Terme
above the fold : In the context of banner ad placement, above the fold generally refers to a banner placement on a web page that can be viewed without scrolling either horizontally or vertically. Most online ad networks define suitable above the fold placement as within 500 or 600 pixels of the top of the page.
ad flight : In the context of online advertising, an ad flight refers to the run of a single advertisement or group of advertisements from start to finish.
ad network : Ad networks (advertising network, banner network, online ad network) are advertising companies which administer ad sales, billing, serving and collection for web sites. Ad networks often aggregate sites into specific categories or demographic groups, then sell ad inventory to advertisers either to specific sites within the networks, specific categories or demographics, or via run of network buys which target sites within the network. Ad networks can sell ad inventory on CPM, CPC, CPA and other revenue models. A reviewed list of ad networks can be found here at Internet Ad Sales.+ Associated link: http://www.internetadsales.com/modules/wfsection/index.php?category=4
ad server : A third-party system composed of powerful server hardware, ad serving software, and a powerful internet connection, used by advertisers and web publishers for rapid and reliable display of online advertisements. An important component of ad servers is independent tracking of ad display and click information. Many ad networks, including Burst and Fastclick, offer separately licensed versions of their own ad servers which may be used by web publishers who manage some or all of their own advertising sales rather than outsourcing to ad networks.
ad views (impressions) : The number of times a specific ad has been displayed. Many ad networks sell advertising using a CPM model, in which ads are purchased and web publishers reimbursed at a fixed rate per thousand impressions.
animated GIF : A graphic image in GIF (graphical interchange format) format composed of multiple layers which display in turn, providing the illusion of motion. A large percentage of non rich-media banner ads are in animated GIF format. Animated GIF banners have historically generated higher click-through rates than static images. However, as web users have grown more mature, some studies indicate that blinking or flashing images are more often automatically ignored, as users have come to assume that any animated image on a page is an advertisement.
banner, banner ad : Banner and banner ad are generic terms describing the most common forms of online advertising, the 468x60 image or rich media ad displayed at the top of many commercial web sites.
click-through rate (CTR), Ad Click Rate : CTR, or click-through rate, is the rate at which visitors click an advertisement, usually calculated as a percentage of ad impressions. The current industry standard CTR for 468x60 banner ads is about 0.25%. Highest CTRs are usually generated using fake "message waiting" or javascript warning ads, which often have little or no relevance to their target site. Ads of this kind can generate CTRs up to 11% or more, but, due to their nuisance value, can be detrimental to the hosting site.
CPM, cost-per-thousand : CPM, or cost per thousand (the M is from the Roman numeral for thousand, which was derived from the Latin "mille"), is the price an advertiser pays for each 1000 displays of a banner ad. As opposed to performance-based models such as CPA or CPC, CPM rates guarantee web publishers revenue for each ad displayed, whether the visitor clicks it or not, and are thus usually preferable to CPC or CPA models. CPM levels at the most common ad networks range from $0.20 - $1.50 for 468x60 banners, up to $5.00 - $8.00 for popups, popunders and layer ads, and potentially higher for interstitials and full page ads.
fold : The bottommost visible area of a web page as displayed on a standard screen size (currently defined as 800x600 pixels). Many ad networks require their ads to be displayed "above the fold" (see related definition).+ Associated link: http://www.internetadsales.com/xoops/modules/glossaire/glossaire-aff.php?lettre=A
IAB : Internet Advertising Bureau : The IAB, or Internet Advertising Bureau, is an association dedicated to helping online, interactive broadcasting, email, wireless and interactive television media companies increase their revenues.+ Associated link: http://www.iab.com/
interstitial, interstitial ad : Interstitial advertisements are usually full-page ads displayed while a user is in transit from one page to another, triggered by code included in the link. CPM rates can be as high or higher than popup and popunder rates, and interstitials, due to their similarity to traditional television advertising (i.e., their resemblance to a commercial which is juxtaposed between two television shows), are often viewed as far less intrusive. The Fastclick network (see related review) has recently begun selling interstitial ads, with considerable success.
