5 Reasons You Should Be Looking Beyond Viewability to Maximize Revenue

By Angela Oladipupo

Quite understandably, advertisers wouldn’t pay for non-viewable ad impressions; viewability ensures that advisers pay only for impressions that have a high potential to be seen, enhancing ad performance and optimizing ad revenue.?

“Viewability is a crucial factor in revenue optimization. Advertisements must be not only present on the page but also viewable by users. Advertisers are increasingly adopting a "Viewable CPM" (VCPM) model, where they pay based on the number of viewable impressions rather than the total impressions. This shift in approach reflects the industry's understanding that impressions that go unnoticed hold no value.” Nils Lind, CEO/Founder of Assertive Yield

When ads are viewable, advertisers are more likely to see the value of partnering with publishers, leading to long-term relationships and increased ad demand. On the other hand,?

Demand-side platforms (DSPs) use historical data to determine the value they are willing to bid for a domain's ad impressions.?

This value is influenced by the domain's track record of delivering viewable impressions, outlining the importance of ensuring that ads are strategically placed for maximum visibility, aligning with the advertisers' goals.

A somewhat standard for an optimized in-content display ad unit viewability is to be considered at above 70% - at this point more advertiser demand has been unlocked for publishers - the one that targets high-viewability ads.

It’s also a sufficient number, to enable publishers to lazyload load one or two ads below the fold (BTF), with the premise that the reader will scroll there and reach them, without risking the user to reach an ad space that is yet to load the creative (which will also lower viewability).

The main issue perhaps is that it’s hard to test it - different partners have different rolling averages and methods to address this, so if you optimize your inventory today - you will have to do it on the entire website at once and wait for the demand to catch up.

You can read more about this topic here.

Let’s dive into the various factors beyond viewability that influence publishers’ revenue generation over time.?

Ad Placement and Layouts

Ad placement and layouts play a pivotal role in capturing users' attention and engagement.

While it is important to show a certain number of ads to make maximum ad revenue, plastering ads all over the page can lead to ad fatigue and detract from the overall user experience, potentially driving users away. A website with too many ads, poorly placed or hidden ads, may have lower CPMs for advertisers.?

Therefore, publishers must carefully consider the placements to ensure a seamless browsing experience while optimizing revenue. Every user on a site interacts with it differently, and different ad placements may influence each user differently, publishers need to conduct AB/n testing of smarter ad combinations and placements that work for the majority of their users.?

Impacts of Supply-Side Platforms on CPMs

Recently, most SSPs now employ smart throttling or traffic shaping when they’re getting too much traffic to remove certain requests with low value or don’t even run an auction for them.

Now, if a domain has a pretty high amount of requests being sent with low amounts of revenue generated per request coming in, this looks to the SSPs as a low-quality domain.

It makes a lot more sense for SSPs to run more auctions for the domain that is generating high CPMs per request compared to the domains that generate lower CPMs per request. Therefore, the more placements a publisher has on the page, but not generating any value to the advertisers, the lower their CPMs become on the advertising side, now making all the SSPs react to the lower CPMs even more.?

So, the Win rate is one of the important metrics to keep an eye on with your SSP partners.?

Ad Refresh

Ad refreshing involves dynamically updating ads within a webpage after a certain time interval, ensuring that users are exposed to fresh content and ads.

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This strategy allows publishers to display more ads for a user in a single session without refreshing the entire web page content. If applied to the right units, ad refresh can increase the number of ad impressions and boost the publisher’s ad revenue.?

However, it's important to strike a balance between refreshing frequency and user experience. Excessive ad refreshing can lead to banner blindness and annoyance, potentially driving users away from the site.?

By strategically refreshing ads outside the viewport or during natural breaks in content consumption, publishers can enhance engagement and revenue without compromising user satisfaction.

Intentional Clicks?

Websites with accidental clicks or low intentional clicks will not provide the desired results for advertisers. As a publisher, you might know the number of outgoing clicks - but the bounce rate on the end and the conversion rate might be much more important for an advertiser.?

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To optimize revenue generation, focus on creating compelling, personalized experiences and relevant ad content that encourages intentional clicks.?

This involves aligning ad messaging with user interests, leveraging contextual targeting, and employing interactive ad formats.?

On the other hand, publishers should also be careful not to get hit with a Confirmed Click Penalty from Google - which may result in a bad hit to revenues.?

By prioritizing intentional engagement over passive clicks, publishers can drive higher-quality traffic and improve overall ad campaign effectiveness.

Ad Density

The proportion of ads to content on a webpage, commonly referred to as ad density, is a critical factor in optimizing revenue while ensuring a positive user experience. Publishers often grapple with the question: How many ads should I put on my page? The answer lies in finding the delicate balance between ad visibility and user satisfaction.

An excessive number of ads can lead to slow page load times, negatively impacting both user experience and search engine rankings. Google recommends adhering to best practices for ad density, such as limiting the number of ads per page and avoiding intrusive formats that disrupt content consumption.

From strategic ad placement and ad refresh to intentional clicks and ad density considerations, the path to revenue optimization is dynamic.

As the digital publishing industry continues to evolve, staying ahead of the curve requires a holistic approach to ad monetization.?

By striking a balance between ad visibility and user experience, publishers can unlock new avenues of revenue while cultivating a loyal and engaged audience.

Learn more on the 11 Crucial KPIs for Enhancing User Experience and Driving Revenue Growth in Publishing.

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