Buckle up, folks! This past March, our Russian editorial team scored an extensive interview with none other than Andrey Kravchenko – the mastermind behind Xevio (one of the native advertising world's heaviest hitters) and the brain trust powering Native Hub, an educational platform where the secrets of native advertising and Native to Search are finally being unveiled.
Got language barriers? Not on our watch! We've whipped up this English summary so you don't miss a single game-changing insight. Today we’ll dive into the nitty-gritty of search feed arbitrage via native ad networks and draw the roadmap to your next profit breakthrough in Native to Search.
Search Feed Arbitrage in a Nutshell
We've blown the lid off search feed arbitrage in our deep-dive article, but let's get you up to speed with the essentials:
Basically, search feed arbitrage is a game of price differences in clicks. You snag dirt-cheap traffic, funnel it toward search feeds (paid blocks sitting pretty on Google, Bing, Yahoo and friends) and watch your bank account grow with each precious click.
In practice, it works like this: some thirsty traveller spots your eye-catching banner screaming "Best Beer in Dubai" and can't resist clicking. Voila! They land on your carefully crafted page with a tempting grid of search options with clickable links. When this user bites and clicks again, they zoom straight to an advertiser's site – one who's already shelled out cash to Google or Bing for that premium position. The search engine treats this as a regular PPC click (not some feed-generated traffic), charges the advertiser their usual fee and slides a juicy commission your way. Ka-ching!
As for traffic sources – just take your pick: social media, search engines themselves, display networks… They are all fair game. But if you are hunting for the holy trinity of stability, predictability and premium quality, nothing beats Native to Search, where traffic is directed to feeds from native ad networks.
What Type of Native Advertising Are We Talking About?
Let’s get one thing straight: the term "native advertising" means wildly different things depending on which side of the map you are on. And yes, it’s no coincidence we are mentioning it right now as this particular distinction is important when working with Native to Search. In the CIS, it’s a neon-lit bazaar of teasers, clickbait, traffic swaps and other types of ads screaming for attention like market vendors hyping their goods. But hop over to Western markets and you’ll see a totally different picture. Here algorithms run the show: instead of blunt-force banners, users are served up “Read more” widgets or smart recommendations with content so tailored as if the feed has been eavesdropping on their late-night Google spirals.
As a result, Western native advertising revolves around AI-driven recommendations and high-quality traffic, whereas in the CIS it’s mostly teaser ads and flashy creatives, with few exceptions. For search feed arbitrage, traffic quality is a key factor in profitability, which is why in this guide we’ll follow the Western playbook when discussing native ads.
How to Buy Native Traffic
Native advertising’s got two routes: DSP (Demand Side Platform) and direct buying.
With DSP, you are acquiring traffic through platforms plugged into ad exchanges, for instance, Zemanta by Outbrain or MediaGo. It's marketing on autopilot: you simply upload creatives, set targeting and budget parameters and the system hunts down placements and optimises your purchases. A major plus here is, obviously, crazy scalability and flexibility. However, at the same time, you are trading some control for convenience, but pro moves like whitelists and postbacks keep things razor-sharp.
With direct buying, you work through native ad platforms (e.g. Taboola, MGID or Outbrain) where you technically have to mix automated website widget purchases with some serious manual bid kung-fu. Besides, with Taboola, you can acquire traffic on a CPA basis with the so-called Maximize Conversions strategy. This means greater control over traffic quality and VIP access to premium sites listed by traffic sources. Within the arbitrage community, this model is considered the most efficient for scaling.
Where to Buy Native Traffic for Search Feed Arbitrage
Simply put, you can buy traffic from any native ad network accepted by your feed provider, however, each one comes with their own playbook that directly impacts your traffic acquisition. Key players in the market now are Taboola, Outbrain, MGID and MediaGo.
Taboola (Direct Buying)
Taboola stands as the largest native ad network, working with top-tier publishers and serving as the exclusive partner of MSN (Microsoft's news portal that aggregates articles from various sources).
The platform reaches 600 million unique users per day – way less than Facebook's 3 billion per month, but who's counting? Volume isn't the priority here, it's about traffic quality and access to sites Facebook can't touch (like Yahoo, which ranks among the top five websites globally).
Outbrain (Direct Buying)
Taboola's main competitor, Outbrain, just leveled up big time. By merging with Teads, a major video advertising platform, they locked in a serious advantage for multimedia campaigns. They’ve also acquired Zemanta, a DSP that's a favorite for Native to Search. But keep in mind that even though Zemanta's algorithm is optimized for N2S, its traffic quality is shaky, so beware of clawbacks (when advertisers refuse to pay for subpar traffic).
Dropping 1.3 billion unique users monthly, Outbrain is no slouch. In markets like Germany and the UK, they are toe-to-toe with Taboola – sometimes even pulling ahead.
MGID (Direct Buying)
MGID is one of the biggest native ad platforms around, reaching an impressive number of 900 million unique users monthly. Sure, their volume doesn't quite match Outbrain's, but here's the kicker: their audiences barely overlap, which makes MGID great for scaling your campaigns. Besides, they’ve seen rapid growth across Italy, Latin America and Asia lately – markets where their traffic often leaves competitors in the dust.
