Interstitial Ads: What They Are & Why They Rock

Interstitial ads often get overlooked as a premium ad format, especially when put up against their pop under / pop up cousins. But, in the battle for valuable screen real estate, they are an incredibly powerful asset for online advertisers to have in their arsenal. Find out why Interstitial Ads are the Ultimate Cure for Banner Blindness

What Are Interstitial Ads?

Interstitial ads are similar to pop-ups but, rather than opening in a new window, they are displayed “on top” of the page content. Interstitial ads can appear when a visitor clicks on a link to read an article or when the page first loads. The interstitial ad that appears takes up the full-screen area.

In-App interstitial ads behave slightly differently, but the logic is pretty much the same. Rather than the ad appearing between page loads, they can be triggered by a range of in-app events, like in between levels or after a user has performed a certain action.

Here’s Why You Need Interstitial Ads

As mentioned at the start of this piece, screen real-estate is a precious and prized thing. With so many advertisers all competing for people’s attention, making eye-catching, engaging ads that stand out becomes harder and harder. This, coupled with the well-documented “banner blindness” phenomenon, means advertisers can have a hard time getting users to click their ads.

By taking up the full-screen area, interstitial ads are able to stand out from the crowd. They also deliver great results, at a fraction of the cost of pop-under ads, making them a brilliant return on investment proposition.

Interstitial Ads To The Rescue!

This combined with the advent of video ads means that we’re likely to see an increase in the use of interstitial ads as a way of dealing with banner blindness. Interstitial ads work especially well for advertisers looking to promote fast-moving consumer goods, as well as games.

For example, a premier hotel chain saw a 25x increase in video views when using interstitial ads. Also, a leading European casual game developer saw a 7x increase in conversions, by harnessing the power of interstitial ads.

Key Points

Numbers:

• 25x Increase In Video Views
• 7x Increase In Conversions
• 7% Click Through Rate

Facts:

• Eye-catching
• Deals with banner blindness
• Minimal UX impact

Interstitial Ads In Action!

Thanks to our easy to use advertiser platform, making the most of this creative, engaging ad format has never been easier. If you’re an existing Adcash partner, you can launch your ad campaign, by signing in here, and clicking CREATE CAMPAIGN.

A Word On Google’s Interstitial Ad Policy

There was a lot of chatter at the end of 2015 and early 2016 about Google viewing interstitial ads on pages as a negative mobile experience and thereby harming page ranks. There’s been a lot of confusion on this topic, but Google has since clarified their position: their policy only impacts app install interstitials, 

Here’s a response Google provided to an article over at Marketing Land, on this very topic:

“We’re focused on improving the search experience for our users. In the case of app install interstitials, there are easy alternatives for promoting apps. In particular, there is a commonly accepted browser standard: Smart Banners on Safari (from Apple) and Native App Install Banners on Chrome. We’re encouraging webmasters to adhere to that accepted best practice.”

Want to share your interstitial ad success stories? Let us know in the comments down below!

We’ve got a bunch of developments and exciting new features heading your way, designed to keep your audience’s onsite experience crisp, clean, and ultra-engaging! Reach out to one of our team here and we’ll help you tailor your impressions to the tee!