Outbrain Alternative¶
Outbrain fills the end of your articles with a feed of sponsored headlines that send readers to other websites. Mentionlink earns from something you already have: the products your articles mention and show. It turns those mentions into affiliate links right where the reader is reading about them, so the money comes from content readers chose to read, not from content they have to scroll past.
| Category | Outbrain | Mentionlink |
|---|---|---|
| What readers see | A feed of sponsored headlines and thumbnails, usually below the article | Links on the products your article already names, and hotspots on the products in your photos |
| Placement | Below the article, where many readers never scroll | Inline, at the sentence that mentions the product |
| Relevance | Whatever advertisers bid on for that reader | The exact product your writer recommended |
| Where the click goes | Usually another publisher or an advertiser's landing page | A store in the reader's own country, in a new tab, while your page stays open |
| Paid on | Clicks on sponsored content | Commissions on purchases |
| Layout | A widget slot to reserve and style | No slot needed; links inherit your existing link styles |
| Brand safety | Depends on advertiser filters and category blocks | Only products your content already mentions |
| Editorial Control | Category and advertiser blocking | High (links per page, sections by URL pattern, link-level refinements, removals, or additions) |
| Works alongside the other | Yes | Yes |
Where Higher RPM Comes From¶
Revenue per 1,000 pageviews (RPM) from affiliate links breaks down into five numbers:
Mentionlink is built to push every one of them up. Plug your own numbers into the Affiliate Revenue Calculator to see what that's worth on your traffic.
Clickthrough: Links Where the Intent Is¶
A reader is most likely to click on a product while they're reading about it. Mentionlink puts the link on that sentence, and on the product in the photo next to it, instead of in a feed after the article ends. It uses AI to link only high-intent mentions, so readers see a handful of links that are worth clicking rather than a wall of them.
Conversion: The Right Product, the Right Store¶
A click only pays if the reader buys. Mentionlink links to the product the writer actually recommended, from well-rated listings, and sends each reader to the store in their own country. In the US, it even takes into account that prices vary across more than 40,000 ZIP codes. A reader who lands on the item they wanted, in a store that ships to them, at the price they'll see at checkout, is a reader who buys.
Order Value and Commission: Earn on the Whole Basket¶
Mentionlink matches each mention to the affiliate program with the best fit, such as Amazon Associates, Fanatics or Lids. Programs like Amazon Associates pay on the qualifying purchases the reader makes after the click, not only on the product that was linked, so one recommendation can earn on a whole shopping basket.
Session RPM: Keep the Reader on Your Site¶
A sponsored headline that takes the reader to another website ends their visit, along with the pageviews and ad impressions that would have followed. Every link Mentionlink adds opens in a new tab, so your page is still there when the reader comes back, and your display ads keep earning on the next article they read.
Stacking: Add Revenue Without Taking Any Away¶
Mentionlink adds no ad slot, so it doesn't compete with your display ads for space or attention. It only links text that is not already linked, and it never interferes with Skimlinks, VigLink or other link converters. Every dollar it earns is added on top of what your page already makes.
A Better Reading Experience¶
Readers notice the difference between a recommendation and an ad. Mentionlink stays on the recommendation side:
- No clickbait. There are no "you won't believe" headlines next to your journalism; just the products your writers chose.
- Looks like your site. Links match your fonts and colors, so they read like part of the article.
- Fast. The script is about 35 KB compressed, loads with
defer, and waits for the page to finish loading. See Performance. - Accessible. Links, hotspots and product cards conform to WCAG 2.2 Level AA.
- No cookies. Mentionlink sends no cookies, so it doesn't need to be in your cookie consent banner.
- Disclosed for you. A footer on every page discloses that it may contain affiliate links.
High-Quality, Relevant Content¶
The content next to your article reflects on your brand. With Mentionlink, every link points to a product your article already talks about, chosen by your editorial team, not by whoever bids the most for that reader.
You stay in control:
- Links per page: cap how many affiliate links Mentionlink adds to a page.
- Sections: enable Mentionlink only on the sections where it fits, by URL pattern. See Configuration and Customization.
- Individual links: refine, remove, or add links one by one.
- Search engines: every link carries
rel="sponsored nofollow", so it has no impact on SEO.
Run Both, Then Decide¶
You don't have to switch overnight. Mentionlink and Outbrain can run on the same page, so you can measure the difference on your own traffic:
- Start a pilot on a few sections of your site, rolled out by URL pattern.
- Compare page RPM and session RPM on the pilot sections against similar sections without Mentionlink.
- Widen the rollout section by section once you're happy with the results.
Mentionlink is a revenue share with no upfront cost and no locked-in contract, and our team handles the installation for free. Email us at hello@mentionlink.com to set up a pilot.
See also: Mentionlink vs. Skimlinks.
Get Started
Schedule a free demo or email us at hello@mentionlink.com