• by Tyler Loechner  @mp_tyler, March 12, 2015

A new study claims that nearly half of publishers (40.9%) have found generating revenue to be “somewhat or much harder” than originally anticipated. Another 26% believe monetization is as difficult as they expected, while 32% believe it has been easier than projected.

The data comes from Adaptive Media, a supply-side platform (SSP), which surveyed 132 Web publishers for the study. The company claims that 30% of those surveyed have a monthly audience of over 1 million and 45% have been generating revenue for at least five years.

One in four respondents said they view direct sales as their least important monetization tactic, followed by sponsorship opportunities (19%). Among the most important: ad network selection and prioritization, affiliate-orientated content creation and customizable players.

Perhaps the array of monetization offerings have caused publishers to feel pulled in too many directions. In the past three months, over one-third of publishers have used all of the following methods to monetize: behavioral targeting, recommended content, brand sponsorships, content-targeted ads, mobile ads, affiliate and video.

And it’s not just the offerings (direct, ad net, affiliate, etc.), but the options within the offerings, such as prioritizing price versus quality. (70% said quality of traffic is essential, while 60% said high CPMs are important.)

All told, over 25% of online publishers are not satisfied with the revenue they are generating, per the report.