Standards That Determine “Viewability”

Viewable impressions are the ad industry’s latest weapon in the fight against click fraud. They differ from the standard impression because they have been qualified by certain standards that certify the view as authentic. This is very different from a standard impression, which has no guidelines associated with it and is much harder to verify as human . Viewable impressions will have a major impact on display advertising, and the guidelines that make them possible are an important first step in eradicating click fraud.

How an Impression Becomes Viewable

An impression is triggered the moment your analytics code records a page view, but a viewable impression goes one extra step. By setting certain criteria, such as seconds the ad is onscreen and amount of pixels visible, companies can measure whether an actual human has viewed an ad.

Advertisers are protected even further when they choose how long a user remains engaged. They want to be sure the user will be viewing for longer than a second or two.

As a whole, the industry stands to gain immensely from this practice. There won’t be as much guesswork related to whether your ads are getting real eyes on them. You can also count on the data you accumulate as an accurate measure of response, given your targets and bids. Viewable impressions, and the industry guidelines that come with them, are an important component in building trust with advertisers too.

Bio: Ted Dhanik is the CEO and co-founder of the Los Angeles based digital advertising company engage:BDR. Ted Dhanik is an active mentor in the Los Angeles startup scene, and he blogs frequently for Venture Beat and AdAge. Ted Dhanik and the team at engage:BDR can help you grow your display advertising.