Google yesterday became the first major digital ad network to announce it will only charge advertisers for ads that have been seen by users.
More than half of all ads bought online are not seen by anyone, either because they appear too far down a page or for other factors.
Google has said an ad is only considered “viewed” if 50 per cent of more of it is visible for more than one second on the page.
In a blog post announcing the change, Google said: “Even the jingliest, jolliest ad of the season can’t work its magic unless it gets seen.
“Today, we’re taking an important step towards this goal by making it possible to buy based on viewability – in real time – across the more than two million sites in the Google Display Network…
“In other words, you can now choose to pay for only those impressions where your ad has a chance to be seen.”
Digital analysis firm eMarketer says Google accounted for 32.84 per cent of all digital ad spending worldwide in 2013.
That translates to more than $38bn of the estimated $117.6bn global digital advertising market.