Ad viewability measures whether an advertisement had the opportunity to appear within the visible area of a user’s screen. It does not prove that the person noticed the ad, understood it or took action.
Display advertising can reach an audience across websites and apps, but a served impression may load outside the visible part of the page. Viewability measurement helps advertisers separate ads that had an opportunity to be seen from ads that did not enter the screen.
Advertisers and markets spend a significant amount of money to convey their marketing messages to their target audiences. However, viewability issues often dampen their efforts and negatively affect the (return on investment) ROI of ads.
Due to viewability problems, advertisers are unsure whether their ads are being delivered to the right audiences at the right time. Viewability is concerned with whether a display ad is seen by the intended audience or by fraudulent ad impressions generated by bots. It also refers to whether someone for a specific period saw the ad or if the ad’s position on the page was blocked.
These issues have negatively affected the confidence people have in online ads simply because it’s challenging to differentiate between fraudulent and genuine clicks. Additionally, there’s an increasing doubt whether ads are actually seen by audiences as users reportedly see only half of the ads.
How to measure viewability
The key to solving this issue is for marketers and advertisers to measure viewability according to different metrics. One measure could be engagements which could be measured when the mouse hovers or clicks on the ads. This action shows that a user would have at least acknowledged the ads. However, the problem with this approach is that it may not accurately indicate campaign results or performance since metrics should reflect a campaign’s objectives.
There is debate on whether there need to be varying viewability metrics across different platforms. However, all differences often go down to two main factors; it takes 0.25 seconds for a human mind to register an image into memory. Secondly, any differences in platforms do not justify the significant amount of resources that are spent debating any differences.
Hence, while there are viable reasons for setting a standard across the industry, the immediate concern should involve delivering more effective advertising.
The future of ad viewability
To determine the way forward to measure an ad’s viewability, it’s also essential to understand the different factors that affect it. For instance, an ad’s position on the page plays a massive role in how viewable it’s going to be. An ad’s position that’s right above the fold is the most powerful position as compared to the one that’s at the top of the page.
Additionally, vertical ad sizes are the most effective since they stay on the screen for a longer time as the user navigates around the page.
Moreover, even though above the fold positions are considered good, the place is not always the best indicator of viewability since many below the fold impressions are actually viewable.
Lastly, viewability differs according to industries. Content that is more likely to draw and hold a user’s attention is more likely to be successful. For instance, ads for games and arts and entertainment industries tend to do better than telecom and hobbies industries.
Conclusion
Advertisers should review viewability by placement, device and creative format, then compare it with attention and conversion measures. A high rate shows that more impressions entered the visible screen area. It does not show that users noticed the message or that the campaign produced a sale.
Viewability is one quality check, not a campaign outcome
Advertisers should compare viewability with placement, invalid-traffic controls and results tied to the campaign goal. Publishers can improve the opportunity to see an ad through page design and loading performance without flooding the page with units. Measurement vendors and buying platforms may report different figures because their methods and eligible impressions differ.
