Made-for-Advertising (MFA) — are sites created with the sole purpose of generating advertising revenue. They often contain minimal original content but are filled with numerous ads to maximize profits. Various methods may be used to drive traffic and ensure high ad visibility, but user interaction on such sites is typically poor.

Jounce Media specializes in analyzing and optimizing the programmatic sales chain. The company focuses on evaluating traffic quality, identifying and excluding MFA sites, and helping platforms and advertisers improve the quality of purchased inventory. Jounce Media provides blocklists and whitelists that allow clients to choose higher-quality ad placements and avoid low-quality or fraudulent sites.

AdLib is a self-serve advertising inventory purchasing platform designed to simplify the management of ad campaigns. Unlike traditional DSPs, AdLib offers an intuitive interface that allows users with little technical knowledge to set up and manage their campaigns. The main difference with AdLib is the availability of additional tools. AdLib also integrates with DSPs, providing a more flexible and convenient ad buying process without the need for agency services or external specialists.

Main characteristics of MFA sites:

• Many banner ads and little content.
• Main traffic source — paid channels.
• Non-original content.
• Multiple redirects.
• Template design with minimal changes.

How such lists are created:

• Traffic analysis. Services collect traffic data from various sites to understand where visitors are coming from. Sites with a disproportionately large volume of paid traffic (e.g., through ads or redirects) often raise suspicions.
• Scanning and parsing content. Specialized algorithms scan web pages, analyzing the number of ad blocks compared to content.
• Analysis of user behavior patterns. Monitoring systems track how users interact with the site. Short time on site, high bounce rates, and frequent transitions to ad pages can indicate a potential MFA site.
• Using machine learning. Machine learning algorithms are trained on existing MFA site data and can detect new sites by analyzing similar patterns and anomalies in site behavior and content.

Why MFA Sites in Publishers' Portfolios May Be Beneficial for SSPs?

• Increasing inventory volume. SSPs earn commissions from the sale of ad impressions. MFA sites generate a large number of impressions, increasing the total inventory volume for sale and SSP revenue.
• Higher margins. SSPs can earn higher profits from MFA sites because these sites usually require less maintenance and invest less in quality content. This allows SSPs to achieve higher margins on ad sales.
• Filling low-quality inventory. MFA sites allow SSPs to place ads that are difficult to display on higher-quality platforms. This helps SSPs maintain a high fill rate for ad slots, even if the quality of this inventory is lower.
• Retaining advertisers. While many advertisers avoid MFA sites, some may be less demanding or unaware of the difference in inventory quality. This allows SSPs to offer a wider range of advertising opportunities and retain advertisers seeking low-cost ads without considering site quality.

Despite the negative perception of MFA sites in the industry, it cannot be denied that these sites often have a real audience. Although the content and environment on these sites may not meet advertisers' expectations, and users may land on pages accidentally or even against their will, these sites continue to monetize by attracting real users.

Verifiers play a key role in ensuring that advertisers do not buy bot-generated traffic and ideally should prevent the purchase of fake impressions. If verifiers do their job correctly, buying an audience on MFA sites can be more cost-effective than on more traditional platforms. Thus, if your goal is to reach a specific audience and you are confident in its authenticity, purchasing ads on an MFA site may be a reasonable and profitable decision, allowing you to save your budget.