Not all traffic will be accepted by every ad network. Filters, antifraud systems, and targeting restrictions mean some portion of your visitors will be rejected. This case study shows how one publisher turned rejected traffic into an additional revenue stream using PopTrades fallback system.

The Problem

A publisher with an entertainment/downloads website was monetizing through PopTrade and seeing good results. However, they noticed a pattern in their statistics:

Significant rejection rate - A portion of their traffic was being filtered out by buyer antifraud settings or targeting restrictions
Lost opportunity - Rejected visitors simply saw nothing, generating zero revenue
Wasted pageviews - These were real users who could have been monetized elsewhere

The traffic was being rejected for various legitimate reasons:

Geographic targeting - Buyers only wanted Tier 1 countries, but the site had global traffic
Device targeting - Some buyers only bid on desktop, missing mobile visitors
Antifraud filtering - Strict buyers rejected borderline traffic scores
Frequency caps - Returning users who exceeded campaign limits

What They Did

The publisher implemented a smart fallback strategy using PopTrades TrafficBack feature:

Step 1: Analyzed Rejection Reasons

First, they reviewed their placement statistics to understand why traffic was being rejected:

Identified which geos had lowest fill rates
Found device types with limited demand
Noted peak hours when frequency caps triggered most often

Step 2: Configured Fallback URL

In the placement settings, they added a TrafficBack URL pointing to an alternative monetization partner that:

Accepted worldwide traffic (no geo restrictions)
Had lower antifraud strictness
Worked on all devices
Paid for traffic PopTrade buyers wouldnt take

Step 3: Set Up Conditional Fallbacks

For more sophisticated routing, they configured different fallback destinations based on rejection reason:

Geo rejection - Partner specializing in Tier 3-4 traffic
Device rejection - Mobile-focused network for mobile rejects
Antifraud rejection - Lower-quality network willing to take riskier traffic

Step 4: Monitored Performance

They tracked fallback statistics separately to ensure:

Fallback partner was actually paying
No technical issues causing lost redirects
CPMs from fallback were reasonable for the traffic quality

The Result

After implementing the fallback strategy, the publisher saw meaningful improvements:

Zero wasted traffic - Every visitor now generated some revenue
Additional revenue stream - Fallback traffic that was previously worthless now contributed to earnings
Better overall eCPM - Blended rate across all traffic improved
Cleaner primary metrics - PopTrade stats showed only high-quality accepted traffic

The key insight: rejected traffic isnt worthless - its just worth less. By routing it appropriately, the publisher captured value they were previously leaving on the table.

Key Takeaways

Rejection Isnt Failure

Traffic getting rejected by premium buyers doesnt mean its bad - it just doesnt meet their specific criteria. Another buyer might want exactly that traffic.

Layer Your Monetization

Think of monetization as a waterfall: premium demand first (PopTrade), then secondary networks for rejected traffic. Each layer captures additional value.

Match Fallback to Rejection Type

A visitor rejected for being from India needs a different fallback than one rejected for suspicious behavior. Route intelligently for best results.

Monitor Both Streams

Track your primary and fallback revenue separately. This helps you optimize each and understand your true eCPM across all traffic.

When to Use This Approach

Fallback configuration is valuable if:

You have diverse traffic (multiple geos, devices, quality levels)
Your PopTrade fill rate is below 100 percent
Youre seeing significant rejected traffic in your statistics
You have relationships with other ad networks that accept broader traffic

Technical Implementation

Setting up fallback in PopTrade is straightforward:

Navigate to your placement settings
Find the TrafficBack or Fallback URL section
Enter the URL of your fallback partner (with any required macros)
Save and test with a few requests

PopTrade automatically redirects rejected traffic to your fallback URL, passing relevant parameters so your secondary partner can optimize their response.

Dont let rejected traffic go to waste. A properly configured fallback strategy ensures every visitor contributes to your bottom line.

Case Study: How a Publisher Maximized Revenue with Smart Fallback Configuration