Adapt and Optimise to Maximise Ad Revenue
Introduction
This video demonstrates the problems Publishers still face, but will often deny they need to address, with regard to optimising content for mobile devices.
According to research done by Meetrics, the proportion of banner ads that met the minimum viewability guidelines was only 52% in the UK for Q3 2017.
As mobile accounts for over half of all display ad spend and mobile has lower viewability rates compared to desktop, optimising for mobile is more important than ever
Obviously, the smaller screen size can mean more page scrolling and, thus, more chance of ads being missed lower down a page, plus slower network connection speeds can cause ad loading delays. There's also the legacy issue of desktop ads served on mobile which don't format properly, despite the use of responsive design. Anant JoshiMeetrics
We share a typical user experience using facts from real world tests on popular news sites.
Video Transcript
In a mobile world where competition is high, it is essential to have optimised digital content that loads quickly, providing the best user experience.
Harry is on his way to work, and tries to view a popular news website.
Unfortunately the site he is trying to load is taking a long time. 20 seconds later, Harry is still waiting for the page to load.
And what if he loses signal strength and drops from 4G to 3G? Then it can take even longer to load, sometimes over a minute.
The average load time for mobile sites is 19 seconds over 3G connections. DOUBLECLICK
Here's the problem... Many sites often contain so much content that if you were to print it all out, it would be as tall as a giraffe! This means Ads won't show until all of this content has finished loading and by that time most people will have abandoned your site. Therefore, you're losing views and Ad revenue.
Many news sites can be as long as 5m if you printed them out. That’s a lot of content!
Harry is sick of waiting and goes to another site.
The alternative website has device detection integrated, enabling faster mobile optimisation and better user experience. Harry can immediately see an Ad for West End tickets.
Sites that load within 5 seconds vs 19 seconds observed: 25% higher ad viewability (and) 70% longer average sessions (and) 35% lower bounce rates DOUBLECLICK
Harry has now purchased tickets for a west end show.
The faster adverts load, the quicker they’re seen and the more likely people will click through.
It’s clear that websites that have been adapted for mobile devices, providing optimised content which appears instantly regardless of screen size, equals better user experience and increased revenue.
Optimised content + Fast loading time = Better user experience and increased Ad revenue
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Further reading which highlights the need for publishers to wake up and smell the problem
James Rosewell writes about the "Misconceptions hindering publisher revenue growth"; - Published on the IAB website 31st August 2017
Paul Gubbins writing for Mobile Marketing Magazine explains header bidding