Interstitial ads are designed to grab the attention of a user on a web page or app as they move from one page to the next. These are full-screen ads, so they\u2019re extremely hard to miss. As such, they tend to have higher clickthrough rates (CTRs) because you simply can\u2019t miss them.<\/p>\n
Users either have to engage with interstitial ads, wait for them to complete, or (in some cases) reach a point where they can close them. Even if the user waits to close the ad, they\u2019re still forced to view it \u2014 unlike others ads that they can stroll past.<\/p>\n
Interstitial ads are used on desktop websites, mobile sites, and apps. These ad formats typically feature images, videos, and rich media. In many apps, you\u2019ll see interactive videos such as playable demos for games or rewarded videos where users get a reward for watching or engaging. Some interstitial ads will require viewing the entire ad while others allow closing them in five seconds or so.<\/p>\n
Interstitial ads can provide advertisers with high-profile engagement and provide additional monetization for publishers from their ad unit.<\/p>\n
Some adblockers will also allow interstitial ads or interstitial video ads to play.<\/p>\n
However, there are also some downsides to running them. In this article, we\u2019ll look at the pros and cons of using interstitial ad units, the impact on your web page or mobile advertising, and best practices if you decide to use them.<\/p>\n
You can also learn more about how in-app advertising works, including pricing models, in our Ultimate Guide to In-App Advertising: Tips, Exchanges, Payouts & More.<\/p>\n
Typically, users don\u2019t like interstitial ads so you\u2019re always taking a risk when using them. If you have a high-quality site or app, users will often wait for them to complete the content they want to load.<\/p>\n
That said, interstitial ads are most common in mobile apps, and\u00a057% of game publishers<\/a>\u00a0take the chance to derive ad revenue with rewarded video ads.<\/p>\n The choice of using interstitial ads\u2013knowing user retention may decrease, but ad revenues may increase\u2013is up to you..<\/p>\n If users don\u2019t generally like these types of ads, why are publishers using them, and why are advertisers willing to pay higher rates?<\/p>\n Well, they work. Interstitial ads see a higher level of user engagement and deliver higher CTRs. A\u00a0study by Smaato and Liftoff<\/a>\u00a0showed that in-app interstitial ads generated more than double the number of clicks as native display ads. Even though these ads cost 42% more on average, they delivered a higher return on ad spend (ROAS) than display ads because of higher click rates.<\/p>\n One of the reasons advertisers are more willing to pay higher rates for interstitial ad units is that they also tend to generate higher conversion rates.<\/p>\n For publishers, this forced engagement creates more impressions which in turn drives more clicks. This creates more revenue whether these ad units are sold as cost per thousand (CPM) impression campaigns or pay per click (PPC) ads.<\/p>\n Since interstitial ads are intrusive, they get mixed reviews from users.<\/p>\n Google put together some guidelines for using interstitial ads to avoid search penalties, including:<\/p>\n By definition, Google considers standalone interstitial ads requiring users to dismiss them before accessing the main content as intrusive. They will take this into account when deciding which sites to feature in their search engine.<\/p>\n Google said they do not penalize sites for using interstitial ads that appear to be in response to fulfilling a legal obligation, such as pop-ups that are verifying age before accessing site content or explaining user privacy. These penalties also do not apply to any content that is not publicly accessible, such as content behind a paywall that is not indexed or login screens.<\/p>\n Some other industry rules have emerged. While not all publishers follow these guidelines, they are generally accepted as ways to avoid a poor user experience. These rules include:<\/p>\n While interstitial ads can generate additional monetization for publishers, it does impact the user experience in several ways, such as mobile app experience, page speed, and so-called rage clicks.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a direct correlation between how fast web pages load and how long users will wait. For example, on mobile sites, more than half of\u00a0users will bounce<\/a>\u00a0if it takes three seconds or longer. As page load times go from one second to three seconds, the bounce rate increased by 32%. If a page takes five seconds to load, the likelihood of a user leaving increases by a whopping 90%.<\/p>\n This can be especially harmful to mobile sites as search engines now put a premium on page speed in how they rank sites for inclusion. If your site isn\u2019t mobile-friendly, including fast load times, it can negatively impact where you show up on a search engine result page (SERP).<\/p>\n There are often other areas publishers can adjust to overcome any slowed load times, including:<\/p>\n In 2022, mobile traffic now accounts for nearly\u00a0two-thirds of all internet users<\/a>. It\u2019s topped 60% for more than a year now with an uptick starting in June 2022. As such, you must be careful about the experience on mobile devices where the entire screen is blocked by the ad. On desktops, users can still be productive while interstitial ads play. They might reduce the size of their web browser or open up another window. Mobile users\u2019 only option is to close the app or wait for mobile interstitial ads to complete.