{"id":5745,"date":"2024-02-21T10:21:41","date_gmt":"2024-02-21T10:21:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oko.uk\/?p=5745"},"modified":"2024-02-21T10:21:41","modified_gmt":"2024-02-21T10:21:41","slug":"lazy-loading-ads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cool.co\/supply-side-platform-home\/lazy-loading-ads\/","title":{"rendered":"Should I Implement Lazy Loading Ads?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sometimes, it\u2019s good to be lazy.<\/span><\/p>\n

For publishers, so-called \u201clazy loading\u201d ads are a prime example. Lazy loading ads allow you to enhance your user experience, while getting the most out of your ad revenue. But how does it work?<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ll explain everything you need to know.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is lazy loading?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Lazy loading is a feature that enables ads to serve only when users are likely to actually view them as they scroll down a web page. Ads that are above-the-fold, and immediately visible to users, render right away because users will see them right away. Ads that are below-the-fold won\u2019t render until the user scrolls down to them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Typically, when the browser makes a call to the web server, the entire page, and all the ads, load all at once. This happens whether the user is likely to view the ads at the bottom of the page or not. Lazy-loading ads means stopping the ones that are out of view from loading when the page loads. Instead, they are only loaded as-needed.<\/span><\/p>\n

In short, lazy loading fetches ads as the user scrolls down, and the ads will then display as the ad comes closer to the user\u2019s view. This lessens the initial loading time of your page, since it\u2019s less to load all-at-once.<\/span><\/p>\n

Where can you apply lazy loading?<\/h2>\n

Lazy loading can be applied on a per-unit basis. It\u2019s best to apply lazy loading to ads located below-the-fold, as this will reduce latency and CPU consumption. Ads that are above-the-fold are already within the users\u2019 view and as such, it\u2019s unnecessary to lazy load these ads.<\/p>\n

What are the benefits of lazy loading ads?<\/h2>\n

Improved user experience<\/h3>\n

Ads can be resource-heavy, and publishers are all too aware of the impact on speed and performance that running too many ads on one page can have. Lazy loading can help with this two ways: First, because ads are only loaded if they are likely to be viewed, the number of ad requests can be reduced. Processing time and bandwidth that would have been used on an unseen impression is saved.<\/p>\n

Secondly, lazy loading can also help with the perception of speed. Because the ads that are \u201cdelayed\u201d aren\u2019t called on the initial page load, this frees up resources to load and render the main content. This helps the page load faster, with the ads then being called after the content is safely on-page. Fast-loading pages are also beneficial in terms of SEO<\/a>, because Google\u2019s ranking algorithm favors pages with shorter load times. All of this means that your will be healthier \u2014 which means better user experiences and potentially improved search engine results.<\/a><\/p>\n

Better Viewability<\/h3>\n

With lazy loading, ads that aren\u2019t likely to be seen don\u2019t get loaded, meaning fewer unviewed impressions being served. This can drastically improve your viewability<\/a> scores. Advertisers hate paying for impressions that nobody sees, so the higher your viewability score, the more valuable your inventory is to those booking high-paying campaigns.<\/p>\n

\n

A 1% Increase in viewability = 2% increase in CPM<\/p>\n

Source: Google<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Viewable impressions<\/a>\u00a0are often used as a campaign KPI for advertisers, indicating more accurately that a user has actually seen an ad – this can also translate into higher click-through rates. Advertisers will often avoid low viewability inventory entirely and some SSPs will only pay for impressions that were viewed.<\/p>\n

Improved revenue<\/h3>\n

Implementing lazy loading ads can lead to improved revenue-over-time for publishers. This is because lazy loading will only trigger ads to load when a user is actually going to view them. As such, this will improve your overall viewability which, over time, will increase the value of your inventory and lead to more competitive auctions and better rates.<\/p>\n

Are there any limitations to lazy loading ads?<\/h2>\n

Lazy loading sounds like an easy way to improve both the user experience and increase revenue all at once, but it\u2019s not that simple. Available inventory may be negatively affected: since lazy loading only renders ads when necessary, this decreases the number of ad requests made to the ad server \u2014 and reduces the total number of impressions served.<\/p>\n

If publishers are paid on a CPM basis, this can initially have an adverse effect on revenues. Even though it\u2019ll most likely be the lowest-CPM impressions that aren\u2019t served, lazy loading does still reduce the number of impressions. As the effects of higher-value inventory are not instantaneous, this means that most publishers will see a short-term dip in revenue when they implement lazy loading.<\/p>\n

Another drawback of lazy loading ads is that it\u2019s difficult to split test. This is because ad viewability improves over time \u2014 and until it does improve, advertisers won\u2019t bid higher. So, it\u2019s not particularly valuable to carry out those tests.<\/p>\n

Finally, while most advertisers do take ad viewability into account when building a campaign, if it\u2019s not a KPI then it\u2019s unlikely that they\u2019ll pay only for viewable impressions. In which case, you would be letting your revenue take a hit for impressions that buyers weren\u2019t dissatisfied with.<\/p>\n

How to get the most out of lazy loading ads<\/h2>\n

By default, lazy loading reduces ad impressions in order to improve viewability. Because of this, there are certain scenarios whereby lazy loading won\u2019t be beneficial to publishers, users or advertisers. Reduced ad impressions can often lead to less revenue. If you are implementing lazy loading to improve site performance, then you should go for it. However, if you\u2019re planning on implementing lazy loading to improve viewability and increase revenue, there are some things you should consider:<\/p>\n