Understanding Online Advertising for Adult Businesses: Display, Affiliates, and SEO
Author: Paul Botha, Adult Industry Consultant
Published: April 8, 2025
š” Introduction
If you run an adult businessāwhether itās a fan site, webcam platform, escort directory, or massage parlourāyou know that advertising isnāt as straightforward as it is in other industries.
This guide will walk you through the key advertising channels still open to adult brands, how to use them effectively, and how to build traffic without relying on mainstream ad platforms that routinely ban adult content.
š„ļø 1. Display Advertising: Still Worth It?
Display ads (banners, popunders, interstitials) can drive immediate traffic to adult sites. But where you place those adsāand how you track themāmatters.
ā Recommended Adult Ad Networks:
- TrafficJunky: Runs ads on Pornhub, Redtube, and more
- ExoClick: Huge global inventory with video and popunder support
- AdXpansion: Works well for escort directories and fan sites
- JuicyAds: One of the longest-running adult ad platforms
Tips:
- Use geotargeting to avoid wasting spend outside the UK
- Split test banner designs and landing pages
- Monitor ROI using tools like Voluum or RedTrack
š¤ 2. Affiliate Marketing: Leverage Other Peopleās Traffic
Affiliate marketing is still one of the most powerful tools for adult businessesāespecially when launching a new site or app with limited budget.
šÆ Two Ways to Use Affiliates:
- Become an affiliate: Promote established sites like Stripchat, Fanvue, or Camsoda for commission
- Run your own affiliate programme: Let models, creators, or partners promote your platform for a share of revenue
š ļø Affiliate Networks to Join or Watch:
- CrakRevenue: Massive catalogue of offers and strong adult focus
- AWEmpire: The programme behind LiveJasmin
- ClickAdu: A blend of affiliate and display services
Pro Tip: If you run your own programme, invest in reliable affiliate tracking software (like HasOffers, Everflow, or NATS) and have clear terms to avoid fraud.
š 3. SEO: Your Long-Term Growth Channel
Search engine traffic is free, scalable, and highly targeted. While ranking adult sites on Google is trickier than mainstream ones, itās absolutely possible with the right tactics.
š Focus Areas for Adult SEO:
- Content depth: Create long-form, helpful content with clear intent (like this blog)
- Internal linking: Help users (and Google) navigate between categories
- Mobile performance: Google heavily prioritises mobile speed and UX
- Adult-specific schema markup: Label content correctly and ethically
- Title & meta descriptions: Write with curiosity and compliance in mind
š§ Keyword Types That Work:
- āHow toā searches ā e.g. āHow to become an escort in the UKā
- Localised intent ā e.g. āsensual massage near meā
- Long-tail terms ā e.g. ābest webcam setup for UK creatorsā
Blog content, FAQs, and directory listings are all strong tools for climbing the SERPs over time.
š« 4. Avoid These Common Mistakes
Many adult brands fall into the same traps when trying to scale online. Donāt be one of them.
- š« Running Google Ads or Facebook Ads: Adult content violates their ad policies
- š« Using banned words in ad copy: Avoid terms like āescortā, āsexā, āPSEā, etc. in mainstream spaces
- š« Neglecting compliance: Always disclose adult content, add disclaimers, and age-gate responsibly
- š« Forgetting tracking: Know your ROI by source, campaign, and geography
š Final Thoughts
Online advertising for adult businesses is harder than it used to beābut the opportunities are still huge for those who plan smart and stay compliant.
Work across multiple channelsādisplay, affiliate, SEOāto reduce risk, increase exposure, and diversify your growth strategy.
Need help running your first campaign or fixing a blocked account?
Iāve helped adult sites scale with display ads, ethical SEO, and affiliate recruitment. Letās chat.
š Book a free 15-minute consultation here