000 / Alternative network $375,000

Two-year cost of switching: -$112,500

Scenario 4: 15% guarantee, 6 months

The most favorable scenario. The longest guarantee period at a 15% lift, then standard 75% revenue share.

Year 1: Mediavine $450,000 / Alternative network $425,000 

Year 2: Mediavine $450,000 / Alternative network $375,000

Two-year cost of switching: -$100,000

What the math is telling you

In every scenario, including the most generous guarantee on offer, switching costs six figures over two years compared to staying with Mediavine.

The guarantee terms change but the conclusion doesn’t.

That’s because the guarantee is designed to make the short-term math look attractive. It works for the network making the offer. The guarantee period creates switching costs, builds dependency, and locks publishers into a revenue share structure that trails Mediavine’s Premiere revenue share by 15 points.

A 30% lift for 90 days sounds significant. Measured against 21 months at a lower revenue share, it isn’t.

The bottom line

Before evaluating any offer, run the full two-year comparison. Factor in the revenue share after the guarantee ends, not just during it. The short-term lift is real. So is the long-term cost.

A performance guarantee is temporary. The revenue share you’re left with isn’t.

*This is a hypothetical example for illustrative purposes only. Individual results will vary.