If you’ve ever wondered whether you can monetize a small website, even with low traffic, let me share my personal experience with Journey by Mediavine.
It’s been a surprising and rewarding journey (pun intended), and I’m here to show you how it’s possible to turn even modest traffic into meaningful income.
A Little Background
I’ll be honest—I don’t play the niche website game as much as I used to. After Google’s algorithm updates crushed many independent publishers, I decided to sell most of my sites. I kept just two:
- Carl Broadbent Dot Com, my personal brand site.
- A small travel website with over 600 articles, which I use to test SEO methods and themes.
Both of these sites were once thriving, but after Google’s updates, their traffic dropped significantly. Still, I maintained them for experimentation and the occasional project.
Discovering Journey by Mediavine
Recently, I stumbled across an ad for Journey by Mediavine. It caught my attention because it allows websites with very low traffic to join and start earning revenue through ads.
Intrigued by the opportunity to make a little extra income, I decided to apply.
At first, I didn’t expect much. After all, my travel website only gets around 4,000 visits per month (down from over 50,000 before Google’s Helpful Content Update).
My personal brand site gets even less—about 3,000–4,000 visits monthly. Despite these numbers, I thought, Why not give it a shot?
The Application Process
The application process was simple and straightforward:
- Install Grow by Mediavine: After applying, Mediavine asked me to install their Grow tool, which helps collect data and emails. It’s lightweight and had no negative impact on my sites’ performance.
- Leave Grow active for 30 days: This was an easy step, and during this period, I didn’t notice any changes in traffic or sales.
- Wait for approval: After 40 days, I received an email: “Congratulations! Your travel website has been accepted into Journey by Mediavine.”
Setting Up Ads
Once my site was approved, setting up ads was a breeze. Mediavine provided me with an Ads.txt file, which I added to my site using a plugin.
I also set up my payment details, and within days, my travel site was generating $3–$4 per day.
It might not sound like much, but that adds up to over $1,000 annually. That’s enough to fund a lovely family vacation or cover other expenses.
A Second Success
About 65 days later, I received another email: “Congratulations!” This time, my personal brand site was accepted into the program.
With both sites combined, I’m now expecting to earn between $1,500 and $2,000 a year. Not bad for websites that were otherwise struggling to generate revenue.
Why You Should Consider Journey by Mediavine
If you’re a website owner—whether your site gets minimal traffic or significant traffic—I highly recommend applying to Journey by Mediavine. Here’s why:
- Low traffic requirements: Even small sites like mine with as few as 3,000 monthly visits can qualify.
- Simple setup: The process was far easier compared to platforms like Ezoic.
- No performance issues: Running ads didn’t negatively affect my sites’ traffic, sales, or load times.
- Reliable income: During Q4, I even had days where I earned over $10. That’s income I would have completely missed without Mediavine.
Final Thoughts
Journey by Mediavine has turned my small, struggling sites into reliable income generators.
It won’t make me a millionaire overnight, but the extra $1,500–$2,000 per year makes a real difference. For a simple and rewarding way to monetize your website, I can’t recommend Journey by Mediavine enough.
Ready to Apply? If you’re curious, take the first step and apply. What’s the worst that can happen? They might say no, but you’ll never know unless you try.
Have you tried Journey by Mediavine or other ad platforms? Share your experiences in the comments below—I’d love to hear how it’s worked for you!
