We used to be afraid of Google and its penalties… and now, we should be afraid of… ad networks??? In my last email, I wrote about how on March 14-15, Mediavine…
Mediavine’s AI Purge: Where Do Banned Publishers Go Next?
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In my previous newsletter, I talked about how just a few weeks ago, Mediavine booted websites with AI-generated content out of Journey, their lower-tier ad platform.
They also reported the domains of these websites to DeepSee, the agency that works to classify and demonetize low-quality content across all ad networks.
As I mentioned earlier, I wasn’t affected, but I’m eagerly learning everything I can from those who were to avoid making the same mistakes.
Life After The Ban: Alternative Ad Networks
So what options do these website owners have now? Can they still monetize their websites through other ad networks?
Yes, they do!
I read on one of the publishers’ forums that after the Mediavine ban, one of these owners submitted their website to Ezoic and was accepted within a few days.
Here’s another example: A website owner whose site was purged applied to AdSense but was rejected for having “thin content.” When they then applied to Ezoic, they were surprisingly approved!
This suggests either that Mediavine’s attempted domain ban through DeepSee isn’t effective yet or that Ezoic simply does not care about it 😆
Sounds promising? I’m not so sure…
The RPM Reality Check
The catch is that Ezoic offers significantly lower RPM rates than Journey and other ad platforms—with AdSense being the only platform that pays less.
I can’t personally compare Ezoic and Journey yet since I haven’t finished switching between the platforms.
However, other publishers report that Journey’s RPMs can be anywhere from 50% to 300% higher than Ezoic’s:
https://x.com/niche_bloggers/status/1808003853620482086
Here’s how the ad platforms rank from lowest to highest earnings:
***edited out***
☝☝☝ I left out some details from my original newsletter. If you’d like to receive these updates in your Inbox in unedited form, sign up:
Mediavine and Raptive offer similar earnings rates.
A few years ago, when I switched from Mediavine to Raptive, my RPMs increased by only about 10%. However, switching from Ezoic to Mediavine resulted in an impressive 3-4x increase in earnings 🤯
Raptive’s Stance on AI Content
Now, speaking of Raptive—what’s their stance on AI content?
Raptive has taken a position similar to Mediavine:
So far in 2025, 13% of applications have been rejected for AI-generated content. We’ve been disappointed to see that 57% of those sites were later monetized by a well-known competitor.Rejecting applicants is our first line of defense against the misuse of AI, but there’s always a chance that a previously approved site has since shifted its content strategy—or changed ownership to someone who prioritizes AI-generated content.For this reason, we review content at the application stage and proactively monitor sites to ensure content remains in line with our policies. With over 5,700 sites in our network, that’s no small feat!
It’s funny how they use the phrase “well-known competitor” 😆 They’re clearly referring to Ezoic.
The New Strategy: More Sites, Lower RPMs
Currently, Ezoic appears to be happy to accept websites that were disqualified by Mediavine for AI-generated content.
The owners of these websites have no choice but to accept a significant cut in payments. To compensate for the lower earnings, some of them plan to build more AI websites at scale.
Given how quickly AI websites can be spun off, this approach is certainly feasible. I just wonder whether Ezoic will eventually tire of these practices…
Only time will tell.
How to Survive in the Age of AI Content Scrutiny
Having more websites is one way to protect yourself from losing income overnight.
The other one would be… no, not avoiding AI content generation 😆 it is not possible.
Simply make your website a bit more unique and visibly human-made:
- Avoid publishing large amounts of content with repetitive structures.
- Be transparent about AI usage in your website’s content policy or Terms of Service.
- Add unique elements to your website, such as calculators, tools, and other interactive features.
- Build a brand (yes, just like we used to do for Google).
AI can help you with all of this.
The Mystery Source of Traffic
Anyway, now that we got this done…
One burning question remains: Where do these banned websites and new ones get their traffic from? From Google?.. 🤔
I’ll dive into that in my next newsletter, which my subscribers have received already 😉
What do you think about this situation?
Are you worried that AI will swallow this world? 😬
Go to the Comments section, and let’s chat!
Otherwise, have a wonderful weekend ❤️
P.S. If you’ve been affected by any of these policy changes or have found creative ways to monetize your content beyond traditional ad networks, I’d love to feature your story in an upcoming newsletter (anonymously if you prefer).
This is a newsletter I sent to my subscribers last week. I publish the newsletters on my website; however, I edit out some information from the public versions.
If you’d like to receive these updates in your Inbox in unedited form, sign up for my newsletter:
