In digital publishing, not all traffic is created equal. While premium traffic—visitors from targeted campaigns or loyal repeat users—often drive the most revenue, a significant portion of a publisher’s audience falls into a less lucrative category: remnant traffic. Understanding remnant traffic and leveraging its potential can help publishers unlock additional revenue streams without compromising their primary audience strategies.
What Is Remnant Traffic?
Remnant traffic refers to the portion of website visitors that doesn’t align with a publisher’s primary advertising criteria or audience targeting. This traffic may originate from untargeted ads, international users outside a publisher’s primary geographic focus, casual visitors who don’t engage deeply, or non-premium ad inventory.
For instance, if a publisher’s website is geared toward U.S. users in the 25-45 age range and advertisers pay a premium to reach this segment, traffic from other countries, older or younger audiences, or one-time visitors might be categorized as a remnant. While such traffic is often monetized at lower rates, it represents untapped potential if approached strategically. Characteristics of remnant traffic include:
- Low Engagement: Visitors may only view a single page and leave quickly, resulting in a high bounce rate.
- Broad Geographic Spread: Many users come from regions outside the publisher’s core focus.
- Untargeted Interests: These visitors might not match the specific demographics or psychographics premium advertisers seek.
- Unpredictable Flow: It often spikes from unexpected sources, such as viral social shares or untargeted campaigns.
How to Monetize Remnant Traffic
While remnant traffic is typically less valuable than premium audiences, publishers can still maximize its potential using these strategies:
- Leverage Programmatic Advertising: Programmatic ad networks like Google AdSense, Media.net, or OpenX offer dynamic pricing that automatically fills remnant ad slots with lower-tier demand. Although these networks may not pay premium CPMs (cost per thousand impressions), they ensure that inventory that might otherwise go unused generates revenue.
- Tip: Use header bidding to maximize revenue to increase competition among advertisers, even for remnant traffic.
- Partner With Native Advertising Networks: Native ad networks like Taboola, Outbrain, or Revcontent integrate ads seamlessly into a site’s content. These networks often work well with remnant traffic by displaying content-based advertisements that align with broader audience interests.
- Benefit: Native ads tend to attract clicks from casual browsers due to their content-driven design.
- Utilize International Ad Networks: International ad networks can offer better monetization opportunities for traffic from outside your primary market. Networks like PropellerAds, Adsterra, or HilltopAds specialize in monetizing global and non-premium audiences with optimized campaigns tailored to diverse geographies.
- Deploy Video Advertising: If your website supports video content, using video ad platforms like VAST (Video Ad Serving Template) or providers such as Magnite can effectively monetize remnant traffic. Video ads often command higher CPMs than display ads, even for untargeted traffic.
- Bonus: Consider implementing autoplay video ads for pages with high remnant traffic.
- Promote Affiliate Marketing Offers: Affiliate marketing can be a great way to monetize remnant traffic. Publishers can earn commissions on conversions by offering products or services relevant to a broader audience. For example, general eCommerce platforms like Amazon Associates or PartnerStack provide a wide range of products that appeal to untargeted visitors.
- Pro Tip: Experiment with country-specific affiliate programs to cater to international users.
- Develop Paid Subscription Offers: While this strategy may not work for all publishers, offering paid subscriptions or memberships can capture some value from remnant traffic. To encourage repeat visits and deeper engagement, you can present casual visitors with exclusive content, ad-free experiences, or perks.
- Focus on Retargeting: Even if remnant traffic doesn’t engage immediately, retargeting campaigns can help bring these users back. Platforms like Facebook Ads and Google Ads allow publishers to show personalized ads to previous visitors, potentially converting them into loyal users or customers.
- Monetize Through Data: Another way to capitalize on remnant traffic is through data monetization. Publishers can collect anonymous, GDPR-compliant data (such as audience preferences or browsing behavior) and partner with data exchanges or demand-side platforms (DSPs) to sell this information to advertisers.
- Important: Ensure you comply with privacy regulations, including GDPR and CCPA, to maintain user trust.
- Offer Direct-Sold Sponsorships: Direct sponsorships can be valuable for publishers with remnant traffic in a specific niche. Brands seeking broad exposure may be interested in reaching an untargeted or international audience.
- Example: Partner with global companies offering universally appealing products or services, such as travel or technology.
Balancing Remnant and Premium Traffic Strategies
While monetizing remnant traffic is important, publishers should avoid strategies that compromise the experience of their premium audience. Here are a few tips for balancing both:
- Segmentation: Use analytics tools to segment remnant traffic from core audiences, applying different monetization strategies to each.
- User Experience: Avoid aggressive ads or pop-ups that could frustrate all visitors.
- Testing and Optimization: Continuously test various strategies to find the right balance between revenue and user experience.
Remnant traffic may not be the star player in a publisher’s revenue strategy, but it represents an opportunity that’s too valuable to ignore. By implementing diverse monetization tactics like programmatic ads, native advertising, affiliate marketing, and video ads, publishers can maximize their earnings from every corner of their audience.
The key is to strike a balance that respects the user experience while extracting value from untargeted traffic. Even remnant traffic can contribute meaningfully to the bottom line with the right strategies.
