Lazy loading is a technique which allows the display of ads when the users scroll a web page. This way, they are more likely to see them. The ads located above the fold are immediately visible whereas the ones below won’t be displayed from the beginning.
When the browser connects to the web server, the entire web page loads. This happens whether or not the user can see the ads.
Lazy loading means that the ads that are not visible at the opening of a web page are not loaded. They’ll only load when the user scrolls down to where they are located on the page.
We can therefore understand that lazy loading retrieves ads as the user scrolls a web page and then displays them when they are at a certain level of the display window.
Where can lazy loading apply?
It can work with a CMS like WordPress thanks to a plugin. It is better to apply it to ads located below the webpage fold because it enables the reduction of latency effect. The ads visible from the first screen without scrolling do not need lazy loading.
What are the advantages of lazy loading?
It increases the user experience
Ads can require lots of resources and publishers have a performance goal linked to speed and ad display on a web page.
Lazy loading helps publishers in two ways:
· The ads are only loaded if they are likely to be seen. Thus, the number of ads can be reduced.
· Processing time and bandwidth used for unseen impressions is saved.
It also enhances the speed perception because the “delayed” ads are not displayed when the page initially loads. This frees up resources for loading a web page and rendering the main content. Thus the web pages load faster and contribute to the good referencing by the algorithm of Google.
It contributes to the visibility enhancement
Thanks to lazy loading, ads which are not likely to be seen do not load and therefore reduce the number of unseen impressions. This enhances the visibility score.
Indeed, it is logical for advertisers to not want to pay for impressions that are not seen by the users. The higher the visibility score, the more value for your ad inventory.
Visible impressions are used as a Key Performance Indicator because they precisely indicate who has really seen your ads. This can also result in a higher click rate.
It helps improve revenues
Lazy loading only starts to load ads when a user can see them. This improves overall visibility and increases the value of your ad inventory for more competitive bidding and better rates.
Are there limits to those ads?
Lazy loading is a useful way to improve user experience and increase revenue. Yet, diminishing the ad inventory of your website can have negative repercussions when it comes to revenues.
Indeed, even if visibility remains at the heart of advertisers’ concerns, non-visible impressions are still sold for a very low CPM.