How to Enhance Viewability Metric for Digital Publishers

Content Highlights:

• What is Viewability?
• How is Viewability Calculated?
• Factors Affecting Viewability
• The Importance of Tracking Viewability
• How to Optimize Viewability for Better Performance
• Final Thoughts

What is Viewability?

Viewability measures the number of ads real users see, making it a far more valuable metric than just counting impressions. Simply put, it tracks how visible your ads are to your audience. If an ad is loaded on a webpage but not seen by the user, it’s not considered viewable.

Why does this matter? Advertisers are eager to invest in impressions that have the potential to make an impact. An ad buried in the far corners of a website is practically useless. On the flip side, publishers with high viewability rates become sought-after partners because their ads reach and engage users.

How is Viewability Calculated?

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) sets the industry standard for viewability. According to their guidelines, a viewable impression requires:

• Display Ads: At least 50% of the ad's pixels must be visible for at least 1 second (or 30% for large ads).
• Video Ads: At least 50% of the pixels must be visible for at least 2 seconds.

While all impressions are counted, not all are seen. Non-viewable impressions can occur due to:

• Out-of-view ads: Ads that are below the fold or obscured.
• Short-lived views: Ads viewed for less than a second.
• Invalid traffic: Bots and other non-human traffic that inflate impression counts without genuine views.

To optimize online ad campaigns, both advertisers and publishers rely on viewability impression trackers to measure how effectively their ads are seen. 

However, the Media Rating Council (MRC) maintains widely accepted definitions of viewability, which are included below. 

*Image source: Jounce Media 

Factors Affecting Viewability

Several factors can influence how viewable your ads are:

1. Ad Placement: Ads positioned prominently on a webpage are more likely to be seen.
2. Page Load Speed: Slow-loading pages can reduce viewability since users might leave before the ad appears.
3. Ad Size and Format: Larger ads or those that blend seamlessly with the content are often more viewable.
4. Ad Blocking: Ad blockers can prevent ads from being seen, reducing your viewability.
5. User Behavior: How users interact with your web pages can significantly impact ad viewability.

The Importance of Tracking Viewability

For publishers, tracking viewability offers several compelling advantages:

• Increased Revenue: Advertisers pay more for viewable ad impressions.
• Enhanced Credibility: High viewability rates bolster your credibility with advertisers.
• Improved User Experience: Less intrusive ad formats that don't clutter the page contribute to a better user experience.

“Viewability is a crucial factor in revenue optimization. Ads must be present on the page and viewable by users. Advertisers are increasingly adopting a “Viewable CPM” (VCPM) model, which pays 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, Founder/CEO of Assertive Yield.

However, the Publisher’s digital advertising landscape demands more than just viewability metrics to maximize revenue. While viewability is important, it’s just one piece of the puzzle. 

Publishers need to consider a range of factors like ad layouts, site speed, ad density, and more to optimize revenue effectively, which we deeply explored in this article: 7 Reasons You Should be Looking Beyond Viewability to Maximize Your Revenue.

How to Optimize Viewability for Better Performance

Assertive Yield provides a top-notch viewability dashboard & alert templates that allow you to track and monitor the proportion of impressions in the view according to MRC standards. You can set alerts to notify you and your team when viewability drops/increases to certain thresholds. 

Whether your viewability is increasing or decreasing or the percentage differences between various time frames, these dashboards display them.

To ensure your ads are viewable and drive maximum revenue, consider these actionable steps:

• Strategic Ad Layouts: Experiment with different ad sizes and placements to find the optimal configuration for your content and audience.
• Prioritize User Experience: Reduce ad clutter and focus on user-friendly ad formats that enhance rather than detract from the content.
• Combat Ad Fraud: Use tools to detect and block invalid traffic that skews your impression counts and lowers genuine viewability.

Final Thoughts

While viewability is crucial, it's just one piece of the puzzle in maximizing your digital advertising revenue. Strategic ad placement, careful monitoring of metrics like time-in-view and CTR, and a commitment to delivering high-quality ads are all key to navigating the complexities of digital advertising.