If you’re not familiar with
Internet advertising
, you may have no idea what overlay advertising looks like. However, in order to achieve results with Internet advertising, it is necessary to effectively utilize overlay advertising.
This article provides an overview of overlay ads and the advantages and disadvantages of using them. We will also explain the things to keep in mind when creating and operating overlay ads, so please take a look.
What is an overlay ad?
Overlay ads are ads that appear to cover the screen. Some of you reading this article may have experienced a large advertisement suddenly appearing on your screen while you were reading the article. This is an overlay ad.
Overlay ads have various functions and can display ads such as the following.
These features sometimes reduce usability and may even lead to ad blocking. When placing overlay ads, it is important to be aware of not detracting from the user experience.
Overlay ad types
When it comes to overlay ads, there are three types:
Let’s look at each in turn.
anchor ad
Anchor ads are overlay ads that appear as you scroll the screen, and in the case of Google Adsense, Google automatically determines whether to display them at the top or bottom of the screen.
Anchor ads can be displayed on both PC and mobile devices. In the mobile version, anchor ads are displayed in a size called “mobile big banner” and follow the user’s scroll, making it possible to achieve a high click-through rate.
interstitial ads
Interstitial ads are ads that are displayed at the timing of page changes or transitions. There are two options for interstitial ads: “Click on the ad” and “Close”.
Although they have the benefit of high visibility,
SEO
guidelines state that interstitial ads can cause usability issues. Therefore, excessive interstitial ads are a major cause of lowering your SEO rating.
pop up ads
Pop-up ads are overlay ads that appear to float above your screen. It may appear while scrolling or at other times. They are more likely to direct visitors to the desired page or content, but are less satisfying from a UX perspective. Therefore, when setting up pop-up ads, it is important to guide visitors while ensuring a good UX.
Advantages of overlay ads
Overlay ads have three advantages:
Let’s look at each in turn.
Various targeting
Overlay ads allow for a variety of
targeting options
. By finely segmenting your demographics and browsing habits, you can display ads only to the users you want to see. This allows you to achieve a high click-through rate and increase the likelihood of
after being clicked.
High cost-effectiveness
Overlay ads are not widely used by many companies. Most companies do not run overlay ads like listing ads, so advertising costs do not rise. If you are looking for cost-effective advertising, prioritize overlay ads.
high number of clicks
Overlay ads are very visible. Therefore, it has the advantage of getting more clicks. However, acquiring clicks is meaningless if they do not lead to conversions, so you need to devise ways to eliminate clicks that do not lead to conversions.
Disadvantages of overlay ads
So far, we have explained the benefits of overlay ads. On the other hand, it is also true that overlay ads have disadvantages.
Let’s look at the disadvantages of each in turn.
Usability decreases
Because overlay ads have high visibility, usability decreases. There is no problem if you think of usability as the ease with which users can perform actions. If usability deteriorates, the following three problems will occur.
Websites with poor usability will be disliked by users. At the same time, it also undermines the credibility of the company running the hateful website, so there’s nothing positive about it.
Also, if you forcefully acquire clicks while the usability is poor, it will naturally not lead to conversions. It would be a big disadvantage to lose credibility and get clicks, but not conversions.
When posting overlay ads, one of the key points is whether you can obtain conversions without compromising usability.
Ads cannot be displayed if blocked
Overlay ads can also be blocked depending on the browser. If a user dislikes overlay ads themselves, there is a possibility that they are blocked and unable to post in the first place.
Additionally, in January 2017, Google publicly stated that interstitial ads that interfere with mobile page viewing will lower the SEO rating of mobile pages. In some cases, advertisers have been penalized for placing excessive interstitial ads, which can also have a negative impact on SEO.
However, as long as overlay ads do not impair usability, they will not reduce your SEO rating, so be aware of how you can guarantee these when placing ads.
Points to note when creating overlay ads
If you are creating an overlay ad for the first time, you may not know what to keep in mind. In conclusion, keep the following points in mind when creating overlay ads:
I will explain each in turn. As explained in this article, overlay ads are ads that have the risk of impairing usability. If you create it without any knowledge, you may end up compromising usability, so if you are unsure, please contact a company with a proven track record.
cover all sizes
First, it’s important to cover sizes in your overlay ads. Generally, there are four sizes of overlay ads:
If you don’t cover these four sizes, you won’t be able to maximize your ad impressions. If you can get 100 impressions with one size, you will only get 200 impressions if there are only two sizes, so you lose the remaining 200 impressions.
You won’t be able to maximize your clicks if you lose impressions, so make sure you cover all sizes.
Cover formats
Next, it is important to cover all overlay ad formats. There are three formats for overlay ads: text, rich media, and images. For the same reason you cover sizes above, you should also cover formats.
Overlay ads are difficult to create as they require a lot of man-hours to create, but be sure to cover all sizes and formats to maximize results.
Points to note when operating overlay ads
Once you have finished creating your overlay ad, the next step is to put it into operation. Please note the following points when operating it.
Let’s look at each in turn.
Reduce wasted clicks
Reducing wasted clicks is important for overlay ads. Not only overlay ads, but when posting internet ads, the number of clicks (click rate) is often set as one KPI. However, if the number of wasted clicks that do not result in conversion increases, this naturally results in wasted costs.
In extreme terms, overlay ads that allow you to get one conversion per click are ideal. To that end, make sure to design your ads with user psychology in mind.
Avoid being disliked by users
Next, although it is abstract, it is also important to avoid being disliked by users. Ads will be blocked if users dislike or dislike them. It will also damage your credibility as a company.
It is important to aim for overlay ads that have high user satisfaction overall, including the timing of display and banner design.
summary
In this article, we have explained about overlay ads. Overlay ads have the advantage of being cost-effective and getting more clicks. On the other hand, you need to be careful that excessive advertisements can lower your SEO rating or be blocked by users.
Start by creating overlay ads that cover a wide range of banner sizes and formats to maximize your results.