How did Adwords change bidding at the end of 2023? (performance analysis)
What is AdWords? Google AdWords, now known as Google Ads, is an online advertising platform by Google. It allows businesses…
When starting their foray into programmatic, every publisher aims to increase their revenues by adding ads on their websites. Usually, the first step in this direction is to start monetizing with Adsense/Google Ad Manager, or another ad server – the decision often depends on the size and the extent of the publisher’s knowledge.
The next step will usually be to learn about the ways in which to maximize their revenues. This can be helped by adding new, characteristic advertising units, applying best practices in terms of placement of ads on the site, or adding technological solutions such as header bidding, which can quickly contribute to a rapid increase in revenues. What else is worth being given a try? After many tests, we are able to propose several products that can increase advertising revenues.
How to increase revenue using tech products?
Unlocking AdBlock traffic
One of the technological solutions that can help to increase publishers’ proceeds from online advertising is the monetization of adblock traffic. In recent years, we have seen an increase in the use of adblock in all countries. A recent study on this topic shows that adblock is used by 26% of all users (statistics from the US) to even 42% of users (statistics from Poland).
Due to the ever-more-frequent use of adblock technologies, publishers, advertisers, and advertising agencies record losses in revenues from online advertising. This is why solutions have started to appear on the Internet advertising market that are supposed to help monetize the traffic blocked by adblock solutions, without being too intrusive for the users.
Also, our experts have tested such a solution – with our publishers. We used the solution offered by Uponit (now Blockthrough!). It is a platform whose task is to reclaim advertisements.
Using the created technology, the company helps online publishers to measure and restore advertising resources that have been blocked, as well as to communicate with users who block ads. Their service is certified by Eyeo (the company that owns the most commonly used adblock).
Their technological solution lets through ads that meet the requirements of the Acceptable Ads program. It is a program created on the initiative of none other than Eyeo, supposed to help publishers, advertisers, and advertising networks to create a new source of monetization, freeing up a part of the blocked area where non-intrusive ads can be displayed with a much more positive reception.
The tests have shown us that, thanks to this technology, average revenue increases are in the range of 10%–15%. There are also sites where the growth was even more evident and reached the level of about 60%, as demonstrated by the chart below:
The important thing in the implementation of this type of solution is to observe whether the ads that have been unlocked are not too intrusive for the users and do not cause a decline in the sessions or page views.
Ad Refresh for Programmatic
We have devoted a separate article to this solution, which only goes to prove that although it is considered to be unfriendly to publishers if used skillfully, it may contribute to a large growth in the monthly proceeds from online advertising.
UPDATE 2021: Now you can also review Yieldbird Research Hub focused on Using Ad Refresh as Extra Demand Source.
Native advertisements (on the example of Taboola)
If the publisher has concerns about testing technology like Uponit, a good solution to circumvent adblock is to use native ads that are displayed through content promotion networks. Currently, there are many companies on the market that specialize in monetizing this type of ads, such as AdNow, Mgid, Revcontent, Plista, and Taboola. Native ads are displayed differently from classic ads because they are supposed to look as if they were a part of the site. This is why they are not blocked by adblock technologies.
Recently, we have been testing the solution offered by Taboola. It’s one of the largest companies in the world that provides native advertising for publishers who have article content on their websites. Thanks to this solution, publishers can display ads that are non-intrusive for the users and, additionally, get paid based on engagements.
The use of native advertising is primarily intended to help:
- Obtain additional revenue through the promotion of sponsored content
- Increase user engagement and keep the user on the site through redistribution of the publisher’s articles
- Acquire new users by exchanging traffic between other sites of the publisher
The table below shows what the main objective of native advertising is, and what products they use to achieve the publishers’ objectives.
In the case of our publishers, for whom we used the native advertising technology, we recorded increases in daily proceeds ranging from 5% to 15%. Most publishers focus on additional revenue and choose the 3×1, 3×2 or 3×3 widgets for testing.
The chart below shows that Taboola’s share in the revenues is, on average, 5%–10%. The share was greater when the traffic on the website was lighter.
Outstream video ad format
Another solution that we often offer to our publishers is outstream. This is a separate format that includes video advertising, but without the need for the presence of video content. Why is it worth giving this solution a try?
- You don’t need to have video content to enable the displaying of the ad.
- It’s a format that has great potential in targeting by buyers.
- The advertising unit is not visible to the user until he/she reaches a specific place on the website (implementation through a hidden break in the site).
- The sound of the ad is only activated when the unit is visible on the user’s screen.
Placement on the website has an influence on the results of the out-stream. This solution is recommended between articles, when the user is engaged on the website, thus making the ad visible for longer.
In the case of our publishers, we most often tested this solution between articles, and, if the website had the possibility of longer scrolling, also in the form of a slider.
In the latter case, thanks to the specific nature of the site and the later deals, we managed to increase the revenues from 40% to 60%.
Summing up
The online advertising market is constantly changing, and publishers often have to adapt to these changes. Similarly, their approach should change so that revenues wouldn’t have to be increased through mere optimization of AdExchange or other SSPs. Growth can also be very quickly achieved through the ability to select products for the type of website. If you, the publisher reading this, are not afraid of innovation but are not sure what will be best for your website, feel free to contact our experts.
