You wouldn't place a TV advert on a channel with no viewers, or buy space on a billboard facing a road with no passers by, would you? By the same logic, chances are that you probably wouldn't spend money on a digital ad that would never be seen.

While common sense might suggest that this is true, according to Google, only 50% of display ads on publishers' sites are actually considered "viewable". That means that half of the digital ad space that marketers are spending their valuable budget on may never actually be seen.

For that reason, the concept of "viewability" has been transforming the way that digital advertising is bought and sold, becoming the currency of the industry. To measure whether or not an ad had the opportunity to be seen, the Media Ratings Council (MRC) set a standard, which says that a display ad can be considered "viewable" if at least 50% of its pixels are in view for a minimum of one second. For video ads, that standard is 50% for a minimum of two continuous seconds.

Measuring whether or not a given ad was actually seen (rather than just served) gives publishers an opportunity to boost ad revenue by creating more value for advertisers out of the display inventory on their site. To take advantage of this revenue opportunity, publishers should be thinking about how to maximise viewable impressions on their sites.

With this in mind, here are four tips to help publishers optimise and test for viewability.

1. Test methods to keep ads in-view for a longer duration of time
A recent study by the IPG Media Lab found that the amount of time that visitors have an ad in-view is the biggest predictor for overall ad effectiveness. One way to investigate this is to test a traditional banner ad against a "sticky" banner ad, which would remain visible as the reader scrolled down the page until a certain depth, at which point it would disappear. Many organisations find that sticky banners result in much higher viewability than traditional banner ads, making that ad space immediately more valuable to advertisers and allowing more revenue to be derived from the unit.

2. Place ads near areas of the page with high engagement
Publishers should consider testing ad units in areas that are likely to generate high engagement. If you are drawing visitors toward a specific piece of content such as a hero article or a video modal, contemplate optimising that content and then place ads next to that section for higher engagement and ad recall.

3. Consider testing different ad sizes
In aiming to get 50% or more of the ad creative in view (the requirement for an ad to be considered "viewable"), publishers should test different ad sizes. A study by Google found that on average, vertical ad units are more likely to be viewed than square or horizontal ads. With that said, certain sizes will be more effective at achieving viewability based on the page layout and placement of the ad. Publishers should plan to test several combinations of ad sizes and page layouts to determine the optimal viewability for their own site.

4. Aim for ad spaces that are less cluttered
The study by IPG Media Lab tested ad spaces with one, two, and four ad units on the page. The findings were that less ads in the space resulted in an increase in both ad and message recall. If a site has multiple ad units cluttering a specific area, publishers should consider testing a de-cluttered version of the page, either spacing out the units or removing some altogether, in order to increase overall viewability for their display inventory.

As viewability continues to gain momentum as the new currency in digital advertising, publishers should be thinking ahead about how to maximise viewable impressions on their sites. By optimising for viewability, publishers can expect to increase ad revenue while providing a better experience for their advertisers.

 

By Marie Despringhere, UK Country Manager, Optimizely

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