Interstitial ads policy and what to avoid when implementing

In the previous section, Netlink specifically introduced interstitial ads. In this section, we want to remind you of the concept of Interstitial ads, and at the same time name the common policies and errors, so that Google can directly restrict the display of ads even ban your website or app for violating these errors.

Interstitial ads help users to interact more with applications and websites, this makes users no longer passive, “must” see ads anymore, but rather choose the right ads for them. proactive way. This format is designed to be placed between content, so publishers are best placed to display this type of ad at in-app/website transitions. Publishers using Ad Exchange need to implement interstitials carefully to provide a dark user experience and avoid accidental clicks.

Below you’ll see some guidelines and best practices for Ad Exchange interstitial ad implementations. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in interruption of ad appearance and/or Google disabling ad serving to your app/website.

– Latest SDK integration: It’s important that you keep the latest SDK up to date (for Android or iOS) to be able to access the latest ad formats, features, and fixes.

Interstitial ads are best suited for apps with a linear user experience, meaning that users need a lot of action to interact with your app or website. If your app doesn’t meet this criterion (for example, a flashlight app), consider using another ad format, such as a banner ad.

– Consider user flow: User interaction is very important, so when using ad formats, you need to carefully consider whether those formats have a bad effect on the user experience. Users are the ones who bring in your revenue, so without them, even if you can bid high ad prices but no one is watching, it won’t make any sense. Do not make ads appear suddenly, or display too much that makes users feel uncomfortable and leave you.

Additionally, if you choose to use video for interstitials, some ads may have a wait time of up to 5 seconds before the user can close the ad. In contrast, non-video ads will often have the option to close at the same time the ad is shown. The Google Mobile Ads SDK will begin to enforce this more strongly with later releases of the SDK, with android version 11.4 or later and iOS version 7.21 or later.

– Invalid activities: When displaying interstitial ads on mobile devices, it should be noted that screen sizes are often more limited compared to desktop and PC types. So, this ad format can cause users to click unintentionally if displayed at the wrong time.

– Interstitial Ad Placement Guidelines and Best Practices: There are several questions to consider when implementing interstitial ads – How will users interact with my app in the meantime? Do interstitial ads have a negative impact on users? Is it the right time for interstitials?

Here are a few tips to use interstitial ads effectively and bring in high revenue without sacrificing user experience.

– Ads displayed when loading or exiting the application: Location should not be used while loading or exiting the application to place ads. Instead, you can place them in the middle of app content pages. Users should know from which source the ads shown are coming from, so you also can’t place ads in apps running in the background of your device or outside of the app environment.

– Interstitial ad repeats too many times: To avoid unintentional clicks and poor user experience, publishers should not set ads to display too often or too randomly. You should place up to one interstitial after two user actions in your app. Even if the user wants to return, interstitial ads appear is also considered to affect the user experience. When an interstitial has just been displayed but another interstitial is immediately displayed, it is also a violation of Google’s policy setting. So how to install this ad format properly? You can implement this format based on the number of user actions (e.g. after 3 user actions, an ad will be displayed), or you can set it on a time basis (e.g. every 90 seconds). , ads will appear).

– Interstitial ads launch unexpectedly: If the user is focused on using your app, but the ad pops up, it will be annoying and lead to user inadvertent clicks. You should research carefully before placing ads that are compatible with the characteristics of your app/website.

It’s a fairly common problem that although you may intend to have the ad load mid-page content, the ad soon appears after a new page of content has loaded due to carrier timeouts. To prevent this from happening, we recommend preloading interstitial ads.

3. Recommended interstitial implementation:

– In between page content, levels or between pages: If your app is a game with different levels or stages, consider placing an interstitial in the middle of one or more stages. The tiered breakpoint provides a natural stopping point for users and allows them to properly evaluate the interstitial. If your app is not a game but has many pages or sections, consider placing interstitial ads behind some screens or after some action has been performed. Avoid placing interstitial ads each time the user performs a task.

Interstitial should appear before rather than after the page break. Page breaks often require the user to tap a “next” button (or similar button) and this surprises the user. Interstitial ads between levels or stages should be clearly visible before any buttons. This behaviour can reduce unintentional hits from users who accidentally click on the ad instead of the “next” button.

If an app encourages users to tap frequently and/or repeatedly, a delay should be inserted at the end of a level and before the interstitial is shown. This delay can take the form of a “loading” or “Please wait…” screen or a progress wheel/bar. This gives users the opportunity to stop tapping the screen and carefully consider what comes next and can help reduce unintentional clicks.

– Take into account possible ad timeouts: Carrier network timeouts have the potential to affect the delivery of in-app interstitial ads to your mobile device. This timeout can cause ads to appear on the user’s screen at inappropriate or unforeseen times. Consider what users can do while waiting for interstitial ads to appear, and consider preloading ads to reduce the time it takes to show them to your users.