What is mobile ad viewability?

Mobile ad viewability is the concept of how visible ads on a mobile device are to users. For an ad to be considered viewable, the ad content must be within the viewable region of the browser or app for a minimum period of time. 

At the heart of the discussion lies the definition of an impression. An ad may be sent to an app, a device, or a mobile website, but that doesn’t mean it displayed successfully or was viewed by the intended user. Therefore the distinction between a viewable ad impression and a served ad is an important one. 

When ads have high viewability, they have higher lift over ads that don’t, and ensure a better user experience. For publishers, viewability metrics are integral to generating revenue, as placements with good viewability stats perform better and generate higher bids at auction. 

For advertisers, knowing that the ad impressions they’re spending on meet viewability standards gives them confidence that impression waste won’t negatively impact their ROAS. In fact, many advertisers won’t bid on ads with low or no viewability stats.

There are various measures of ad viewability, but two of the most commonly referenced are the IAB guidelines and the Media Rating Council guidelines. The important thing to remember is that if an ad isn’t viewable, it will generate less revenue and be less likely to engage users – if it gets their attention at all.