Anyone who runs ads online knows that having their ads actually seen by the viewers is the most important thing. This is why ads that get displayed on the second page of the SERPs, or ‘below the fold’ on a website are far less expensive than those on the first page or above the fold. This just makes sense. In an effort to get ads seen by more people, many advertisers and even website owners have been attempting to increase the size of the ads so that they are seen more. Unfortunately, this really doesn’t work too well.
Integral Ad Science released a new report that looked at how to get ads seen more often, and the results found that viewability is determined by ad placement, not size.
Paul Nasse, a UK Commercial Director at Integral Ad Science said of the report, “The data from our latest UK Media Quality Report highlights that there needs to be a greater understanding across the industry in the effectiveness of ad formats when analyzing viewability. Size does not equal success and ad position should be considered in a holistic approach to successful and impactful ad placements.”
Having advertisements on a site look nice and fit in with the overall theme is going to help them to be looked at by more visitors, and they will also click them more often. In some cases this will mean displaying larger ads, and in others smaller. It all depends on the overall layout of the site, and what else is on the page where the ad is loading.
The size of advertisements should be guided by the page, never the other way around, if you’re looking to maximize the visibility, and therefore the profitability of the ads.
