Google to pay only for Viewable Ads: What’s in it for Publishers?

This post was most recently updated on August 30th, 2019

Recently, Google announced that they will only be paying publishers for viewable ads. This has made ad viewability a greater concern to both advertisers and publishers. Currently, Google uses ‘Active View’ as a measurement for viewability. It means that at least 50% of an ad was seen for at least one second.

To support this move, Google now only pays for viewable ads on the Google Display Network (GDN). This benefits advertisers because ads showing in the GDN must be viewable, otherwise, advertisers need not pay for them. Google says that “In the next few months, all campaigns that buy on a CPM basis will be upgraded to be viewable CPM (vCPM).” The company hopes that his strategy will greatly benefit advertisers because their media budget will only be used on ads which have an impact. Ultimately, it will help them decide better.

Related Read: Ad Viewability Benchmarks in 2015

What’s in it for Publishers?

For publishers, this makes the user experience a priority. Advertisers will likely select websites where their ads would have higher viewability rates. In terms of revenue, publishers earning from CPC may not be as affected as those earning using the CPM pricing model.  However, CPM publishers may lose revenues if their content isn’t compelling enough for site users to want to scroll through the site’s pages.

Related Read: Understanding CPC and CPM Pricing for Publishers

Tips for publishers

• Carefully plan the ad placement and layout strategy. Experiment with ad placements to see which result in higher Active View performances
• Promote a better user experience
• Place ad units where the user usually stays (not always just above the fold).
• Make your pages appear less cluttered by not crowding it with too many ads that will divide user attention, and thus decrease ad viewability

Related Read: 5 Ways Publishers Can Fight Ad Blocking through Better User Experience

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Related Reads:

• Doubleclick Ad Exchange Now Allows Sticky Ads for Improved Ad Viewability
• 5 Tips for More Viewable Video Ads
• Ad Viewability Benchmarks in 2015
• 5 Ways Publishers Can Fight Ad Blocking through Better User Experience
• Understanding CPC and CPM Pricing for Publishers

Kean Graham

Kean Graham is the CEO and founder of MonetizeMore & a pioneer in the Adtech Industry. He is the resident expert in Ad Optimization, covering areas like Adsense Optimization,GAM Management, and third-party ad network partnerships. Kean believes in the supremacy of direct publisher deals and holistic optimization as keys to effective and consistent ad revenue increases.