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In the early days of the Internet, pop-up ads were one of the most primitive digital advertising formats. It was unnerving for users to see large windows suddenly appear before their eyes. As a result, pop-up blockers were created to improve the user’s web browsing experience.
The digital advertising world eventually adopted this ad type once again. It is now commonly known as an interstitial ad.
In this guide, we’ll cover the following:
The interstitial ad is similar to pop-up advertising, but it occupies the whole screen. The ads can also expand (known as expandable ads). They start out as regular banners before taking over the entire screen.
There are a variety of ways to display interstitials, including text, static images, rich media, and video. Close options vary based on the ad type. The user can usually close static ads instantly. Interstitial video ads, on the other hand, may take up to five seconds to close. Also, playable ads can be used in interstitials. They allow users to see a preview of a game, or test and interact with it before downloading.
Banner ads are image-based rectangular graphic displays that occupy the top or bottom of an app’s layout. These ads are popular for advertising on websites since they are not text-based. Advertisers use banner advertising to promote brands on their websites in order to attract visitors.
Banner ads encourage visitors to visit the advertiser’s website by clicking on them. Banner ads need to be relevant and effective by offering an answer to the visitor’s question.
Interstitial ads ensure that users’ experience is minimally disrupted while still increasing app revenue. They are rich, customizable, and appealing ads at natural pauses in the app’s flow. These are full-screen ads that users can skip or exit.
The interstitial ads cover the entire screen. Their highly compelling nature and larger size of the banner ads help to grab users’ attention. Ads on banners, on the other hand, are more like silent visitors. The ads sit wordlessly on the edges of the screens without interfering with the content.
Interstitial ads can help in achieving higher CPMs. However, they need to blend in with your website or app, and not annoy your users and readers. Therefore, the ad unit should be chosen according to the type of website or app. Brands, however, have opportunities to be present without being intrusive to the user with banners.
Here is interstitial ad example (left), a pop-up ad (middle), and a banner ad (right):
The types of ads include:
Clicking or tapping on any of these ads will take users to their destination, or closing it will take them back to their previous activity.
Publishers often get in trouble for app layouts that promote accidental clicks. If an interstitial ad is implemented within a mobile app, the ad may take a little longer to trigger after the user takes action.
In the example below, an interstitial ad launches unexpectedly on the second screen after the page has already loaded. Interstitial ads may be delayed due to carrier latency.
Image Source: Google Support
The pre-loading of your interstitial ads will eliminate latency when the user sees them.
As shown below, the user clicks on a transitional button, and an interstitial ad appears immediately. After closing the interstitial ad, the user will be taken to the next loaded page.
Image Source: Google Support
By implementing these ads in the right way, you will benefit your users, advertisers, and yourself. User experience is a top priority for AdMob policies.
Interstitial ads are a way to increase the diversity of your publisher’s ad inventory. This way, interstitial ads help minimize “banner blindness.”
Banner blindness refers to when viewers fail to recognize advertisements because they are too cluttered. Interstitial ads allow publishers to place more prominent and attention-grabbing ads.
Interstitial ads are one of the most effective ways to generate high ad revenue.
CPMs and CTRs (clickthrough rates) for interstitial ads are higher than for banner ads, resulting in more revenue for publishers.
Better Ad Engagement
Interstitial ads are built for engagement. They are not just an extra step in the process. But an opportunity to engage with potential customers in a way that traditional display ads cannot.
Interstitial ads are ideal for engaging users because of their large size, informative content, and animated presentation.
Interstitial ads have become popular with all major demand-side platforms–including
They are also popular on ad platforms like Google Ads and AdMob.
Interstitial ads that Google considers intrusive are penalized. These are the things they try to avoid in general:
Cookie usage and age restriction interstitials are not subject to these restrictions.
There are a few tools that digital marketers and advertisers can use to reach their audiences:
Typically, banner ads are always visible to users without obstructing their experience (hopefully). In most cases, pop-up ads appear as modals, which block parts of the user interface. They require an action to close them.
Several people believe the rise of ad blocker software is a sign that people are done with advertising. More likely, it’s the result of “abusive” advertising, which bombards users with
The intrusiveness penalty was a response to these “bad actors.” So what is the best practice for interstitial ads?
Are they rigid rules or merely guidelines?
Many websites continue to display interstitial ads that Google would consider intrusive. The repercussions are simply based on the rankings on search results pages.
It is still important to follow the interstitial ad guidelines set by the operating system. This is even if you don’t rely on search engine optimization or app store optimization for your business.
Advertisements can easily offend users. By displaying another ad, you may increase ad revenue in the short term. But you must balance that with customer lifetime value over the long run. You’d be better off retaining customers than acquiring new ones. It’s pretty well established that retaining customers is cheaper than acquiring new ones.
The best motivation might come from your users if operating system guidelines don’t suffice. There is a rightful entitlement for users.
The success of your app is ultimately determined by your users. So you need to do everything in your power to impress them with your advertising.
If your users are not happy with the ad, they’ll tweet you or worse, uninstall your app. You shouldn’t overload users with pre-stitials, interstitials, pop-ups, banners, or even post-stitials (if they exist).
Finding the exit button on an interstitial ad can be frustrating. It is perhaps even more frustrating when you discover that it has been deliberately concealed.
Most people understand that ad-supported products are free to use. This is why many people prefer freemium, ad-driven products over ad-free premium products. The ads become an issue when they interrupt the app’s functional value proposition and deter users from using it.
Some companies use timeout features to stop viewers from skipping or exiting advertisements prematurely. Displaying the duration of the ad, the option to skip, and the exit option are important.
As a final note, we summarize the best practices for interstitial advertising as follows:
Games and apps use interstitial advertising as a means of monetization. While some users may use ad blockers to avoid ads, it remains an effective way to promote mobile apps. In general, the larger the advert, the more impressions it has and the higher the CTR and CVR.
An integral part of any digital marketing campaign strategy is proper ad campaign monitoring with data-driven tools. Without proper monitoring, you will just be floating aimlessly.
Your time and money are wasted if you don’t know what is happening inside the campaign.
Having an AI-based tool that works reliably is a treasure!
A tool like PPC Signal makes managing multiple campaigns on Google Ads easy.
Based on a data-driven approach, PPC Signal provides you with information in the form of signals. It can save you time and money if you use this tool when you are aware of any anomaly before the time. The information related to any particular dimension appears on your screen as signals when you click on it.
To drive your business, don’t just trust your gut feelings, follow the data-driven approach, and think logically.
While interstitial ads can be effective in driving traffic to a website, they can also be intrusive and annoying for users. As a result, it is important to carefully consider whether or not to use interstitial ads on your website. If used sparingly and in appropriate places, they can be an effective way to increase web traffic. However, if overused, they can quickly become a turn-off for users.
A developer in tier 1 countries can reach $10-$20 eCPMs using playable and video interstitials. Interstitial ads have an eCPM of $4-$6 on average.
Ultimately, interstitial ads provide mobile apps and games with a great opportunity to promote and advertise themselves or to monetize through their placement. When used correctly, it is one of the most efficient advertising methods. User impressions are stronger with larger sizes.
The higher the impression rate, the higher the clickthrough rate. Interstitial ads increase clickthrough rates, which leads to increased conversion rates. The best way to increase ROI from ads campaigns is to continuously monitor them from all angles. It is not an easy task since these campaigns depend on multiple factors, hence you need a marketing tool for monitoring. PPC Signal is one of the best tools for this purpose.
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