Acceptable Ads: A Guide for Publishers
The digital advertising industry is growing. Websites and publishers are finding it difficult to balance revenue generation and delivering seamless user experiences.
Users are now choosing the type of content they engage with, raising the demand for less intrusive ads. This shift has seen an increased use of acceptable ads, which create a user-friendly ad experience while helping publishers to monetize their platforms effectively.
With the increased use of ad blockers, publishers are estimated to lose $54bn in revenue in 2024. However, acceptable ads that respect user experience would help balance their preferences, reduce ad blocking rates, and recover publishers’ revenue streams.
This article discusses the growth and benefits of acceptable ads for publishers. Read on to understand how to implement acceptable ads on your website and the ethical and legal factors to consider.
What Are Acceptable Ads?
Acceptable Ads are ads that are not invasive or interruptive. They don’t intrude on content and are marked as “advertisement,” “promoted,” or “sponsored.”
They follow the Acceptable Ads Committee (ACC) guidelines, which are rules that regulate the presentation of various ads, such as text, native, and display ads.
These ads are crucial in digital publishing as they balance user experience (UX) with the publisher’s revenue generation. They adhere to ethical advertising standards, allowing publishers to monetize their content effectively and generate a sustainable income.
The Evolution of Acceptable Ads
History and Development
As digital advertising revolutionized, intrusive ads became more prevalent, especially in the early 2000s.
AdBlock was the first ad-blocking tool released in 2002 and it gained prominence as users could completely block ads while browsing the net. However, publishers relying on ad revenue felt the heat as they lost significant income.
Acceptable Ads emerged to protect their interests by allowing relevant and non-intrusive ads that don’t compromise UX while allowing publishers to generate revenue.
The concept of acceptable ads saw the adoption of more ad-blocking software and platforms that could display particular ads even with active ad blockers. The focus was creating less intrusive ads that mitigated the publishers’ financial losses while meeting users’ expectations.
The Role of Eyeo and Adblock Plus
Founded in 2011, the software company Eyeo GmbH developed Adblock Plus. This tool was designed to allow non-intrusive ads to pass through its filter.
Eyeo’s decision to charge large entities a fee sparked controversy. Critics believed the move could weaken ad-blocking integrity.
However, Eyeo defended its decision, saying that the fee was only meant to support the Adblock Plus program and upcoming publishers. The company generated €62.3 million Euros in ad revenue in 2021.
The program partners with publishers to refine its criteria based on user reviews and the ever-changing digital domain. Currently, Adblock Plus serves over 60 million users.
Ad blocker use has also been steadily increasing. For example, in 2021, 27% of internet users in the United States had installed ad blockers.
Source: Statista
Understanding Acceptable Ads
The Criteria for Acceptable Ads
The ACC has set criteria that all acceptable ads should comply with, which include:
1. Ad Size
Individual ads should meet a standard size and occupy a specific space.
If the ad appears in the first fold of the page (above the fold), it shouldn’t take over 15% of the page’s visible space. If placed in the page folds after scrolling (below the fold), the ad shouldn’t occupy over 25% of the page’s visible portion in your browser tab.
Source: AdBlock Plus
Here are the ad size limitations depending on their placement:
- For ads placed above the primary content, the maximum height is 200px.
- For ads placed beside the primary content, the maximum width is 350px.
- For ads placed below the primary content, the maximum height is 400px.
- For ads placed within the primary content, the maximum height is 250px.
Ensure the ads leave enough space for the main content while factoring in the various device screen sizes.
- Desktop: 1366×768 px
- Mobile: 360×640 px
- Tablet: 768×1024 px
2. Ad Placement
It’s crucial to know where to place ads on your website. You can place them above, below, or beside the primary content, depending on your website design and user behavior. The focus is to ensure the ads don’t interrupt your users during content consumption.
Here’s an example showing an ad placed on a web page that doesn’t distract users from the main content:
Source: PCMag
3. Correct labeling
Ads should be marked as “advertisement,” “promoted,” or “sponsored.” This allows the user to distinguish the ad from other content on your page.
Here’s an example:
Source: PCMag
4. Ad frequency
The Acceptable Ads initiative does not explicitly define a universal “frequency cap” for ads.
If you are implementing a strategy based on Acceptable Ads or need specific ad frequency capping recommendations, it would be best to follow the guidelines set by the specific platform or network you are using or to use common industry practices (such as 3-5 impressions per user per day) while prioritizing a user-friendly experience.
5. Ad information transparency
As per Acceptable ads guidelines, publishers must not use deceptive methods to place ads in a way that users mistake them for a menu, navigation, or false download links. Ensure transparency in ad implementation on your website and don’t mislead users.
You should also allow users to mute particular ads from brands, or completely opt out of ads.
6. Ad density
While there isn’t a single, universally specified standard for ad density (like an exact percentage or number of ads), the guidelines emphasize that ads should be reasonable in quantity and placement to avoid cluttering the page.
A good reference point can be to look at the Better Ads Standards framework that specifies that ad density should not exceed 30% of the vertical height of the main content of a page. This means that if you were to measure the vertical height of the primary content on a mobile webpage, the total height occupied by ads should be no more than 30% of this height.
