Ask Should I blacklist underperforming sites or whitelist top performers only?

[Daniel084]

When running push ad campaigns, both blacklisting underperforming sites and whitelisting top performers can help improve results. Blacklisting means you remove the placements that bring low-quality traffic or no conversions. This helps stop wasted spending. Whitelisting, on the other hand, means you only target the placements that have proven to perform well. It's more focused but might limit your reach. One way to handle this is to start by blacklisting as your campaign gathers data. This lets you test wider while cutting out bad traffic. Then, once you know your top-performing placements, you can create a whitelist campaign just for those. This way, you're not just guessing—you're using real results. Some marketers prefer only whitelisting, especially when scaling. Others mix both methods. It depends on how much control and testing you want. How would you go about it?

 

[Felix😎]

It depends on your campaign strategy, but if you're starting out, blacklisting underperforming sites is usually better. This allows you to test traffic broadly and gradually eliminate sources that don't convert. Over time, this approach helps you optimize without limiting potential traffic. Once you identify consistently high-performing sites, you can switch to whitelisting them for a more focused and efficient campaign. Blacklisting is great for exploration, while whitelisting works well when scaling.

 

[Anthony Joshua]

I usually prefer a whitelist approach because it gives more control over where my ads appear. Blacklisting feels like constantly chasing bad traffic, and you can never catch everything. By whitelisting, you stick to sources that consistently perform and can scale confidently. It also makes testing easier since you're only working with sites that convert, rather than hoping bad sites eventually improve.