Journey by Mediavine: My Honest Review After 3 Months
When I heard about Journey by Mediavine, I was intrigued. Having already tried AdSense and Ezoic, I knew those platforms had their limitations.
But Mediavine has a reputation for being one of the best ad networks out there, so I figured their new offering for smaller sites had to be better.
After three months on Journey (apply here), I’ve experienced the platform’s ups and downs, and I’m ready to share my honest take.
If you’re wondering whether Journey is the right fit for your blog, stick around — I’ve got some insights that could help you decide.
| Key Takeaways | Details |
|---|---|
| My Rating | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) |
| Best For | Newer bloggers with at least 10,000 sessions per month looking for a better-paying ad network. |
| Pros | Simple setup, improving earnings, minimal impact on site speed. |
| Cons | Potential long wait for approval, limited direct support, hosting compatibility issues. |
What is Journey by Mediavine?
Journey by Mediavine is a new ad network designed for smaller blogs that generate at least around 10,000 sessions per month, allowing them to monetize their traffic and earn money from displaying ads.
It’s a great way for newer or smaller creators to start earning revenue even if they don’t meet the higher traffic requirements of the main Mediavine platform.
To join Journey, you first need to install Grow — a platform that works in tandem with Journey. Grow is all about maximizing your website’s potential by building your email list, improving engagement, allowing readers to share your content easily, and providing insightful analytics. It’s a powerful tool, and it’s a requirement if you want to apply for Journey.
Once you have Grow set up, you can apply for Journey and wait for approval.
I believe Mediavine launched Journey in response to the Google Helpful Content Update (HCU) in September 2023, which caused many blogs to lose up to 90% of their traffic.
This sudden drop made it difficult for many sites to qualify for Mediavine, so Journey offers a simpler and more accessible version of the “big” Mediavine with just the essential features and a straightforward setup — perfect for anyone looking to start monetizing their website.
Why I Chose Journey by Mediavine for My Blogs
To be honest, I had nothing to lose. A few years back, I was using Ezoic (you can check out my honest thoughts on Ezoic in my YouTube video here), but after some time, it just wasn’t cutting it anymore.
I switched back to AdSense, hoping for a better experience. Unfortunately, AdSense wasn’t much better — especially in 2024 when their payment model changed, and earnings took a nosedive.
Everyone seemed to be complaining about the low payouts, and I felt the same frustration.
That’s when I decided to give Journey a try. Mediavine’s reputation as a top ad network made me think, “Why not?” If it didn’t work out, I could always go back to AdSense — not that I was excited about that idea, but at least it was an option!
3 Months In: What I Love About Journey by Mediavine
Finally, the most important part, right?! After being on Journey for three months, here are the things I love most about the platform — and I believe you’ll feel the same:
- Simplicity – There’s no complicated ad setup or settings to worry about. Once you set up Grow and install the Journey code on your website, they handle the rest. The ads are placed for you automatically, and that’s it. You don’t need to do anything — and actually, you can’t do much either (though recently, they did add a new feature that allows you to adjust ad density settings).
- Earnings – My earnings have been steadily improving day by day. At first, they were a bit lower than what I made on AdSense, but that’s to be expected since Journey needs time to optimize the ads, their placements, sizes, etc. Now, my earnings are almost double what I was getting with AdSense, which I’m more than happy about.
- Site Speed – In 2024, site speed is crucial, and I’ve noticed that Journey doesn’t slow down my website as much as Google AdSense did — and definitely not as much as Ezoic. Yes, the Grow plugin does cause a slight speed decrease, but it’s still far better compared to those other networks.
The Challenges of Using Journey by Mediavine
To be honest, there aren’t many downsides, but there are a few things you should keep in mind before jumping in:
- Web Hosting Compatibility – If you’re using low-quality web hosting with strict or unusual security settings, Journey’s (Mediavine) bots might be blocked from accessing your website. This would prevent you from enabling Journey on your site. I ran into this problem myself but switched to Interserver Web Hosting *affiliate link, and all the issues disappeared. Now, everything works smoothly, and I’m much happier!
- Approval Wait Time – The approval process can take a while, especially for the first website. I waited around two months to get my first site approved, and I’ve heard of others waiting over three or five months. However, once your first website is accepted, adding a second one seems to go faster — my second site was approved in less than a month.
- Limited Support – While I haven’t faced any major issues myself, I’ve seen complaints from others about the lack of direct support. Instead of having dedicated support agents, they often direct you to forums and community groups to find answers. I haven’t needed this yet, but it’s worth knowing in case you run into any problems.
Tips I Have for New Users
I don’t have any special hacks since the whole installation process is pretty straightforward, but here are a few things I recommend:
- Prepare Your Website for Ads – Make sure your website is set up for displaying ads effectively. This means having shorter paragraphs, a fast-loading site, and possibly a sidebar for sticky sidebar ads. Overall, your design should be clean and simple, optimizing for ad placements. I’ve seen some people complain about low RPMs, but when I checked their websites, they had long paragraphs, slow loading times, and other issues that made it harder for Journey to optimize ad placements.
- Be Patient with RPMs – Don’t rush to judge the platform too early. Your RPMs might be quite low for the first few days or even weeks, depending on how much traffic your site generates. Give Journey at least two months to fully optimize ad positions, sizes, and placements before deciding if it’s right for you.
- Apply Even if You’re Below 10,000 Sessions – If you’re just shy of the 10,000 sessions requirement, don’t be afraid to apply anyway. Journey will review your website, and if your content is strong, you might still get accepted. I’m not suggesting you apply with a brand-new site getting only 500 visitors a month, but if you’re around 7,000 sessions, it’s worth a shot!
Is Journey Really Worth It?
I’ll keep this short: for me, it’s reaaaaaallly worth it.
Honestly, I didn’t expect too much going in, but Journey has exceeded my expectations so far. This might be a bit subjective, but I truly think Journey is a fantastic platform — and it has the potential to become a real threat to Google AdSense. Finally, a worthy alternative to AdSense!
I think you should all give it a try, especially if you’re stuck on that crappy Ezoic (sorry, not sorry!).
Alternatives to Journey by Mediavine
I’ll keep this focused on the platforms I’ve personally tried.
There are dozens of ad networks out there, and new ones seem to pop up all the time. But in my experience, the only real alternatives to Journey are AdSense and Ezoic.
You might want to explore other platforms, but I doubt they’re any better.
- AdSense is simple and probably the best option for total beginners until they get enough traffic to qualify for Journey. It’s easy to set up and doesn’t require much effort, making it a decent starting point.
- Ezoic, on the other hand, was pretty good a few years ago. Now, I think it’s completely gone downhill, and I wouldn’t recommend wasting your time there.
Final Thoughts: Who Will Benefit Most from Journey by Mediavine
Overall, I think Journey by Mediavine is a great choice if you have the traffic and aren’t happy with your current ad network.
If you’re new to blogging, I know firsthand how much of a difference it makes to go from earning $100 a month to $200 just by switching to a better-paying ad network.
That extra cash can really motivate you to keep pushing forward and give you more money to reinvest in your blog — whether it’s creating better content, building backlinks, or just covering your hosting costs.
So, if you’re stuck on a platform that isn’t paying off, I’d definitely give Journey a shot.
