Investing in the viewability of ad placements is always topical. Advertising buyers are more aware and demanding than ever, making it especially important.
The visibility of the placements, or viewability, is measured by in-screen values. According to the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau), as is the generally used industry definition, in-screen value refers to the proportion of display screens displayed on the screen by at least 50% for a second in video advertising for two seconds. There is an exception to the definition for large ad formats: at least 30% or more of a large-sized ad must be displayed for at least one second.
More advertisers by investing in quality
We have noticed that improving the viewability of ad placements significantly increases the number of advertisers interested in the site and enables a higher achievable cost level (CPM). We started improving the viewability of one publisher's ad placements in February 2022, when the viewability was at 57%. In February, there were 6,480 advertisers on the site. In April, the viewability had risen to 73.7%, with 10,203 advertisers on the site.
If 60% viewability was previously considered reasonable, the goal should now be closer to 90%. Paying attention to placement visibility can significantly affect your earnings.
Bad in-screen values tell the publisher that at least these things need more attention:
Creatives - Creative weight, the amount of resources to be downloaded, the initial load and post-loading (i.e. the essential elements first appear as a light initial load and the remaining elements in the post-loading), the number of tracking pixels and the creative implementation of the material affect how quickly the material is loaded onto the screen. An excessively weighty ad can decrease in-screen values. Find the appropriate weight limits for the material and ensure that the delivered materials stay within the limits.
Number and quality of ad placements - The number of ad placements affects the page's load time and user experience. More ads is not always the best solution—a smaller number and better placement are often better for everyone. This may mean that the entire inventory decreases for the publisher, but the remaining inventory is of higher quality and, thus, more valuable and desirable.
Page load time - Often, sites with advertising have comparatively longer loading times. It is recommended that the site be loaded as quickly as possible. Performance optimization affects both user experience and usability. Async technology allows different site elements to load independently of each other, resulting in improved user experience and loading times. Also, ensure your site has no unnecessary third-party tags slowing it down. There are several free tools for analyzing and optimizing web page load time.
In the waterfall model, the chain length increases the ad loading time - The publisher can affect how the server calls are chained in the context of programmatic purchases. Many publishers have enabled their inventory to be purchased through various media agencies and advertisers' systems. All systems are linked in the publisher's advertising management system, where the site-generated ad display is usually offered first for direct sales campaigns. After that, the unused ad impression will be provided to one of the programmatic purchase systems; if this does not use the impression, it will be offered to the next system, etc. This model is called a waterfall. The length of this chain is significant for the loading times of the ads and, thus, their visibility.
Header bidding - Various header bidding technologies provide an alternative to a waterfall model. With header bidding, calls can be sent simultaneously to different systems. This way, there is no need to wait for one system to respond before moving on to the next; all systems provide their answers simultaneously, and the advertising management system chooses the best one, taking into account direct sales ads. This can potentially speed up ad loading, but publishers can also better manage their inventory and revenue.
Content - While there are many recommendations for improving your ad's visibility, one key element is your site's content. Readers love unique and high-quality content. The high quality of the content affects whether or not the ad is shown because visitors are more likely to invest their time in high-quality content.
Low in-screen values affect advertisers' interest in media. Monitor the on-screen values of your ad placements and take action to improve them. If you are concerned about the visibility of your placements, please feel free to contact us and find out if your concern is justified. Test, learn, and let your data lead to better results.