We know how frustrating it is to click on an article only to have to scroll to the bottom to find the answer to your question.
That’s why we’re going to tell you off the bat that your ideal fill rate should be a minimum of 85% – 90%.
And indeed, that’s the bar we set for our hundreds of partnering publishers.
Now that we got that out of the way, we’re going to explain everything you need to know about fill rates and what you can do to improve yours.
What Is Ad Fill Rate?
Ad fill rate refers to the percentage of ad requests that are successfully filled with an ad.
In other words, it measures how many ad requests were filled with an ad, and how many ad requests go unfilled.
For example, if a website receives 100 ad requests and 80 of them are filled with ads, the ad fill rate would be 80%.
Why Ad Fill Rate Matters
Ad fill rate is a crucial metric because it directly impacts a publisher’s revenue.
If your ad fill rate is low, it means that a significant portion of your ad requests are going unfilled, resulting in lost revenue.
In contrast, a high ad fill rate means that most ad requests are generating revenue, which translates into higher revenue.
How to Calculate Ad Fill Rate
To calculate ad fill rate, you need to know the number of ad requests made on your website and the number of those requests that are successfully filled with ads.
Here is the formula to calculate ad fill rate:
Ad Fill Rate = (Total number of filled ad requests / Total number of ad requests) x 100
For example, if your website receives 10,000 ad requests in a month and 7,500 of them are filled with ads, the ad fill rate would be 75%:
(7,500 / 10,000) x 100 = 75%
Why Your Ad Fill Rate Isn’t 100%
Achieving a 100% fill rate is not a realistic goal, and here’s why:
- Lack of demand
- Ad blockers
- Low-quality ad inventory
- Technical issues
Lack of Demand
One of the main reasons why your ad fill rate may not be 100% is a lack of demand.
Advertisers have different budgets and preferences, and they may not be interested in bidding on all of your ad inventory.
For example, if you have a surplus of ad inventory in a specific niche or location, but advertisers are not interested in bidding on those impressions, your ad fill rate may be lower.
Ad Blockers
Ad blockers block ad requests from serving ads, resulting in lower fill rates.
Low-Quality Ad Inventory
Advertisers may not bid on ad inventory that they consider low-quality or irrelevant to their target audience. This can lead to a lower ad fill rate.
Technical Issues
Technical issues, such as high latency, can impact ad fill rates.
If your page is loading slowly, it’s possible that a user will leave your page or scroll past the ad before it has a chance to load.
How to Improve Ad Fill Rate
- Implement header bidding
- Use ad block prevention
- Optimize your targeting
- Improve website speed
- Use smart ad refresh
- Utilize lazy loading
- Work with a reliable monetization partner
Implement Header Bidding
Header bidding is a programmatic advertising technique that allows you to offer your ad inventory to multiple demand sources simultaneously.
Using header bidding not only increases competition, but it is critical in increasing fill rates.
To achieve the highest possible fill rates, we recommend using hybrid header bidding.
Use Ad Block Prevention
As we noted earlier ad blockers prevent the ads from getting served, which affects your fill rate.
That’s why as a publisher it’s important that you prevent ad blockers.
Optimize Your Targeting
Make sure you are implementing advanced targeting methods, including contextual, geographic, and behavior targeting, which will drive more relevant advertisers to fill your ad requests.
Improve Website Speed
The quicker your website loads, the lower the chances are that an ad won’t fill due to high latency.
Use Smart Ad Refresh
If you use ad refresh too frequently, it can lead to increased latency and lower fill rates.
Make sure to use smart ad refresh to ensure that your fill rates don’t decline.
Utilize Lazy Loading
Utilizing lazy loading, a technique that loads your ads only when they are about to appear in the user’s viewport, leads to higher viewability, which in turn leads to higher fill rates.
Work With a Reliable Monetization Partner
Working with a reliable monetization partner like Adnimation can ensure that you are achieving the highest possible fill rates.
As a Google Certified Publishing Partner (GCPP) and Google AdX partner/MCM partner, we use advanced technology and a professional human touch to ensure that you are generating the highest possible ad revenue.
Want to learn more? Feel free to contact us today.
