Understanding MFA Sites: The Hidden World of Made-for-Advertising Websites
MFA sites are web pages designed primarily to generate revenue through ads, often at the expense of providing valuable content. These sites focus on maximizing ad impressions with tactics like clickbait headlines, endless scrolling, and filler content. Read on to explore the growing presence of MFA sites, the challenges they pose to advertisers, and strategies for navigating this complex landscape to protect your brand and campaign performance.
What Are MFA Sites?
MFA stands for Made for Advertising. These are websites created primarily to generate revenue by hosting advertisements rather than providing valuable content to users. Their core focus is not on delivering meaningful information but on maximizing ad placements and impressions. These sites are often filled with filler content, AI-generated material, and clickbait headlines, designed to keep users engaged just long enough to serve more ads. MFA sites may use tactics like slideshows or interlinking between websites to increase page views and ad interactions.
The Industry Challenge: Defining MFA Sites
One of the challenges in addressing MFA sites is that there is currently no standardized industry definition for what qualifies a site as “Made for Advertising.” As a result, various platforms and advertisers struggle to form a unified approach to managing or blocking these sites. The lack of clear definitions creates confusion and inconsistencies in how MFA sites are identified and dealt with across the digital advertising landscape. Without a formal classification, ad platforms are left to develop their own filters and criteria, often leading to varied levels of enforcement.
Characteristics of MFA Sites
MFA sites often share a few common traits that set them apart from content-driven websites. One of the most noticeable is their high ratio of ads to content, where users are overwhelmed by advertisements with little actual information. They also rely heavily on paid traffic—such as ads and clickbait social media campaigns—rather than organic traffic from search engines or direct visits. Their layout and design encourage endless scrolling, maximizing time on site to serve more ads. Additionally, the content found on MFA sites is frequently reused across multiple platforms, further reducing its uniqueness or value.
Source: Association of National Advertisers (ANA) MFA Impact Findings (June 2023)
The Prevalence of MFA Sites in Online Advertising
MFA sites have grown to occupy a significant portion of the online advertising ecosystem. Recent estimates indicate that they account for 1 in 5 online impressions, highlighting how pervasive these low-value, ad-focused sites have become. Additionally, 15% of programmatic ad spend is allocated to MFA sites, underscoring the challenge advertisers face in ensuring that their budgets are being directed toward meaningful content rather than filler material designed to generate ad revenue. This prevalence raises concerns about brand safety and the overall effectiveness of campaigns running on MFA sites.
Source: Association of National Advertisers (ANA) MFA Impact Findings (June 2023)
How Advertisers Are Navigating the MFA Landscape
Advertisers are increasingly taking proactive measures to navigate the complexities of the MFA site landscape. Many are determining their tolerance for MFA placements by setting thresholds that range from high to low, depending on their campaign goals and risk appetite. Striking a balance between quality and scale has become essential, as advertisers seek to maximize reach without sacrificing the integrity of their brand.
Source: Association of National Advertisers (ANA) MFA Impact Findings (June 2023)
To ensure their ads are being placed in high-quality environments, many advertisers are implementing robust measurement solutions. These tools allow them to track where their ads are being delivered and assess the overall impact on campaign performance, including emerging metrics like attention and even carbon emissions. Pre-bid protection has become a critical first line of defense, helping advertisers block MFA sites before their ads are served. Moving beyond standard metrics like clicks and impressions, advertisers are now looking at deeper performance indicators to fully understand the impact MFA sites may have on their campaigns.
Categories Favored by MFA Sites
MFA sites tend to gravitate towards specific content categories known for their broad, evergreen appeal. These categories include travel, family and parenting, and health and fitness, where users are likely to spend more time reading or engaging. Research shows that MFA sites are 99% more likely to cover travel-related content, 57% more likely to touch on family and parenting topics, and 47% more likely to discuss health and fitness. On the other hand, they are much less likely to focus on news (95% less likely) or sports (56% less likely), which tend to require more up-to-date information and authentic user engagement.
Source: Association of National Advertisers (ANA) MFA Impact Findings (June 2023)
The Future of MFA Measurement
To address the growing presence of MFA sites, measurement partners are introducing more sophisticated tools for advertisers. One key development is the introduction of tiered MFA options, which allow advertisers to set their own thresholds for acceptable content quality, similar to how they manage brand safety. This tiered system enables advertisers to align their campaigns with sites that meet their specific quality standards, offering greater control over where ads are placed. Additionally, measurement platforms are beginning to provide more granular data within publishers’ accounts, enabling advertisers to monitor MFA site activity and block certain sites if necessary. These advancements signal a step toward more transparent and accountable digital advertising practices.
Source: Association of National Advertisers (ANA) MFA Impact Findings (June 2023)
Standalone MFA Sites vs. Big Publishers Adopting MFA Practices
A growing question in the industry is the difference between standalone MFA sites and large publishers that adopt similar practices. Standalone MFA sites typically generate content through automation and AI, focusing solely on SEO and ad revenue, often sacrificing quality. In contrast, larger publishers may adopt some MFA practices like optimizing content for ad impressions but still maintain a level of editorial control and professionalism in their articles.
Standalone MFA sites often suffer from low trust and are frequently flagged as spammy by both users and platforms. Larger publishers, however, benefit from their established brand recognition, which can mitigate negative perceptions, even if they engage in MFA-like practices. In terms of traffic and revenue, standalone sites rely primarily on paid ads, social media clickbait, and aggressive SEO tactics. Large publishers have the luxury of organic search traffic and social media followers that help sustain their content.
Finally, standalone MFA sites are often short-lived, driven by quick revenue goals and disappearing once their tactics are exposed. On the other hand, big publishers can sustain these practices over the long term by balancing advertising with legitimate content, making their approach more sustainable in the long run.
