1) Adopt Programmatic in selling mobile inventory
Mobile Programmatic is on the rise. Smartphones comprise 71% of all mobile programmatic transactions in Q1, according to Econsultancy. With the automation of ad buying and selling, plus the fact that people are more into their mobile devices versus any other platform – signal a direction for publishers to make in 2017: Use programmatic technology in selling your precious mobile inventories. That’s where advertisers are pooling in their marketing budgets.
Related: Programmatic Advertising Trends in 2017 for Publishers
2) Tap Mobile Video Content
Almost any marketer will tell you that video will make it big in 2017. Video perfectly matches the mobile channel because of users’ high engagement rates in mobile. People are more engaged in mobile activities, as compared to desktops. So running video content in mobile is a must for publishers. Just make sure that it doesn’t sacrifice user-experience, i.e. – will not auto-play, will not significantly slow down page load time, will not display intrusive ads.
In the US alone, mobile video ad spending is expected to reach $6.72B in 2017.
Source: Smaato
3) Optimize for mobile-first
Image credit: worldwebms.com
Mobilegeddon, Google’s mobile algorithm has forced a lot of publishers to be mobile-friendly in order to enjoy positive rankings. Google has even announced that the search index will look into the mobile index first before displaying search results to users. In 2017, the game is high for user-experience. As a publisher, make sure your page load times are at optimum levels. Provide clear and easy navigation directions to your readers. Avoid implementing intrusive ads (see #4 below).
4) Comply with Google’s mobile pop-up algorithm
Last month, Google has rolled out yet another mobile algorithm update – this time intended to hit sites with intrusive pop-ups and interstitials. Although the significant effect in rankings and traffic are still inconclusive, Sistrix.com has reported a fluctuation in the mobile visibility of one (and many others who use mobile interstitials) of the biggest publishers out there: Pinterest.com
Related: Lesson 5: Stay Compliant with Adsense for Mobile Policy
Smartphone Visibility Drop for Pinterst.com in Germany, the United Kingdom, the USA, and Spain
Source: Sistrix.com
Sistrix.com reports that “the domain lost 40% of its smartphone Visibility in the UK, 35% in the USA, 34% in Germany and 34% in Spain. Today, the Visibility is still -16.5%, on average, in all countries where we collect our weekly data.”
Google has made some interesting guidelines to help publishers understand what comprises a bad/good interstitial ad. The bottom line is to enable content-accessibility for users:
Source: webmasters.googleblog.com
Interstitial display techniques that make content less accessible to a user:
- Showing a popup that covers the main content, either immediately after the user navigates to a page from the search results, or while they are looking through the page.
- Displaying a standalone interstitial that the user has to dismiss before accessing the main content.
- Using a layout where the above-the-fold portion of the page appears similar to a standalone interstitial, but the original content has been inlined underneath the fold.
5) Monetize using Native Ads on mobile
Source: mobyaffiliates.com
Probably the best alternative if you decide to go slow on interstitial ads — native ads are high-performers on mobile! IHS.com states that native ads will comprise 57.4% of worldwide mobile display advertising in 2017. Proven to improve brand-lift versus their pre-roll video counterparts. They are also known to increase user-engagement as they appear more integral in a mobile site’s content.
So there you have it! Users are omni-channel and mobile is leading the way. Do not leave money on the table by not adopting the right mobile monetization strategy this 2018. To assist you in optimizing your mobile inventories, register FREE as our Premium Publisher.
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