The Benefits of Acceptable Ads
Acceptable ads offer various benefits, helping publishers build a progressive digital advertising environment.
1. Enhanced user experience
By design, acceptable ads don’t interfere with the user’s online experience. They uphold user preferences for more personalized advertising. Notably, users are more inclined to stay longer on a site that doesn’t disrupt their content consumption, boosting user satisfaction.
2. Higher user engagement
Acceptable ads are typically displayed within relevant content, increasing the chances of user engagement as the content the user consumes aligns with the ad. This type of content personalization increases click-through rates (CTR) and conversion rates.
When users aren’t overwhelmed by ad fatigue, they have a higher chance of interacting with the visible ads, potentially raising the publisher’s outcomes. One great way to increase engagement is to display UGC ads that repurpose customer stories.
3. Improved brand perception
A publisher using acceptable ads shows that they respect the user’s online experience and value their time.
Since acceptable ads adhere to ethical advertising guidelines, publishers that use them are considered ethically responsible.
Common Misconceptions About Acceptable Ads
- Acceptable ads drastically reduce publisher’s revenue: Not quite. Their non-intrusive nature encourages users to interact more, potentially boosting impressions and revenue, which in turn supports the publisher’s overall cash flow.
- Acceptable ads are similar to traditional ads: They are not. Unlike traditional ads, acceptable ads are shorter, contextually relevant, and more aligned with user interests.
How to Implement Acceptable Ads
1. Assess current ad inventory
Audit the existing ad inventory on your platform and single out ads that don’t meet the acceptable ad guidelines in terms of format, placement, and overall UX.
Next, examine the performance of current ads by checking metrics like CTR, user reviews, and bounce rates. Remember, high bounce rates and minimal engagement signify poor UX.
Study each ad and compare them against acceptable guidelines to identify those using a non-compliant layout.
2. Choose the right ad format
You can choose from different formats depending on ad placements and your audience’s preferences. Let’s look at the different types of ad formats.
Inline ads
Inline ads appear within the content body and are not allocated separate space. However, these ads should be relevant to the content and not break its flow.
Native ads
Native ads blend with the content style and format of the platform on which they appear. They offer the reader promotional content without disrupting their page navigation.
Below is a native ad example from a Forbes publication:
Banner ads
A banner uses imagery, mimics a digital billboard, and can be static or dynamic. These ads are often bright and use less text to grab the reader’s attention.
3. Use the right tools and technologies
Understand why your ad didn’t pass through ad blockers
Use an ad-blocking tool to identify your blocked ads and determine why they’re being blocked. This can help you restrategize and refine your ads to meet acceptable ads standards.
Also, gather reviews from users leveraging ad blockers and discover why their preferences don’t align with your ad strategy. This way, you’ll know how to format and adjust your ad to meet their expectations.
Get your ads whitelisted
You can join an acceptable ads program to have your ads whitelisted. Adblock Plus has a whitelist that displays acceptable ads to users even if they have enabled ad blockers. However, ensure your ads meet the whitelisting program guidelines.
Use ad management platforms to vet your ad’s acceptability
Ad management platforms offer progressive features to ensure your ads comply with acceptable standards for increased effectiveness. Choose a platform with automated checks for ad placement, size, and format compliance.
4. Test and optimize your ads
Perform A/B testing to compare the various ad formats, designs, and placements. This helps you determine the best-performing format that aligns with your web page without compromising UX.
Gather user feedback to see how they perceive ads on your website. Adjust your strategy to ensure its effectiveness and improve user satisfaction.
How to Collaborate with Advertisers for Acceptable Ads
Stick to acceptable ad standards
Clear communication guidelines with advertisers ensure that the ads are relevant, transparent, and aligned with your platform policies and user anticipations. The guidelines should clearly define acceptable ad metrics like size, format, content, and placement.
Build solid relationships with advertisers
Cultivating a relationship based on trust with advertisers is critical for better goal alignment. Transparency regarding user feedback and ad performance helps build mutual respect, leading to successful ad campaigns. You may also implement frequency capping to limit how often a user sees the same ad. This helps to prevent ad fatigue and maintains a positive user experience.
Legal and Ethical Considerations of Using Acceptable Ads
You need to comply with various regulation acts and policies, including:
1. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
The GDPR framework provides data protection guidelines within the European Union (EU).
It mandates users to consent to processing their personal data for advertising purposes. Users must know what they approve and should be allowed to withdraw at any time.
Under the GDPR policies, publishers should be clear on the data collected, its purposes, and where it is shared.
2. California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)
The CCPA provides guidelines for protecting consumers’ privacy rights, including the right to know, delete, opt out, and non-discrimination.
Publishers should inform users what personal data they collect and for what purposes. They should also provide ways for users to request the deletion of their personal data from their ad platforms.
3. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines
Under the FTC guidelines, ad claims should be accurate, fair, and evidence-based. Publishers must give full disclosure and display ads where users can spot and understand them.
Final Words
Acceptable ads are now becoming a standard practice as they help lower friction and strengthen brand-consumer relationships. These ads balance user experience while helping monetize your publication or website as they prioritize relevance, transparency, and user satisfaction.
