An interstitial ad is a full-screen advertising format that appears during natural transition points within an app or website, such as between game levels, article pages, or upon initial site load.
They are designed to capture the user’s attention and generate high engagement and click-through rates (CTR) for advertisers.
Pros and Cons of Interstitial Ads
Pros:
- High Impact and Visibility Due to their full-screen format, interstitial ads are highly visible and can generate significant user engagement.
- Higher Click-Through Rates Interstitial ads typically have higher click-through rates compared to traditional banner ads, making them an attractive option for advertisers.
- Increased Revenue for Publishers Publishers can generate more revenue by displaying interstitial ads, as they often command higher CPMs (cost per thousand impressions) than other ad formats.
Cons:
- Intrusive User Experience Interstitial ads can be disruptive and intrusive, potentially leading to a negative user experience and increased bounce rates.
- Higher Ad Blocker Usage Due to their intrusive nature, interstitial ads may contribute to increased usage of ad blockers, ultimately reducing ad revenue for publishers.
- Potential Impact on SEO In 2016, Google announced a penalty for mobile websites using intrusive interstitials, negatively affecting their search rankings. This update primarily targets interstitials that cover a significant portion of the content or are difficult to dismiss.
Interstitial Ad Best Practices
- Timing and Frequency Display interstitial ads at natural transition points and avoid showing them too frequently, as this may annoy users and lead to increased bounce rates.
- Easy Dismissal Ensure that users can easily dismiss interstitial ads by providing a clearly visible close button.
- Mobile-Friendly Design Design interstitial ads to be responsive and visually appealing on both desktop and mobile devices.
- Adhere to Google’s Guidelines Follow Google’s guidelines for interstitials to avoid potential SEO penalties.
For more information on interstitial ads and their impact on user experience and SEO, consider these resources: