Increasing Advertising Revenue: a Checklist for Increasing Profits

Each Publisher faces the same dilemma at some point – OK, I already have a server, I have Ad Exchange / AdSense connected, I have even Header Bidding implemented, but… What’s next? What are my next steps in yield optimization? Is there something more I can do to increase advertising revenue? The answer always is… YES! And these questions are understandable not because you are doing something wrong, but because of Programmatic itself. In this ecosystem, change is the only certain thing.

Let’s step back a little bit. What do I have to increase advertising revenue?

Before we answer the question about the future, it is always good to look back and examine whether we’ve done everything needed to improve the effectiveness and profitability of all ad stack works. I hate a situation where I have made a lot of tests and after a few weeks, I can’t actually tell if the solution I have implemented is bringing me uplift, or not. Do you feel the same way sometimes?

Working on improvements, adding new technologies, or testing your boss’s ideas: it is a never-ending process. It is really hard to have full control over every single element in the Publisher’s ad stack. It is not difficult to find a solution or technology that brings revenue to the Programmatic ecosystem. There are many of them on the market. The trick is to find a technology that will bring more than what you already have and, importantly, will not limit other sources of demand. Are you really so sure that everything is clear and effective in your ad server? I bet not.

Where to go?

Keeping up with all changes in Programmatic is almost impossible. The market is changing, small companies have new ideas, and big players don’t stand still. Some set new trends; some follow the best practices. But how to keep abreast of all these things? Where to find the solutions, technologies, and partners which will work exactly according to my needs and expectations? How to test them in order to be sure that they are bringing the desired uplift?

Someone once said that it is not an art to know everything, but it is an art to know where to find knowledge. What I am trying to say is that you don’t have to know everything that’s going on all the time on the market. You don’t need to spend a lot of time in front of the computer searching for new opportunities and upgrades. And what is perhaps more important is that you will need someone who will look at the situation inside your Programmatic ecosystem with a fresh perspective. Someone who knows the ecosystem and will ask you hard questions just so as to help you understand what you have and what you actually need.

Gimme a break! I don’t need a partner to share my money with! I can handle it myself!

That’s actually awesome! What is worth trying is just to discuss your entities and settings in your Ad Stack with someone who has both knowledge and experience. Discuss, analyze, share thoughts, and ideas. It’s as simple as that. Remember that every discussion, every analysis, and all ideas need to be organized. There should always be some methodology which will allow you to notice and understand all the aspects that will make your monetization ecosystem work as you want it to. Let me share a few thoughts at this juncture.

Auditing ad stack – questions you have to answer. Try them!

Users first! No exceptions. At the beginning, determine what happens when the user enters your website. It is important to know how all the requests are flowing within your Ad Stack. Are the requests sent to the Header Bidding; if you have one? Are the responses passed to the server to meet AdX/AdSense in the auction? Have Adx buyers taken the majority or a minority of the eligible impressions? Do you have or do you need passbacks?

The next thing – the landscape of all current emissions in the ad server. Have you guaranteed all the needed traffic for the most important ones? Are you sure that some campaigns are not cannibalizing one another? Does the Programmatic have enough space to bring about the maximum of its potential? Or maybe somehow you have underdelivered campaigns and you don’t know the reason why? And last but not least – what is the direction you should take – to secure a direct sale or maximize the Programmatic potential? You have to decide.

Now let’s dive deep into Programmatic itself. Make sure that all inventory is covered by the most important demand sources: AdX/AdSense, Header Bidding, Open Bidding. Think about the value of your inventory and try to establish a good pricing strategy (taking into account your direct sale). Are all the SSPs doing good work for you? Are they providing an additional pressure for Google demand? Do you have all the best SSPs in the stack, who have demand for your users?

Are you still with me?

I know this is a lot to take in, but take a deep breath and let’s go. I promise you won’t regret it!

Unlimited market. As I mentioned before, the number of reachable technologies is unlimited. Not all of them are as good as their creators say, but a lot of them are worth trying. For example, did you know that you can have more than one Header Bidding solution? Or did you know that sometimes it is better to collapse some of the ad slots just so as to improve your user experience indicators; thereby attracting more engaged users. Haven’t you heard that you can reach for the users behind the ad-block walls? You didn’t know that? Look at just how many things can be useful which are at the same time hard to notice!

A technical point of view is another thing worth mentioning here. Look at your page rank, average page load time, try to find out all the low elements that are actually not necessarily loaded in the first seconds. Do you know how long it takes to load all ad slots with creatives? Maybe you should delay the display till the user is able to actually see the ad? This is not important only in SEO but in ad revenue also!

Last but not least

The last thing worth mentioning is the ad layout. There are a lot of good practices available on the Internet. All of them are probably good and useful, but they do not take into account your specifics, because they are written to fit as many cases as possible. What you need here is to create an ad grid suitable for all important page templates that you have on your website. In this case, an individual approach is priceless.

As you can see, the knowledge you have about your ad stack structure is like an open book. There is always something that can be added. The trick is to find a balance between complexity and simplicity. Remember – you don’t always have to know everything, but you do need to be able to consult with someone who will share insight and options.