Just in time for the holidays — viewability across the Google Display Network

Even the jingliest, jolliest ad of the season can’t work its magic unless it gets seen. That has been the driving force behind a number of investments we’ve been making over the past year to make viewability (or whether an ad is actually visible on a page) a core part of our products. Offering improved insights, transparency and actionability, viewability is key for brand advertisers to get the most out of the web.

Today, we’re taking an important step towards this goal by making it possible to buy based on viewability — in real time — across the more than two million sites in the Google Display Network. Viewability was already available for reservations buys on the Google Display Network, now this solution is available in the auction on a CPM basis globally as well, across desktop, mobile and tablet.  In other words, you can now choose to pay for ONLY those impressions where your ad has a chance to be seen.

This new buying option is based on Active View, our MRC-accredited viewability measurement solution. Through an algorithmic review of publisher sites, our systems will show ads only in ad slots most likely to be viewable, and you only pay for the ones measured as viewable according to the IAB/3MS standard: 50% of the ad visible on the page for one second or longer. You will also see a report of how many viewable impressions you received for any given campaign, which can help make future campaigns even more effective.

As we’ve said before, making viewability a basis for buying, selling and measuring media can help transform the digital marketplace. With access to more meaningful metrics, brand advertisers can unleash their most creative campaigns, knowing they’ll have a chance to shine. And publishers will be able to more fairly value all of their inventory, not just those spots considered “above-the-fold.” We’ll continue to work with our partners in the months to come to make this a reality, and to ensure that every ad has a chance for its holiday wish to come true.

For more information, check out the help center to get started.

Posted by James Beser, Group Product Manager

Introducing The Google Display Network Playbook for Performance Marketers

We’re living in an always-connected culture -- in fact, the average American spends a full 2 months of their waking year online (emarketer, 2011). That’s time spent at work, on the go with mobile phones, and on the couch with tablets. With this wide array of screens, how do you reach your audience, and your performance goals -- at scale and with efficiency? The Google Display Network has the reach and technology to help get your message to the right customer, at the right time, all across the web -- no matter the device or channel. But putting together an optimized performance campaign to reach this fragmented audience can be a real challenge -- so we decided to bring you your very own toolkit --  The Google Display Network Playbook for Performance Marketers.

Over the next few months we’ll highlight specific sections of the playbook. You’ll get more familiar with all the different steps of display that make it excellent for performance -- including targeting, creative, bidding, measurement, and optimization.

We’ll turn our spotlight first on learning more about how display works with your performance goals, with topics such as:

How reach + precision = performance

With 93% reach to US Internet advertisers, and sophisticated technology to find your specific audience, you’re more likely to  reach performance goals at scale.

Performance across all devices and channels

In this always connected, yet fragmented, world, the Google Display Network spans across devices (desktop, mobile and tablet) and channels (social and video) to connect you to your potential customers, wherever they are.

Increasing the holistic value of your campaigns with display

Search and display campaigns complement and reinforce each other. What’s more, tools like remarketing help you re-engage with users that have already shown interest by visiting your site.

Download the playbook today, and stay tuned for even more ways that the Google Display Network can help you drive results in your performance campaigns.

Posted by Mary Shirley, Product Marketing Manager, Google Display Network