MediaGo (DSP Buying)
MediaGo is a DSP which is way different from traditional ad networks as they don't actually own any ad inventory themselves! Instead, they've built connections to some seriously massive ad exchanges including MSN, Xandr and Yahoo, plus dozens of other traffic sources.
At the same time, MediaGo has a clever approach. Unlike Taboola and Outbrain, they are not battling for exclusive publisher deals. They've focused on snagging two specific traffic types:
Backfill traffic – the cheapest available impressions nobody else wanted that were just sitting there unsold.
Premium auction traffic – juicy high-value impressions that the big players like Taboola and Outbrain are fighting over. MediaGo simply swoops in with slightly better offers, for example, $1.05 instead of $1, and boom – that traffic is theirs.
One more fascinating tidbit: MSN runs on a Header Bidding system where VIP partners get first dibs on traffic before everyone else gets a look. Taboola used to hold this priority spot – now, it belongs to MediaGo.
Which Platform to Choose
Every native ad network delivers something completely different in the mix. And it's not just about who can serve up the most visitors. It's the real-world conditions for specific niches that truly count. Take running AFD feeds on MediaGo – practically a non-starter, since MSN won't touch Direct Links with a ten-foot pole, forcing all traffic through content (RSOC) instead. Or remember that Zemanta situation we talked about? Those clawbacks are still very much a thing, so while you definitely need to buy their traffic, you've got to be smart about how you do it.
When you are working with native ads, drop the idea that there is some magical perfect platform out there. There isn't – just the one that clicks with your specific GEOs and offers. That's exactly why our battle-tested approach boils down to:
Experiment with every available option;
Acquire as many traffic sources as possible;
Analyze results thoroughly;
Only then decide what truly drives profit and what drains the budget.
Which Offers Perform Well in Native Advertising
Native ads crush it with almost anything that works in social media, search and display advertising. But certain niches consistently deliver knockout results: search feed arbitrage, lead generation and e-commerce.
Search Feed Arbitrage
Native advertising is highly effective in search feed arbitrage because it connects with users right when they are hot on a topic. For instance, someone just finished reading about "Pros and Cons of Solar Panels" and spots a banner below saying "Lowest Prices on Solar Panels" – clicking feels like the natural next move!
Unlike social media, where clicks often happen on impulse, native ad users make conscious decisions to engage. This means cleaner, more stable traffic, with fewer bots and genuinely interested visitors.
Lead Generation (Home Improvement)
This niche includes home renovation and improvement offers, like roofing, insulation, plumbing, pipe cleaning, etc. The audience is typically 40+ homeowners who don't mind opening their wallets for substantial purchases. Leads can range from $5 to $50, though closing deals takes time – involving calls, email sequences and call centers.
Native ads perfectly match these offers because older users feel comfortable with text-heavy content. They place more faith in publishers and don't automatically skip past advertising.
Lead Generation (Finance & Insurance)
This niche covers mortgages, loans, refinancing, auto and health insurances, cryptocurrency and beyond. In the U.S. (and elsewhere), political and economic winds heavily influence this market. Mortgage and refinancing rise and fall with interest rates and broader economic conditions, and crypto segment dances to the tune of government positions on digital assets. Since nobody truly knows what's coming next, success means keeping a sharp eye on current economic patterns and pivoting fast.
E-commerce (Physical Products)
By this category we mean gadgets (drones, watches, anti-snoring clips, hearing aids), health products, supplements and beauty offers. The key success factor here is pricing – people jump at impulse buys when products feel affordable (like $100 sneakers).
You can access these e-commerce offers through MaxWeb, PerformCB and GuruMedia, though direct advertiser relationships remain the gold standard.
iGaming
Until recently, running iGaming on native ads seemed practically impossible due to technical hurdles, tight regulations, and weak user intent. However, things are changing: algorithms are getting smarter, markets are opening up and major players are testing native formats.
The biggest challenge here is user mindset – people scrolling through native ads at the bottom of articles aren't necessarily primed for immediate action like signing up or making deposits. Some success stories exist, though they are still rare exceptions. Omaze, for instance, effectively warm up audiences with storytelling about lottery winners before dropping a simple call to action: "Enter your email." From there, they build email lists, craft custom audiences, retarget users, roll out email campaigns and gradually guide users toward conversion goals.
Conclusion
Taboola, Outbrain, MGID and other native ad networks provide high-quality, specialized traffic that is often impossible to obtain, even from giants like Facebook and Google. This gives affiliates a massive edge in niches where content relevance and context pack more punch than raw audience numbers.
The golden nugget of wisdom from us: pay attention to your account managers! Their commission directly ties to your success, so they are truly motivated to help you turn a profit. Sure, occasionally you'll hit a dud manager – when that happens, just ask for a swap. But overall, their insights are worth hearing, since they know what performs well on the network and which strategies yield the best outcomes.