<\/p>\n When users get frustrated with slow loading times, technical issues, or unclear ways to close out interstitial ads, they often click repeatedly to try to move things alone. This can lead to accidental clicks or unintentional clickthroughs.<\/p>\n Not only is this frustrating for users as these unintentional clicks can accidentally take them away from the app or web page they\u2019re trying to access, but it can also to sites being tagged with invalid traffic. High levels of invalid traffic can result in your ad serving privileges being suspended or disabled.<\/p>\n When monetizing sites, publishers always have to be aware of the balance between user experience and ad placements. This is yet another reason you should always partner with a high-quality and trusted ad network that understands how to create and manage ad units to avoid rage clicks.<\/p>\n If you do decide to use interstitial ads, some best practices can help prevent a reduction in user experience or page speeds. These practices also tend to increase CTRs by providing a better ad experience and a reduction in accidental clicks.<\/p>\n Here are some of the best practices for adding interstitial ads to your app or website.<\/p>\n Ads should appear as a natural or expected flow. This might be when a game ends or as users transition from one webpage to another. If it interrupts the action or displays outside natural transition points, it can hurt user experience and result in rage clicks or higher bounce rates.<\/p>\n Interstitial ads are intrusive by design, so publishers will want to make sure they use this type of ad selectively. Overuse can lead to users deleting apps or not returning to a webpage. Publishers also need to balance their overall ad strategy carefully to maximize revenue opportunities without impacting the user experience.<\/p>\n There should also be a delay within an app if the user is using it to play mobile games so it gives them a clear break when the ad will appear and prevent any accidental clicks. It\u2019s also a good idea to serve interstitials after completed actions before requiring users to hit the \u201cnext\u201d button, especially when moving between pages or game levels. This can also cause users to be surprised by an unwelcome ad.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll also want to consider how often you use interstitials. Google prefers you limit interstitial ads on the web to no more than one per hour for each user. While there are no guidelines for use on apps, you want to avoid annoying users.<\/p>\n Google recommends preloading ads to avoid potential latency. However, this can also slow down overall page speed loading times so publishers will need to weigh the pros and cons carefully.<\/p>\n Users get frustrated if they can\u2019t easily identify and find an exit button for an interstitial ad. You\u2019ll want to stick to intuitive methods, such as a clearly marked X in the corner of the ad. Advertisers and publishers should be consistent in how they display exit buttons to override interstitials to avoid confusion.<\/p>\n Interstitials have high visibility on your site or app. You\u2019ll want to manage their viewability along with other ad units to maximize your revenue.<\/p>\n If overused, interstitial ads can hurt page load speed and user experience. Publishers will want to think carefully about their use and manage how they are used. At the same time, however, interstitials can be a lucrative strategy to generate revenue at higher rates than native ads and many other forms of advertising.<\/p>\n Following the best practices and industry guidelines and getting expert guidance from industry professionals such as Newor Media can help optimize revenue without impacting the user experience.<\/p>\n Newor Media can help publishers run interstitial ads on their apps or websites by matching them with ideal advertisers and providing 1:1 advice and guidance to get their ads running in the most lucrative way possible.<\/p>\n Regardless of what you decide about interstitial ads, there\u2019s substantial money to be made by maximizing your digital ad opportunities. Don\u2019t wait!<\/p>\n Publishers should\u00a0contact Newor Media<\/a>\u00a0to learn more about how to optimize their revenue with online advertising.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Interstitial ads are designed to grab the attention of a user on a web page or app as they move from one page to the next. These are full-screen ads, so they\u2019re extremely hard to miss. As such, they tendRead more…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\nWhy Do Publishers Use Interstitial Ads?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
How Do Interstitial Ads Impact User Experience?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Page Speed<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Experience on Mobile<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\u201cRage\u201d Clicks<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Best Practices When Adding Interstitial Ads to Your App or Website<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Avoid Surprises<\/h3>\n
Manage Ad Units Carefully<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Watch Timing<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Preloading Ads<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Clear Exit Buttons<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Mobile Ad Viewability<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Conclusion<\/h2>\n