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      Ad Refresh

      Ad Refresh: User Guide

      Maximising Revenue with Ad Refresh

      Welcome to Pubstack's user guide on optimising your ad revenue through the adoption of Ad Refresh. In this guide, we'll explore the benefits of Ad Refresh, backed by real-world use cases, and provide you with clear instructions on implementing this feature effortlessly within the Pubstack platform.

      The Challenge 

      Publishers not utilizing dynamic content rotation face various challenges. The absence of regular content updates can lead to stagnant revenue streams and underutilization of ad inventory, affecting overall user engagement. This static approach may result in decreased click-through rates and ad viewability, impacting the effectiveness of ad campaigns. Additionally, users may experience fatigue with repetitive content, potentially leading to the adoption of ad-blocking tools.

      The lack of dynamic content rotation limits the publisher's ability to present fresh, engaging, and timely information to their audience, affecting the overall diversity and vibrancy of their monetization strategy.

      What is Ad Refresh and why does it matter? 

      Ad refresh is a strategy used by publishers to regularly replace ads in specific slots, preventing content stagnation. Simply put, ad refresh is the process of refreshing ads to serve new ads to users while they are visiting a specific web page. From a publisher’s perspective, this allows them to increase the number of ad impressions served to users in a single session based on specific preset triggers.The Pubstack Academy Episode #1 (1)-1

      This matters because it maximizes revenue by generating more impressions, optimizes ad inventory utilization, enhances user experience by avoiding ad fatigue, improves viewability, and allows for dynamic content rotation, keeping campaigns relevant and engaging. It's crucial in the dynamic digital advertising landscape to adapt to changing trends and user preferences.

      What uplift can you get from an optimised Ad Refresh strategy?

      Starting with a basic ad refresh strategy on your inventory can yield significant results. Initially, you may see about 11% of impressions coming from ad refresh, leading to a notable uplift in revenue. By optimising this strategy, you aim to increase the viewability of refreshed impressions from, for example, 52% to over 90%. This optimization can dramatically impact annual revenue, potentially increasing it from 3.6M€ to 4.9M€. Additionally, ad refresh can substantially improve the overall viewability level, raising it from 47% to 60% or higher.

      The Pubstack Academy Episode #1 (2)-1

      On another use case, we conducted an AB test on one of our client’ websites to gauge the impact of our Ad Refresh.

      Thanks to Pubstack's Ad Refresh solution, we were able to skyrocket our client's prebid revenue. In this practical case, on the specific website on which our test was running, we reached a 74% prebid revenue uplift when our solution was implemented. Oftentimes, publishers are worried about how Ad Refresh might affect the overall viewability of their inventory. However, Pubstack only refreshes in-view ads meaning that a pool of highly viewable impressions (usually above 90%) is generated when activating our solution. This allows the overall quality of the inventory to increase, which was the case for our customer whose overall viewability had increased by 29%.

      Key considerations and pitfalls when implementing Ad Refresh

      • Not all ad servers support Ad Refresh
      SSPs and DSPs are fine with ad refresh as long as it follows clear rules :
      • Ad refresh must be in-view;
      • You shouldn't have ad refresh chains that are too long;
      • You must not go below certain ad refresh frequency.

      How to implement Ad Refresh?

      1. Navigate to "Settings" in your Pubstack Dashboard.
      2. Click on "Refresh Group" and then select "New Refresh Group."
      3. Follow these simple steps to create your refresh group. Start by giving your group a name.
      4. Choose the "websites" where you want to implement Ad Refresh, and select the corresponding "ad units" for refreshing.
      5. Specify the targeted device(s).
      6. Optionally, set up key values at the GAM level to trigger refresh only when specific criteria are met.
      7. Define your refresh rules, including frequency and any specific rules for different partners (bidders).
      8. Consider adding a Refresh capping, with Pubstack recommending an optimized capping at 15.
      9. Utilize custom settings (Pubstack only) such as A/B testing or preventing layout shifts.
      10. Finally, save your settings and activate your refresh group!

      In the app's "Settings" menu, you have the option to configure refresh exceptions.

      To exclude a specific size or bidder from being refreshed, simply input the desired size or bidder name. This action will prevent any refresh from occurring for the specified size or bidder.

      Sizes should be formatted as follows: 1800x1000.

      Conclusions: User Benefits

      • Revenue Maximisation: +20% to +40% Revenue Uplift on average, without degrading inventory quality;
      • Optimise inventory quality: the in-view ad refresh feature will generate a pool of highly-viewable impressions (90%-95%), leading to an increase in your inventory’s overall quality.

      Congratulations! You're now equipped to boost your ad revenue by seamlessly integrating Ad Refresh through Pubstack. Explore the possibilities, monitor your results, and enjoy the enhanced monetization potential.