We all have seen full-page display or video ads appearing at natural transitions in an app. These ads are referred to as Interstitial Ads. When positioned carefully, Interstitial Ads are one of the best interactive ad formats for mobile apps.
Interstitial Ads have a higher viewability and are known to increase the app revenue. If you are an app developer with a fully functional app looking for ways to monetize your app, Interstitial Ads could be your choice of ad format.
Although interstitial ads are a great source to boost your ad revenue, it is equally important to note that these ads can potentially disrupt the user experience. That should not be an issue if you follow the best practices for implementing Interstitial Ads in your app.
Curious about how you can use Interstitial Ads in your app monetization strategy? Dive into the article to get more interesting insights.
Interstitial Ads – Everything you need to know
Interstitial ads take up the whole screen and can be presented in a static or interactive format.
You can integrate texts, images, videos, and other rich media into Interstitial ads. Interstitial ads are effective in mobile games when placed between levels or stages.
Interstitial ads are available for android and iOS apps and are visible on desktop and mobile devices. There are two types of dynamic interstitial ads that popular gaming apps use: Interstitial video ads and Interstitial playable ads.
The interstitial ad revenue depends on factors like ad type, user location, ad platform, etc. Hence, it is very crucial to understand how to implement Interstitial ads. Also, the users can skip interstitial ads within 5-seconds of their serving.
When an interstitial ad is shown, there are only two possible user scenarios:
- The user can skip or close the ad and continue with their actions in the app
- The users can click on the ad and visit the destination page
These attention-grabbing ads usually have a call to action at the end. The purpose is to bring the users a chance to engage with the ads.
How can you use Interstitial ads?
Now that you have an overview of interstitial ads let’s see how you can implement them in your app.
Position Interstitial Ads at natural pauses and transitions since these ads cover the entire app’s interface. They are best suited for gaming apps and can be placed at the end of levels or during transitions giving the users a positive experience.
Interstitial ads size:
Interstitial Ads size differs based on the type of device used.
For phones – 320×480 or 480×320
For tablets – 1024×768 or 768×1024
Interstitial Ads on Google Admob:
When implementing interstitial ads using Google Admob, it is essential to follow the publisher guidelines and AdMob policies. Otherwise, it might lead to policy violations or, in some cases, account suspension.
Read more: What is Invalid Traffic in AdMob and How it can Suspend your AdMob Account?
Follow these steps to implement interstitial ads using google AdMob.
Step 1: Register or sign in to your AdMob account
Step 2: Choose the Apps option from the sidebar
Step 3: Add an app and click on the ad unit option from the sidebar
Step 4: Click on “Get started” and select “Add ad units”
Step 5: Select the Interstitial ad format from the menu
Step6: Name your ad unit
Step7: Select “Create an ad unit” to save
In advanced options, you can first select the ad type displayed on the ad unit and then choose the frequency capping for the user. You can set the eCPM floor value; accordingly, AdMob will show ads on the ad unit above the eCPM floor value.
Interstitial Ads – Best practices to follow
Let us discuss some best practices you can follow while implementing Interstitial Ads on your apps.
The first and foremost thing to do is to ensure Interstitial Ads are the correct ad type for your app. If your app has natural transition points, then Interstitial Ads could be considered your choice of app monetization.
The transitions could include completing a task or a game level within the app. The user naturally expects a break at the end of any action; hence placing the ads at transition points is easy and will not disrupt their experience.
Secondly, when an interstitial ad is displayed, make sure to pause the background activity on the app, so it does not overlap and decrease the user experience with the ad.
For example, pause the video and the audio output if you decide to play an interstitial ad between the user watching a video on the app.
Always test the app with test ads before launching the app. You can use Google AdMob’s test ad unit Id for android app interstitials. You can use the test ads while coding, testing, and debugging the app.
Allow adequate loading time for the ad. Setting a countdown timer before the ad plays makes users aware of it and avoid accidental clicks. It also helps increase the show rate of the ad unit.
And lastly, Make sure your app does not flood the users with ads. Since interstitial ads give a high viewability and revenue, showing many ads can be tempting. It can potentially lead to the users getting annoyed and even uninstalling the app, eventually affecting the app revenue.
As suggested by Google, make sure you place no more than one interstitial ad between any two user interactions.
Advantages and Disadvantages of interstitial ads
Without a doubt, Interstitial ads are one of the famous advertising methods followed today. However, the ad format is not perfect and comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
Let us first discuss the pros,
Advantages
- Interstitial Ads monetize all the users, including those who don’t interact with opt-in ads
- Since they cover the entire app screen, it catches users’ attention, leading to higher CTR and revenue
- These ads can act as a perfect buffer if placed correctly during the app load time
Now, coming to the cons,
Disadvantages
- Interstitial Ads cause interruption, and the users find them annoying
- Ad placements or creatives that do not follow the Google guidelines will be charged with policy violations
- Interstitial Ads may decrease the user retention
Endnote
Interstitials Ads can be a great ad format for app monetization and keep the user experience intact if implemented correctly. As an app publisher, you must limit the ad frequency and ensure that the other ad formats do not interfere with the user experience if you use multiple ad formats to monetize your app.
Follow the above steps and best practices while using interstitial ads for optimum monetization. If you still feel you could use some help, contact AppBroda experts today!
