Most modern monitor screen sizes range from less than 21 inches, to well over 30<\/span><\/a>, making desktop a wide and extremely flexible format when it comes to ad positioning and CTA character count. This opens up a lot of possibilities to monetise desktop traffic with Direct Links, also taking into account the variety of Direct Link placements that you can use (In-Player Text Link, Sticky Banner, Button, Widget, Menu Tab, etc.). Then, in terms of how to increase ad revenue and how to optimize Direct Link ads on desktop, the best approach is to test out various placements across the website, as well as messaging approaches, which is exactly what the next two publishers did:<\/p>\n On the first desktop publisher case study, this publisher enabled a Menu Tab zone for the Gaming vertical on his Gambling website\u2019s navigation menu, so that his advertisers could promote their Games offers<\/a><\/strong>. Although the Menu Tab was doing relatively well, the publisher was wondering how to increase ad revenue, so he asked his account manager for advice. We looked into it and found out that:<\/p>\n The publisher\u2019s account manager advised them to change the wording from \u2018Check out our partners!\u2019 to \u2018Games!🎮\u2019:<\/p>\n An important point to consider when adding a Direct Link ad, is that websites on desktop devices tend to show a fair amount of elements, whilst their mobile version tends to be more simplified to fit the smaller screens. Therefore, it is important to make your ad zones stand out amongst the rest of the content when targeting desktop users:<\/p>\n Now the publisher was able to monetise desktop traffic with Direct Links more effectively, here are the results achieved by this publisher after implementing this small strategic change:<\/p>\n #1<\/b> +41% click increase! <\/b>Clicks went from an average of 1,770 per day to 2,500 per day, the week after the change (+41%)<\/p>\n #2 +140% revenue increase! <\/b>The daily revenue generated by this ad zone increased by +140% on the week after the change.<\/p>\n So, as we can see, a small change goes a long way!<\/p>\n Now, let\u2019s look at the second publisher:<\/p>\n The publisher of our second desktop publisher case study needed to more effectively monetise desktop traffic with Direct Links . He positioned his Direct Link as a Menu Tab at the navigation bar, at the very top left of his VoD website. The font was remarkably small, and the visibility very low. So, especially on desktop devices, it did get completely lost amongst the rest of highly visually compelling elements that made up the website. To maximize his Direct Link\u2019s results, we advised him to place it in an undervideo position, as a Button ad.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what it looked like before, as a Menu Tab:<\/p>\n The main reason behind such a small navigation menu is that this is a video based site where the end user is meant to scroll through the page\u2019s content, or directly search what they are looking for through the search feature at the right side of the website name. This website, which has been optimized for wider desktop screens, features large videos and images, which means that the Menu Tab as it was positioned initially, was at risk of becoming completely invisible – Even if the end user was interested in the content that this ad offered, or was even directly looking for it, most likely they wouldn\u2019t even know that it was there!<\/p>\n So here\u2019s what it looks like now, after changing it to a Button ad, under a popular video:<\/p>\n Here are the results achieved by this publisher after implementing the changes:<\/p>\n #1 +173% click increase! <\/b>Clicks went from avg. 540 per day to 1475 per day during the week after the change (+173%).<\/p>\n #2 +275% revenue increase!<\/b> As a result of this, daily revenue generated by this ad zone increased by +275%, a week after the change.<\/p>\n So, once again, a relatively small change (from a Menu Tab at the very top of the webpage, to a Button right below a video) triggered great results.<\/p>\n Now, let\u2019s look at some expert tips from our account managers on how to optimize Direct Link ads on desktop devices:<\/p>\n Tip! Test out different Direct Link placements: <\/b>Direct Links are an extremely versatile format, and so it is the desktop website view. You can use different placements on various locations across the wide desktop screens, such as an In-Player Text Link, a Sticky Banner, a Button above or under a video, a Widget amongst content, Submenus in the navigation bar, etc. Test out a few different placements and see what works best for your website!<\/p>\n Tip! Test out different verticals: <\/b>There are a few verticals that you can test out for your Direct Link, including Casino, VoD, eCommerce, Live Streaming, Dating and Games. It is advisable to run tests for a few weeks to determine which Direct Link ads your website users are clicking the most, as this will provide insights into their preferences for specific verticals. If you notice a particular vertical experiencing a downward click trend over time, it may be time to switch to another vertical to keep your Direct Links fresh and optimize end user experience and ad revenue.<\/p>\n Tip! Make sure the verticals are relevant: <\/b>Following up on the previous point, this is key when wondering how to increase ad revenue with your Direct Link. Make sure that your chosen verticals are relevant to your site\u2019s content. For instance, if you have a Gaming site, you could enable VoD to target end users who play video games that also enjoy series and video content in general, as well as Casino and Gambling Direct Links.<\/p>\n Tip! Experiment with messaging: <\/b>Different CTA messages work for different audiences, and desktop allows for both longer and shorter character counts, so test out different approaches. For instance, your \u2018eCommerce\u2019 Direct Link could also be called \u2018Buy your date a present!\u2019, if you have a Dating website, especially if it is Valentine\u2019s Day!<\/a><\/strong> Your VoD Direct Link could be called either \u2018VoD\u2019 or \u2018Watch Videos!\u2019 or \u2018Video Zone!\u2019, and so on. Test them out and see what your audience reacts to best. Still, remember that excessively long messaging might be annoying for the end user, so try and keep your messaging concise and to the point.<\/p>\n Tip! Different placements require different CTAs: <\/b>Related to the point made above, different Direct Link placement types will work best for different copywriting techniques. For instance, a Button could have a more direct approach, such as \u2018Watch our videos!\u2019, or \u2018Play our Games!\u2019. This could be similar to an In-Video Text Link, although it could be slightly longer, \u2018Watch the best fun videos now!\u2019. When it comes to Menu Tabs, the shorter and more concise, the better, \u2018Fun Games!\u2019.<\/p>\n Tip! Use emojis: <\/b>Emojis are great to create a visual impact that will enhance the message on your Direct Link. Also, they are international, which means that you can use them to appeal end users worldwide, no matter their language! For instance, Live Streaming or Video could be followed by 📹 (or even be entirely replaced by the emoji!), Dating, by 💌, and so on.<\/p>\n Do you have any more questions about how to increase ad revenue using Direct Links or want to enable this format on your website? Need more tips to monetize your desktop traffic, or have any extra questions about this desktop publisher case study? Make sure to speak to your account manager or to a Client Care specialist here<\/span><\/a><\/strong>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Wondering how to increase ad revenue monetizing desktop traffic? Read this Desktop publisher case study to learn how to maximize Direct Links!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1241,"featured_media":93965,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1165,1097,973,853,663,1099,950,1117,1133],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\nDesktop publisher case study 1: Contextual messaging and emoji combo<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Desktop publisher case study 2: One small change for your ad placement, one giant change for your ad revenues!<\/b><\/h2>\n
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How to increase ad revenue on desktop: Expert tips!<\/b><\/h2>\n