What is Ad Density and Why Does It Matter?

An exploration of ad density, where we delve into the nuance of this vital aspect of digital monetization. Apply our experts’ advice to have strategic ad management.

“Why does my webpage have more ads than others, yet my ad revenue remains low?”

“Why does one post with 500 words have more ads than another post with the same word count?”

As a publisher, you may have encountered these questions or wondered about them yourself while starting to monetize your digital content. Among the various possible explanations, the popular answer lies in ad density, one of the ad experience standards introduced by the Coalition for Better Ads. 

So what is it? How it affectso ad revenue? 

Let’s discuss here today in our blog.

What is Ad Density?

Ad density refers to the ratio of advertisements to the overall content on a webpage. It is typically expressed as a percentage, representing the proportion of the page occupied by ads. 

For example, a webpage with a 20% ad density contains ads covering 20% of the visible area, while the remaining 80% is dedicated to content such as text, images, and videos.

Let’s look at the images below to see how ads can occupy your webpage space.

Why Ad Density Matters

Now that we’ve grasped the definition of ad density, let’s explore why ad density holds significance for a publisher’s revenue potential:

User Experience

High ad density can overwhelm users, detracting them from their browsing experience. Being worse than that, intrusive or disruptive ads can cause frustration, reduce user engagement, and ultimately drive users away from a website.

Ad Blindness

When an abundance of ads vies for attention, users may automatically develop “ad blindness”. They either ignore or actively avoid advertisements, resulting in decreased click-through and conversion rates.

Ad Supply vs Demand

The balance between ad supply and demand plays a pivotal role in overall revenue. Increasing the ad supply, such as by incorporating more ads, may lead to ad clutter. Consequently, this can diminish the demand for ads, as indicated by CPMs, ultimately affecting top-line ad revenue.

Page Speed

Excessive ads can impede page loading time, particularly on mobile devices with constrained bandwidth and processing power. Slow-loading pages can prevent users from staying on your page and adversely impact search engine rankings.

Brand Perception

A cluttered website with too many ads can create a negative impression of the publisher’s brand. Regardless of how fresh and informative the content on your website is, users may disregard it and perceive the site as a spam player, harming trust and credibility.

Ads play an incredible part in monetizing digital content, but too many ads can hinder the revenue potential due to all the above influences. Thus, maintaining a proper ad density becomes one of the essential tasks for publishers in their publishing monetization business. 

Mobile vs. Desktop Ad Density

Ad density differs between mobile and desktop platforms due to variations in screen size, user behavior, and ad formats.

Desktop Ad density

Generally, desktop websites have more space to accommodate a higher ad density. Publishers can simultaneously display various ad types, such as native ads, banner ads, and video ads, in diversified positions like header, in-article, and sidebar. However, publishers must be mindful not to overwhelm users with excessive ads.

Mobile Ad density

Mobile web pages, on the other hand, have lower ad density due to their limited screen size. Hence, maintaining a balance between ad density and user experience is crucial on mobile devices to avoid discouraging users with a cluttered webpage.

Depending on website platform preference, publishers should have strategic ad placements to engage users effectively while capitalizing on revenue potential.

What is the 30% Ad Density Rule?

While desktop platforms lack specific guidelines, ad density on mobile is clearly outlined in the Better Ads Standards by the Coalition for Better Ads. They pinpoint the ad experiences that fall below a threshold of consumer acceptability and are likely to prompt consumers to install ad blockers. According to guidelines:

“Ad density is determined by summing the heights of all ads within the main content portion of a mobile page, then dividing by the total height of the main content portion of the page. For mobile devices, ad density cannot be higher than 30%. This means ads that take up more than 30% of the vertical height of a page are intrusive.”

For example, if your webpage has a total visible area of 1000px, the cumulative height of ads displayed should be under 300px. This calculation involves adding up the heights of all ad units within the content section.

So, what types of ads are measured, and in which area of a webpage is the ad density subjected? Let’s delve deeper into the clarification from the Coalition for Better Ads.

Facts to know about Ad density

• Ad density is assessed relative to the main content portion of the page rather than the viewport. 
• Headers, footers, and site navigation spanning related articles are outside the scope of the main content portion.
• Ads positioned around the main content portion, like the leaderboard at the top of the page, are excluded from the ad density calculation.
• The ad density calculation formula incorporates all ad formats, including text, image, and video in the form of sticky and inline ads. The height of each sticky ad is counted once for calculation purposes. 
• Ads that display before (“pre-roll”) or during (“mid-roll”) in content-related videos are not factored into the measurement of ad density.

Quick Essential Mobile Earning Settings

Beyond the 30% ad density rule, the coalition offers a range of recommendations. According to the standards, publishers should steer clear of utilizing the following ad types on mobile devices:

• Pop-up ads
• Pre and post-interstitial ads with countdown
• Large sticky ads
• Flashing animated ads
• Auto-playing video ads with sound
• Full-screen scroll ad

Best Practices for Ad Density

In the next part, we provide you with collective best practices for ad density, based on our many years of experience, in striking a balance between revenue generation and user experience.

Follow the Rule of 30% Ad density on mobile

First and foremost, never overcrowd pages with ads. The annual report from Datareportal shows that more than 90% of Internet users from 16 to 64 access the Internet via mobile phones. Therefore, adhering to industrial guidelines and standards like not exceeding 30% ad density on webpages will keep your users happy.

Diversify Ad Formats, yet not forget Ad Quality

Experiment with different ad formats to provide users with a variety of ad experiences and increase your revenue stream. You can try native ads, in-stream video ads, and sponsored content. However, ensure that you maintain high ad quality to avoid diminishing the revenue potential. Prioritize high-quality, relevant ads and avoid low-quality or spammy ads to maintain user trust and brand reputation.

Optimize Page Loading Speed

Apply asynchronous and lazy loading to minimize the impact of ads on page loading speed. Faster loading times help enhance user experience and SEO.

Prioritize User Experience

User experience is paramount in digital ad monetization, directly impacting trust, ad performance, and subscriber retention. Ensure ads don’t overwhelm or disrupt the user experience and maintain a clean layout with ample whitespace between content and ads.

Choose the best Ad Placement

When you have a combination of ad formats, think of how to distribute them on a webpage properly. Ensure ads are placed within the content flow where they’re relevant and non-intrusive. Besides, finding the optimal positioning of each ad format to maximize CPMs. 

Consider Contextual Relevance

The deprecation of cookies impacts the user experience when less relevant ads are displayed, leading to frustration and decreased engagement. Therefore, publishers should serve ads relevant to the content and audience interests for improved effectiveness and engagement.

Test and Monitor Ad Density

The best practices above are a great starting point but should not be considered the endpoint. 

The advice is to regularly monitor ad performance and user feedback to gauge the impact of ad density on engagement and revenue. Don’t forget to conduct A/B testing to evaluate different placements and densities, eventually maximizing your revenue potential.

Meet Your Experts

While there are established best practices to follow, refining and tailoring these strategies to suit your specific website can elevate your approach to new heights. If you’re not sure that you’re on the right approach, we at Geniee International are here to help.

Get expert guidance from our team, all dedicated to optimizing your revenue while improving your user experience. Contact us today to see how Genie empowers your website.