Understanding and Improving Ad Opportunities: A Guide

Factors Affecting Ad Opportunities

Ad opportunities are influenced by two primary factors: traffic and viewability of ad units. Let's break down these concepts:

1. Traffic: The number of pageviews your site receives over a specific period.
2. Viewability: Whether the ads are placed in positions where users are likely to see them.

Example Scenario

Consider a site with 1 million pageviews over 30 days. If ad units are only on article pages, ad opportunities will be less than the total pageviews because ads aren't on every page. Additionally, not every visitor will scroll to the middle or bottom of an article, affecting the visibility of certain ad units.

Types of Ad Units and Their Viewability

1. Local Stories Player (Float):
   • This unit floats in the lower left corner of the screen.
   • It has high viewability because it's always visible to the user.
   • Not activating the Float for this unit will drastically decrease performance. The Float allows for the ad unit to become visible immediately upon a page load, and maintain viewability with the user scroll. A user can always click the close icon in the top right of the player if they choose to disable it.
2. Local Action Unit (In-Content):
   • Placed within the content of an article.
   • We typically recommend placing this unit around 2-3 paragraphs from the top. You can place it lower, however the lower the unit is place, the lower viewability will be. 
   • Lower viewability if positioned too far down the page.
3. Local Savings Unit - Compact Version (Couponing Unit):
   • Also placed within the article content, slightly further down from the Local Action Unit.
   • The unit displays as a compact version until the user views the ad for at least 3 seconds at which point, it expands to a full version. 
   • The Local Savings Unit does not show 100% of the time. 
4. Local Savings Unit - Standard Version (Couponing Unit):
   • Placed below article content for all articles.
   • This unit can be placed on any page throughout the site in addition to article pages. 
   • The Local Savings Unit does not show 100% of the time. 
5. Adhesive Smart Ad (Sticky footer ad): 
   • This ad is designed and implemented to render on every page and article throughout the entire site.
   • It's designed to fill 100% of the time which ensures strong monetization.
6. Promoted Stories: 
   • We recommend placing this ad unit underneath the Local Savings Unit - Standard, on article pages, as well as home pages, and section pages. Since the Local Savings Unit does not show 100% of the time, adding the Promoted Stories unit ensures you're monetizing that space in the event that the Local Savings Unit does not display for a page view. 

Recommendations for Increasing Ad Opportunities

1. Add Ad Units to High-Traffic Pages:
   • Place the Local Stories Player, Local Savings Unit - Standard and the Promoted Stories ad units on your home page and other high-traffic section pages such as News, Sports, Eat + Drink, Things to Do, Community, Calendar, and more.
   • If your Calendar page has separate page types from your articles, consider investigating how you could add the Local Stories Player or the Local Savings Unit - Standard to your event pages as well. 
2. Optimize Placement of In-Content Ads:
   • Ensure the Local Action Unit is placed around 2-3 paragraphs from the top of the article to maximize viewability.

Assessing Current Ad Placement

If you notice lower ad opportunities than expected, it could be due to the placement of in-content ads. Review the exact placement within your articles and adjust as needed to improve viewability.

Example Implementation

Let's summarize with an example:

• Your site has 1 million pageviews in 30 days.
• Ads are only on article pages, reducing potential ad opportunities.
• With the float active, the Local Stories Player is highly visible and performs well.
• Local Action Unit and Local Savings Unit may have lower visibility if placed too far down the page.

Action Steps:

• Add the Local Stories Player to your home page as well as high-traffic landing and sub-pages.
• Optimize the placement of the Local Action Unit to ensure it appears within the first 2-3 paragraphs of articles, or as high as possible withing article content. 
• Be sure the Local Savings Unit is not too far down the page like below your comment section. The higher up the page, the more often it will be viewed. 

By following these guidelines, you can effectively increase your ad opportunities and improve monetization on your site. If you need further assistance or adjustments, please feel free to reach out.