Ever been reading the latest Bake-Off gossip and wondered why there’s an ad on the page for motorbike chain lubricant?
Badly placed ads happen more often than you’d think. And whilst mostly we just find them a bit incongruous and move on, those ads can affect our opinion of a brand or business if they keep turning up in the wrong places.
Where your online ads are shown matters. In the past at Net Vis, we tried the ‘more is more’ approach. We showed our ads on all sites on the Google display network, thinking that casting a wide net would be best for reach. But we learnt pretty quickly that it was a fast way to spend budget with only moderate returns.
It turns out Phil and Kirsty were right all along. When it comes to online ads, you need to think ‘location, location!’ Try approaching online ads placement in the same way you’d look for prime real estate for your business. Do your research. Know who your customers are and where they hang out.
Also, try retaining a savvy agency (that’s us by the way!) who can maximize the return on your ‘online property’ investment by finding you places to advertise that are relevant and trustworthy.
Want to know more about online ad placement? Get comfy, here comes a little bit more Net Vis knowhow.
Where are online ads shown?
When you run an online ad campaign, your ads appear on a variety of websites, apps, and digital platforms as ‘placements.’
These placements determine where your ads are displayed to users. For example, your ads might show up on popular news websites, blogs, social media platforms, or within mobile apps.
How can I find out where my ads have been shown?
All your ad placement data can be found in your Google ads account. In the Insights & Reports section, you’ll find the title ‘when & where ads showed.’ That will give you an outline of the places your adverts are appearing. If you’re struggling to find or decode the info, then give us a call, we’ll happily talk you through it.
How to track your online ad placement
We would always recommend setting up tracking on your online ads (we can help with this!). Over and above the Google analytics you can access, it will provide much more detail on click through rates, conversion rates and engagement metrics by placement.
Knowing where your ads are appearing across the web and how people are engaging with them offers valuable insights into the types of traffic you’re attracting and will help you work out how to optimise your ad strategy.
Why track ad placements?
If your ads are like tiny billboards, sprinkled across the internet’s real estate, then you might think that popping them up all over town is a good strategy. But as we’ve mentioned before, scattergun is not the most impactful approach, and might even turn some audiences off your ads. If you’re selling retirement plans on kids YouTube channels, then you’re probably not going to get much take up.
Understanding where your ads are being shown and how people interact with them lets you better understand what is and isn’t working for you:
Different websites attract different types of visitors. By tracking your ad placements, you can identify which sites are driving the most relevant and valuable traffic to your website or landing pages. A steakhouse advert on a vegan food website is not going to be very successful.
When you analyse your ad performance by placement, you can refine and optimise your overall advertising strategy to focus on the locations that deliver you the best results. You can also make your budget work even harder by reallocating it to top-performing placements or adjusting your targeting parameters to reach a more relevant audience. You need to advertise where your tribe hang out. Discounted tents are going to do well on a music festival website, fridge freezers are not.
Tracking your ad placement ensures your ads are being displayed in safe environments. You’ve worked hard to build your business, and the last thing you need is your brand reputation tarnished by appearing on inappropriate or low-quality websites. If your Michelin-starred eatery appears on a fast-food app, people are going to start to question the quality of your fine dining.
Improving your Ad strategy
When you know where your ads are being shown, you can refine and optimise your ad strategy. Here’s how:
Adjust your targeting parameters – focus on placements that align with your target audience and objectives. Your ads being seen anywhere else is a waste of your budget.
Smart budgeting – Rather than spreading your budget across multiple placements- try prioritising the top performing placements. You’ll drive valuable, relevant traffic to your site, and increase conversions.
Test, test, and try again. By continuously tracking, monitoring and refining your ad placement strategy you’ll soon find you’ve greatly enhanced your ad performance and probably saved a bit of money too.
Right ad, right time, right place.
The right ad in the wrong place is never going to work out well. The algorithms will always try to help you – but they’re far from perfect. Like a ballet dancer in an operating theatre or a baker at a data privacy conference*, location matters.
Still unsure where you need to be? Let us help you. Whether you’d like to know where your ads are being shown or need help finding the perfect ad locations, give us a call, we’re always happy to help.
*COOKIES! They both deal with cookies.
