The 5 Questions Every Publisher Should Ask Their Monetization Partner
Discover the five essential questions every publisher should ask their monetization partner to regain control, boost transparency, and maximize ad revenue.
In the rapidly evolving world of programmatic advertising, complacency is expensive. While legacy monetization partners like Freestar or MonetizeMore may have once delivered results, the truth is many publishers are leaving money—and control—on the table.
Whether you're exploring a new solution or evaluating your current one, the key to maximizing ad revenue, transparency, and long-term growth is asking the right questions.
At Aditude, we believe great partnerships start with clarity. Below, we outline the five questions every publisher should ask their monetization partner and what the answers should tell you.
1. How Much Visibility Do I Really Have Into My Ad Stack?
Too often, ad monetization partners claim to offer transparency but still operate as black boxes. As a publisher, you deserve to know what’s happening behind the scenes—who's bidding, which partners are prioritized, and how decisions are made.
Why This Question Matters: Without full visibility, you're blind to key metrics that impact your revenue, including bid-level data, floor pricing, and auction dynamics. Many partners limit access to this information in order to maintain control or protect their own margins.
Red Flag Answer: "We provide aggregated reports once a month and manage everything for you. You don’t need to worry about the details."
This is code for: We don’t want you to see what’s really going on. That lack of insight makes it impossible to hold them accountable.
What to Look For Instead:
- Real-time dashboards
- Access to raw real-time auction data
- Transparent reporting that shows partner performance
With Aditude’s Insights, publishers have access to robust analytics that reveal what's really driving revenue—from ad unit performance to SSP behavior. No more guessing. No more gatekeeping.
2. Is Your Technology Truly Optimized for My Site—Or Just One-Size-Fits-All?
Many legacy monetization partners offer templated solutions that treat every publisher the same, regardless of site structure, audience behavior, or content vertical. These generic setups may be easy to deploy but often underperform.
Why This Question Matters: Programmatic success depends on nuance. Factors like layout, scroll behavior, and user intent can drastically affect ad performance. If your partner isn’t tailoring their technology to your site, you’re losing money.
Red Flag Answer: “We use a standard setup that works well across all our publishers.”
This approach may have worked in 2019. Today, it’s a sign they aren’t evolving or personalizing your monetization strategy.
What to Look For Instead:
- Custom wrapper configurations
- Dynamic flooring that adjusts in real-time
- A/B testing and experimentation capabilities
At Aditude, we build custom wrappers that fit your unique needs and include advanced features like Dynamic Flooring to adjust floor prices based on real-time demand and behavior automatically. That means more revenue with less guesswork.
3. What’s Your Incentive to Optimize My Revenue Over Time?
Most monetization partners get paid based on a revenue share model. On the surface, that seems aligned with publisher interests—but dig deeper, and you’ll often find misaligned incentives. Once a baseline is set, many partners become complacent, focusing on keeping things steady rather than pushing for growth.
Why This Question Matters: You need a partner who treats your site like a business they co-own, not a monthly commission check.
Red Flag Answer: “You’re already doing great! There’s no need to change what’s working.”
This sounds reassuring, but “doing great” should never be the ceiling in a dynamic market. The right partner is always testing and optimizing.
What to Look For Instead:
- Proactive optimization suggestions
- Continuous testing and strategy shifts
- A team that treats your revenue goals like their own
Aditude’s publisher-first philosophy means we don’t just “set it and forget it.” With no lock-in periods, we earn our keep every day—constantly iterating, optimizing, and proving our value. Whether it’s launching new units, testing layouts, or exploring SaaS-based control with Serve, our unbiased server-side decision engine, we’re always working to drive better results.
4. How Do You Handle Control and Ownership of My Monetization Stack?
Control is one of the biggest sticking points in publisher-monetization relationships. Some partners retain ownership over critical parts of your stack—like your Prebid wrapper, server infrastructure, ad and site layouts, and even your CMS—locking you into their ecosystem and making it difficult to leave.
Why This Question Matters: If you ever want to change partners or internalize your operations, you shouldn’t have to rebuild your tech from scratch.
Red Flag Answer: “We’ll take care of everything—just leave it to us.”
What they really mean is: We own the keys, and if you leave, you start over.
What to Look For Instead:
- Publisher-owned wrapper and data
- Portable technology that can transition easily
- Clear contracts with exit flexibility
Aditude is built on a foundation of publisher empowerment. With Serve, our server-side decisioning engine, publishers regain control of their stack while maintaining transparency and performance. It’s monetization, on your terms.
5. How Are You Future-Proofing My Monetization Strategy?
The ad tech industry is shifting faster than ever. Privacy regulations, signal loss, and changing buyer behavior mean yesterday’s setup won’t survive tomorrow. Your partner should be thinking beyond Q4 and helping you prepare for what’s next.
Why This Question Matters: Programmatic is no longer about plugging in a few SSPs and hoping for the best. The landscape demands innovation, strategic foresight, and technical agility.
Red Flag Answer: “We’re watching the market closely and will let you know if anything changes.”
Translation: We’re reactive, not proactive.
What to Look For Instead:
- Investment in SaaS-based innovation
- Transparent roadmap for tech upgrades
- Experience helping publishers navigate signal loss and privacy changes
Aditude has consistently been ahead of the curve, from our early adoption of dynamic floor pricing to our Serve, which enables true header bidding server-side without the conflict of interest legacy ad servers bring. We’re not reacting to industry change—we’re helping define it.
How Aditude Answers These 5 Questions
Here’s how Aditude compares when publishers ask the tough questions:
- Visibility: Full transparency through Insights, auction-level data, and real-time reporting
- Customization: Every setup is bespoke—Cloud Wrapper supports A/B testing and publisher-defined logic
- Incentives: We grow only when you grow—plus, we treat publishers like partners, not accounts
- Control: The ability to retain stack ownership and have exit flexibility with our different Wrapper models
- Future-Proofing: Built with SaaS-first infrastructure, Aditude supports server-side header bidding, ID-less environments, and publisher autonomy
The Bottom Line: Your Monetization Partner Should Be Working for You
If your current partner can’t answer these questions with confidence—or worse, avoids them altogether—it’s time to rethink your options.
The truth is: there is a better way.
At Aditude, we’ve helped publishers transition away from legacy ad servers, take back control of their monetization, and unlock revenue growth through modern, transparent, and publisher-centric solutions.
Whether you’re looking to gain visibility, improve control, or future-proof your ad tech stack, Aditude is ready to help.
Ready to Ask These Questions for Real?
Let’s talk. We’ll walk through your current setup, explore opportunities, and show you how Aditude can put your monetization back in your hands.
Don’t settle for business-as-usual. Ask the hard questions. Demand better answers. Choose a partner who puts publishers first—choose Aditude.