landing page : A landing page is the advertiser's web page to which a user is directed after clicking an ad. For affiliate, CPL and CPA sales, it is important that the landing page is one which entices users to immediately purchase a product or service, rather than simply the home page of the advertising site.
rich media, rich media ads : Rich media advertisements are banners (or popups, skyscrapers, interstitials, etc.) which are constructed using dynamic tools such as Flash, html forms, Java, ASP, Shockwave, Javascript, or other languages or applications that increase the appearance and/or functionality of the ad beyond that which can be achieved with a static or animated image. For example, a rich media ad may include sound, a user registration form, a multiple page Flash application, or other more sophisticated media. Rich media ads usually command higher CPM levels than simple image redirects.
ROI, return on investment : ROI, or return on investment, is a calculation used to determine the relative efficacy of an ad campaign in financial terms, in particular whether or not an ad campaign has generated more or less new revenue than it cost. Due to the direct response nature of many internet ad campaigns, it may be possible to determine ROI with much greater precision than, for example, a television commercial. The response to broader, branding-style campaigns may be more imprecise.
RON, run of network, run of network buy : A RON, or run of network, buy means that an advertiser purchases banner inventory across an ad network's entire range of sites. This type of buy is often used for large-scale branding or awareness campaigns, and usually commands a significantly lower CPM rate than buys which are targeted demographically or by category or site.
skyscraper, skyscraper ad, skyscraper banner : A common banner ad format. Skyscraper ads are most commonly 120x600 pixels, although a relatively new variation on the theme, the wide skyscraper, is gaining ground. These are 160x600. Ad networks offering skyscrapers include Burst Media, which sells 160 and 120 pixel skyscrapers, and Tribal Fusion and Fastclick, which offer the standard 120 pixel size (although Tribal Fusion has a fairly limited skyscraper inventory).
sponsorship, sponsorships : Sponsorships, as opposed to traditional ad display, generally occur when an advertiser pays to advertise on all or most of a specific section of a website or email newsletter. Advertisers usually prefer the sponsorship model when a website offers content related to, but not competitive with, the products or services offered by the sponsoring company. A sponsorship may take the form of traditional advertising banners, integrated sponsored content, text messages ("this section sponsored by...") or the like.
targeting, ad targeting, targeted, targeted ads : Targeting refers to the means by which advertisers attempt to reach a desired audience through choice of category (in an ad network), choice of web site, choice of demographic, geographic location, or whatever other criteria the advertiser finds interesting. Targeted ads command higher CPM rates than non-targeted ads, with the most finely targeted, site-specific, usually earning the highest rate.
traffic : Just as it sounds, traffic refers to the rate at which a site is visited. The term is general, but the best true measures of traffic are calculated in terms of unique visitors and page views.
unique users, unique visitors, uniques, unique impressions : Unique users refers the the number of distinct individuals, as determined by IP address, user login, cookie, or some combination thereof, who visit a web site or view a banner ad. Most ad networks favor sites which generate a large number of unique impressions over sites whose users view large numbers of pages. A typical ad network will often not show more than five or six individual ads of any one type to a single user in a single browser session. Ad networks for larger sites, such as Tribal Fusion, require sites to be visited by at least 1,000 unique visitors per day. Networks such as Burst and Fastclick require around 3,000 unique visitors per month.
visits : The number of distinct visits to a web site within a specified time period, such as one day or one month. Visits are an imprecise term and numbers may vary considerably depending on the type of calculation used, but many log and statistical applications define a visit as a single browser session by a single IP address. Multiple browser sessions by the same visitor will often be counted as a single visit if the time frame within which they occur is short. Because of the often arbitrary and imprecise methods used to determine visit counts, the term is of comparatively little statistical value. Page views and unique visitor counts, computed individually and in combination, are far more useful in determining the relative popularity of a web page or web site.
yield : In the context of banner ads, yield indicates the percentage of clicks divided by impressions for an ad on a given p