Not all gaming partners
are built the same.
Monetizing the game container is only part of the job. The leaderboards, sidebars, video units, and sticky bars around the game carry many of the page’s impressions, and they deserve the same attention.
400+ gaming sites run on Yolla. 99%+ all-time partner retention.
DUE DILIGENCE
What to ask any gaming ad-tech provider
Before signing with any gaming monetization partner (including Yolla), these are the questions that separate a long-term technology partner from a short-term vendor.
Do they monetize the full page or just the game container?
Some gaming ad-tech providers focus mainly on in-game placements: interstitials between levels, rewarded ads, game-over screens. The leaderboard banners, sidebar rectangles, outstream video, and sticky units surrounding the game can end up unmanaged. On many pages, those surrounding placements carry a large share of the impressions.
Do they own their technology or is it acquired or white-label?
A provider may have built its own ad stack, acquired one, or licensed a white-label platform from a third party. The difference matters when something breaks, when you need a custom integration, or when the upstream vendor changes direction. Ask who wrote the code that runs on your site.
Are they independently operated?
Acquisitions and consolidation are common in ad tech. When a provider is acquired, product roadmaps may be consolidated, support structures reorganized, and commercial terms reviewed. An independently operated partner has one set of priorities: its publishers.
How long have they been in gaming specifically?
General ad-tech experience does not automatically translate to gaming expertise. Game interstitial timing, embed distribution tracking, gaming-audience ad-block rates, and format placement around game containers are specialized problems. Ask how many years the team has focused specifically on gaming publishers.
Do they offer gaming-specific ad-block recovery?
Gaming audiences block ads at roughly 30–45%, against 15–30% on the general web, and blocked sessions usually earn nothing. Ask whether recovery is first-party, tuned for gaming audiences, and reported as part of your revenue.
Can they track revenue across embed distribution?
If your games run on third-party portals and embed sites, revenue attribution gets complicated. Ask whether the provider can track impressions, CPMs, and revenue per embed domain, not just aggregate numbers across your own properties.
SIDE-BY-SIDE
What to check, and how Yolla answers
| Factor | What to ask any provider | Yolla Media |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Does it cover the full page or only the game container? | Full-site: in-game plus surrounding display, video, native |
| In-game formats | Which in-game formats, and how is timing set? | Interstitials and rewarded video, with break-point timing (between levels, on game over) |
| Surrounding site formats | Are the units around the game managed too? | Display, outstream video, preroll, floating video, adhesion, native |
| Technology ownership | Who built and maintains the code on your site? | Proprietary stack, built and maintained in-house |
| Demand | How is demand vetted, and how does the auction run? | Header bidding across demand partners vetted for gaming sites |
| Gaming-specific tenure | How long has the team focused on gaming? | Gaming sites only, since 2017 |
| Ownership structure | Who owns the company? | Independently operated |
| Consent management | How is consent handled? | Consent management built into the ad tag (IAB TCF) |
| Analytics | Can you see revenue per game and per embed? | Per-game attribution + embed tracking + demand landscape |
| Ad-block recovery | Is there first-party ad-block recovery? | First-party ad-block recovery built into the stack |
| Page speed | How do ads load around your games? | Reserved slot space, lazy loading, viewport-aware refresh |
| Publisher retention | What is their publisher retention? | 99%+ all-time |
| GCPP status | Are they a Google Certified Publishing Partner? | Google Certified Publishing Partner |
Scope
- What to ask any provider
- Does it cover the full page or only the game container?
- Yolla Media
- Full-site: in-game plus surrounding display, video, native
In-game formats
- What to ask any provider
- Which in-game formats, and how is timing set?
- Yolla Media
- Interstitials and rewarded video, with break-point timing (between levels, on game over)
Surrounding site formats
- What to ask any provider
- Are the units around the game managed too?
- Yolla Media
- Display, outstream video, preroll, floating video, adhesion, native
Technology ownership
- What to ask any provider
- Who built and maintains the code on your site?
- Yolla Media
- Proprietary stack, built and maintained in-house
Demand
- What to ask any provider
- How is demand vetted, and how does the auction run?
- Yolla Media
- Header bidding across demand partners vetted for gaming sites
Gaming-specific tenure
- What to ask any provider
- How long has the team focused on gaming?
- Yolla Media
- Gaming sites only, since 2017
Ownership structure
- What to ask any provider
- Who owns the company?
- Yolla Media
- Independently operated
Consent management
- What to ask any provider
- How is consent handled?
- Yolla Media
- Consent management built into the ad tag (IAB TCF)
Analytics
- What to ask any provider
- Can you see revenue per game and per embed?
- Yolla Media
- Per-game attribution + embed tracking + demand landscape
Ad-block recovery
- What to ask any provider
- Is there first-party ad-block recovery?
- Yolla Media
- First-party ad-block recovery built into the stack
Page speed
- What to ask any provider
- How do ads load around your games?
- Yolla Media
- Reserved slot space, lazy loading, viewport-aware refresh
Publisher retention
- What to ask any provider
- What is their publisher retention?
- Yolla Media
- 99%+ all-time
GCPP status
- What to ask any provider
- Are they a Google Certified Publishing Partner?
- Yolla Media
- Google Certified Publishing Partner
THE OPPORTUNITY
The full-site revenue opportunity
Picture a typical game portal page. The game canvas sits in the center. Around it: a leaderboard banner above the game, a 300×250 rectangle to the right, a second rectangle below, an outstream video unit between sessions, and a sticky adhesion bar at the bottom.
Every time a player loads that page, all of those placements generate bid requests, whether or not an in-game ad fires. If those surrounding units are unmanaged, they may see little competing demand.
We run header bidding across the full page. Vetted demand partners, including the major exchanges, bid at the same time on every placement, in-game and surrounding, so more buyers compete for gaming-audience inventory.
For a publisher whose site has been optimized only at the game container, the surrounding inventory is a revenue channel running below its market value.
Why independence matters
Acquisitions and consolidation are common in gaming ad tech. They are not inherently negative outcomes. What they do introduce is a period of transition: product roadmaps may be consolidated, support structures reorganized, and commercial terms reviewed by the acquiring company.
For publishers choosing a long-term monetization partner, the ownership and operational continuity of that partner are a legitimate factor in the decision. When a provider is acquired, the team building your ad stack and the team making business decisions may no longer be the same people.
Yolla has been independently operated since 2017. The team building our ad stack is the same team managing publisher accounts. There is no parent company setting product direction or reviewing commercial terms from outside the organization.
HERITAGE
Gaming-focused since 2017
Founded 2017
- Casual-gaming-first from day one
- GDPR: consent management built in
- Proprietary delivery layer launched
- Ad-block recovery for casual gaming audiences
- 400+ gaming sites run on Yolla
The stack is actively maintained in-house. There is no white-label or licensed platform underneath. The stack is ours. Our all-time partner retention rate is 99%+.
Ask us the same questions. We'll answer in writing.
No setup fees. We earn a share of revenue, so we earn more only when you earn more.