Written by: Hong Doan
Senior Platform Operations Executive
Hong is a dedicated professional with over 3+ years of experience in the Programmatic Advertising field, specializing in Website optimization, troubleshooting, and analysis. She has collaborated with more than 300+ publishers across diverse countries, including (TW, TH, PH, ID, IN) and expertly manages Private Marketplace advertising.
Hong’s proficiency spans both the DSP and SSP sides, with hands-on experience in industry-leading platforms. Known for her flexibility and adaptability, she leverages the latest innovations to drive significant uplift for the publishers she works with.
Rewarded Ads have become a popular format in applications, contributing significantly to high revenue with the highest CPM among ad formats. Recently, in 2023, this format became available on GAM for web publishers to explore. At AnyMind, we have been testing this format across various publishers and have observed promising results. In this article, we share our experiences, best practices, and case studies related to the implementation of Rewarded Ads on websites.
1. What are Traffic Rewarded Ads for Web? Traffic Rewarded Ads for the web offer a unique and engaging ad experience that benefits both users and publishers. Available specifically on Google Ad Manager for various devices, including desktop, mobile, and tablet web inventory, these ads require users to voluntarily opt in to interact with an ad in exchange for a reward.
The reward can take various forms, such as access to additional news articles, an updated song list on a music website, or even Wi-Fi access at places like airports. The key feature of this ad format is that it is entirely user-initiated. Users are not passively consuming ads; instead, they actively choose to engage with them in exchange for a tangible benefit. This opt-in model ensures a higher level of engagement and user satisfaction.
2. How Can It Boost Revenue for Publishers? Implementing Traffic Rewarded Ads can significantly increase revenue for publishers through several mechanisms:
2a. Increased User Engagement The primary advantage of Traffic Rewarded Ads is the heightened level of user engagement. Since users voluntarily choose to watch an ad for a specific reward, they are more attentive and invested in the content. This increased engagement results in higher ad completion rates, which are essential for advertiser satisfaction and lead to higher CPMs.
2b. Higher CPMs Higher CPMs result from the fact that users are required to spend a certain amount of time watching the ads to receive the reward. Since users opt to watch the ads, completion rates are high, leading to improved CTR and viewability metrics.
Case Study: Rewarded Ads on a music site in Taiwan resulted in a 30x higher CPM compared to display ads.
3. Requirements & Restrictions Before integrating Traffic Rewarded Ads, publishers must comply with several requirements and restrictions to ensure policy adherence and optimal performance.
For more details, please refer to: Google Support – Traffic Rewarded Ads Google Support – Rewarded Ads Setup
3a. User Opt-in and Clear Rewards Users must explicitly opt in to watch the ad, meaning ads cannot autoplay or be forced upon them. Additionally, publishers must deliver the promised rewards once the user completes the required action.
3b. Technical Requirements Publishers must disable the “Block non‑instream video ads” setting in Google Ad Manager. Additionally, rewarded ads are eligible for mobile-optimized pages, which require a specific meta tag ().
4. How to Set Up Traffic Rewarded Ads for Web in Ad Manager Setting up Traffic Rewarded Ads involves creating appropriate ad units and line items in Google Ad Manager. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
4a. Ad Units
- Size: The size of the ad unit does not affect ad serving for Traffic Rewarded Ads for the web.
- Reward: The default is set to “1 reward,” but this can be customized. For example, if the reward is 20 extra lives in a game, set the “Reward amount” to “20” and the “Reward type” to “lives.”
4b. Line Items
- Inventory Sizes: For reservation line items, select the Video or Audio ad type and enter an expected creative size of 1x1v (Video/VAST). For Ad Exchange line items, select the Display (Standard) ad type and enter an expected creative size of 1×1 (Custom).
- Type: For reservation line items, set the type according to priority. For Ad Exchange, use the Ad Exchange line item type.
5. Implementation The Google Publisher Tag (GPT) code is used to deliver a similar experience to rewarded ads on apps. However, it’s important to note that server-side verification—a feature available for app-based rewarded ads—is not available for web-based rewarded ads.
6. Conclusion Traffic Rewarded Ads are a powerful tool for publishers to enhance user engagement and increase revenue. By rewarding users for their time and attention, these ads create a win-win scenario, proving more effective than traditional ads. Contact AnyMind Group today to learn more about Traffic Rewarded Ads and see your user engagement and revenue grow!
