Mobile native advertising refers to ads tailored for mobile-optimized websites. The majority of website traffic comes from mobile devices, so having mobile native ads is essential, or you risk losing revenue from most website visits. But, how do you get the ads, which are the best formats, and what are its benefits and challenges? This guide answers these key questions. Read on to learn about mobile native advertising, its formats, benefits, and how to maximize its effectiveness on your website.
What is mobile native advertising?
Mobile native advertising refers to ads that match the look and feel of your website (or app) on a mobile device. The ads seamlessly integrate into your website’s mobile experience, such that visitors may not even notice it’s an ad until they take a closer look. Because of this seamless integration, mobile native ads have higher conversions than non-native ones.
Mobile native advertising by the numbers
Mobile devices account for roughly 60% of online traffic currently, compared to barely 3% as of 2010. This stat implies that more than half of your website traffic will likely be from mobile devices, so failing to tailor ads for mobile screens means losing out on significant revenue.
Research also indicates that people view native ads 53% more frequently than typical banner ads, translating to higher clicks and revenue for your website. Native advertising on mobile devices helps maximize your website revenue compared to other ad formats.
The best mobile native ad formats and examples
Although native mobile advertising is a widely-used trend, business owners can still use many formats to promote their brands and remain competitive. Let’s take a closer look at the most popular types for both advertisers and publishers:
1. In-feed product listing
In-feed product listings often appear on commerce sites and apps. They’re designed to look like organically-listed products. A product image, a short description, a price, and user reviews all appear in this type of ad.
These advertisements work the same way organic products do on the website/app. Customers can buy, add to a cart, like, or add these sponsored products to a wishlist. Adsterra’s in-feed ads are well-suited for e-commerce related websites and generate noticeably high conversion rates.
2. In-feed content
Sponsored content that appears on people’s news feeds, streaming platforms, and general blog feeds. They are designed to match the site/app design, including fonts, graphics, and other elements.
Sponsored content works the same way as free content, with gestures like flipping, swiping, and viewing the feed. The natural flow on mobile pages makes them a perfect fit for monetization.
How about showing your ads natively on thousands of websites to millions of users? Or, maybe, earn nice cash by exposing native advertising on your website? Nothing comes easier than a registration with Adsterra, your native advertising network.
3. In-map content
Native ads appear in mobile map and navigation apps, including Google Maps, Apple Maps, and more. These ads appear when a user searches for a location related to the ad. Ads are made possible by mobile map apps like Google Maps. They look like organic map search results including details such as distance, working hours, customer reviews, and amenities.
4. In-game ads
These are opt-in video advertisements where players are invited to watch the ad in exchange for in-game rewards. Rewards can include in-game currency, game hints/tips, and increased player XP, among other things.
These in-app video ads are designed to complement the game’s aesthetics. When the player clicks on an icon that offers rewards for watching the ad, the ad video appears on the screen.
5. Recommended content
Recommended content helps users navigate and explore new content. These ads usually have a title that says “Recommended for you” or “You might like.” The image and text are similar to the feed or article’s design. The user experience is identical to the organic content, with a click-through button to access the full article on the advertiser’s website.
6. Custom native ads
Traditionally, custom native ads meant content created by brands: editorials, videos, and full-screen ads. That was the most expensive format due to its complex design and tailored targeting.
However, the situation changed dramatically in the late 2000s. Thousands of advertisers gained access to web push ads and then to In-Page Push ads. These are not native banners, but their nativeness beats their predecessors’.
While remaining an inexpensive format, In-Page Push evolved further into the mobile-friendly Social Bar.
Adsterra’s Social Bar ads have the teasing characteristics of native ads, but they are far more noticeable and clickable. Still, we can call them Custom because they can wrap any offers uniquely. Just look at these two ads below.
Native banner is adequate here, but the Social Bar (a pulsing icon at the bottom of the screen) truly shines.
Adsterra’s Social Bar ads are highly adapted for mobile screens and selected for high relevance. Thanks to Adsterra’s rich ad inventory, you won’t worry about displaying the most high-performing ads for your audience.
Key benefits of mobile native advertising
- Higher engagement and click-through rates (CTRs). Because they match a website’s exact look, visitors view and interact with native ads much more than non-native ads. Higher mobile ad engagement rates mean more revenue for website owners.
- Reduced ad fatigue. People encounter a lot of ads every day and get tired of seeing them. However, native ads are designed to be less intrusive, reducing your audience’s ad fatigue on mobile screens.
- Smoother user experience. Native ads deliver an overall better experience for your website, as they’re less distracting than other ad formats. A good user experience helps retain visitors in the long term.
Common mobile native advertising mistakes to avoid
Mobile native advertising has various benefits, which we’ve discussed, but it isn’t without its challenges. Here are some mistakes to avoid when implementing this ad format:
- Using desktop-first creatives. Publishers often design ad creatives on desktop screens and subtly assume it’ll be fit for mobile screens, but that isn’t the case. Creatives (logos, text, pictures, etc.) should be designed for mobile-first, before desktops.
- Weak contextual matching. Mobile native ads generally have better performance, but they need to be relevant to your audience. For example, advertising clothes on an electronics blog won’t get good results. Rather, the ads should be related to what your audience is interested in.
- Poor page user experience. Your whole website, not just ads, should be optimized for mobile devices. All elements should automatically adjust to fit mobile screens, delivering a consistent user experience for visitors. Otherwise, the native ads will look awkward amid other non-mobile-optimized visuals, reducing conversions.
- Choosing the wrong ad network. All ad networks aren’t the same when it comes to mobile native advertising. Some support a broader range of formats and deliver more relevant ads than others. For example, Adsterra delivers highly engaging, relevant mobile native ads for your website, making it a good option.
How to measure mobile native advertising performance
These are the key metrics for measuring the performance of mobile native ads:
- Visibility. This metric counts the number of impressions (views) of your native ads. Higher visibility means more people eventually interacting with the ad, but conversions are a more important metric.
- Conversions/Click-through rates (CTR). It’s one thing to view an ad and another to click on it and follow the suggested action. Conversions refer to the percentage of viewers who actually click on the ad.
- On-site behavior. Note which type of mobile native ads generates the most conversions. For example, in-feed product listings may perform better than standalone native banners on your website. The idea is to learn what works and build your monetization strategy around it.
Adsterra offers detailed analytics to measure mobile native advertising performance and build the most profitable strategy. Choose Adsterra and begin your successful monetization journey.
Conclusion
Mobile native advertising helps you maximize website earnings. With the right formats, placement, and optimization, mobile native ads generate high conversions and revenue.
The best results come when you choose the right network that delivers engaging, highly relevant mobile ads for your audience, and Adsterra fits this bill. With rich, diverse formats and a deep ad inventory, Adsterra helps you earn the most from your website. Choose our platform today and get the most from your website.
