The IAB Announced a Standard Every Advertiser Needs to Know About

The dream of any advertiser is reaching a real human who is receptive to their particular messaging, because that is the most likely path to conversions. The trouble, especially on the Web, is verifying when a human is actually seeing an ad and when the view is actually an automated bot. Today, ad networks filter this traffic easily, but this was not always the case.

In defense of ethical advertising practices, the Interactive Advertising Bureau has designed standards that are used to measure an impression as “viewable.” That certification means a lot to the future of advertising.

Viewable Impressions Explained

An impression certified as “viewable” means that a real human looked at a majority of the pixels in the ad (the amount is specified ahead of time). It may also mean that a human viewed the ad for a specific amount of time, which is especially important in video advertising. Pre-roll ads are good at holding a user’s attention through the duration of the ad, but there are no guarantees. A viewable impression gives some safety net for the advertiser, so you are only paying for impressions that meet your criteria.

Final Thoughts

Click fraud was a problem because the mechanisms didn’t exist to stop it. Now that click fraud is easier to detect, ad networks can take a proactive approach in stopping it. The IAB has set forth new standards advertisers can use to be sure the buy-side platforms they use are protecting their ads from fraudulent traffic.

Bio: Ted Dhanik is the CEO of engage:BDR, a digital advertising firm based out of Los Angeles. Ted Dhanik is passionate about marketing, and the technology behind the Web. Ted Dhanik and the engage:BDR team are ready to help you expand your business through targeted traffic.