Optimizing Ad Inventory & Revenue for a Leading Cricket Sports Website
This case study details how a publisher's strategic ad tech overhaul and data-driven pricing, unlocked significant, untapped revenue streams. The approach maximized yield and filled premium inventory, transforming their digital monetization strategy and establishing a new commercial benchmark for the industry.
🏏 BACKGROUND
One of the largest cricket sports websites was serving ads only on its main website, despite owning over 15 additional websites and mobile apps with untapped ad inventory. The lack of a structured approach to ad management led to missed revenue opportunities and inefficient inventory utilization.
❗ PROBLEM STATEMENTS
1️⃣ No Tracking of Available Inventory:Ad inventory across multiple sites and apps was not measured or utilized. 2️⃣ Unstructured Ad Server Site Map: The Google Ad Manager (GAM) setup was disorganized, making inventory management difficult 3️⃣ Scattered Websites with No Interlinking: Poor site structure led to inefficient navigation and lost ad impressions. 4️⃣ Underutilized Revenue Opportunities:No mobile ad units, video ads or rich media integrations limited monetization 5️⃣ Missing Mobile Ad Units: Lack of mobile-optimized ad formats (interstitials, smart banners) reduced mobile revenue potential.
💡 SOLUTIONS IMPLEMENTED
To address these challenges, the following strategies were executed: Ad Format Expansion & Mobile Optimization ⚙️ - Introduced Video Players, Interstitial Ads, and Rich Media for mobile and desktop. 📈 - Implemented Smart Banners, Full-Screen Banners, and Interstitials in mobile apps. Ad Server & Tag Management 🛡️ - Deployed Google Ad Manager (GAM) tags across all websites and apps. 🎯 - Restructured the complete site hierarchy in GAM for better inventory control. 🔍 - Created dedicated ad placements for all 15 websites and apps. Technical & UX Improvements 🛡️ - Optimized page load time and reduced latency for better user experience. 🎯 - Implemented Facebook Instant Articles and Google AMP for faster mobile page loads. 🔍 - Ensured HTML5 adaptability for modern ad creatives. 📈 - Configured a 5-level ad unit structure in GAM for precise targeting and reporting.
🚀 ACTIONS TAKEN
⚙️ Ad Formats To diversify inventory and attract premium demand, multiple high-performing ad formats were introduced across web and mobile platforms. ⚙️ - Deployed video players, rich media creatives, and interactive ad units to enhance user engagement and drive higher CPMs. 🛡️ - Integrated smart banners and interstitials to improve visibility and deliver better viewability rates. 🎯 - This format expansion helped balance user experience with monetization potential, increasing overall fill rates and advertiser interest. 🛡️ Ad Server Setup A complete restructuring of the Google Ad Manager (GAM) environment ensured scalability, transparency, and performance efficiency. ⚙️ - Redesigned the GAM hierarchy for better control over ad units, line items, and targeting parameters. 🛡️ - Deployed Google Publisher Tags (GPT) across all properties to standardize ad delivery and improve measurement accuracy. 🎯 - Created consistent ad placements for all websites and mobile apps, ensuring unified reporting, easier optimization, and simplified yield management. 🎯 Technical Optimization To support better ad performance and faster delivery, the technical ad infrastructure was enhanced across platforms. ⚙️ - Improved page load speed and optimized ad calls to reduce latency and improve user experience. 🛡️ - Integrated AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) and Facebook Instant Articles (FBIA) for mobile-first content delivery and higher monetization efficiency. 🎯 - Ensured full HTML5 ad compatibility, enabling rich creative formats and improving cross-device display consistency. 🔍 Mobile Integration Recognizing mobile as a rapidly growing traffic source, targeted steps were taken to maximize mobile ad monetization. ⚙️ - Introduced full-screen banners and interstitial ads optimized for mobile engagement and viewability. 🛡️ - Designed dedicated app ad placements across Android and iOS, enabling seamless delivery within mobile environments. 🎯 - Improved ad rendering speed and responsiveness, ensuring optimal performance across different device types and screen sizes.
🏆 RESULTS ACHIEVED
50% Increase in Campaign Volumes ⚙️ - More advertisers due to expanded inventory. Proper Inventory Management 🛡️ - Clear tracking and reporting of available impressions. Organized GAM Structure 🎯 - Streamlined ad operations and reporting. Faster Page Load Times 🔍 - Improved UX and higher ad viewability. Easier Inventory Selling 💰 - EStructured ad units led to better monetization. Modernized Ad Experience 🤝 - Video players, rich media, and HTML5 support boosted engagement.
🧩 CONCLUSION
By restructuring the ad server, expanding ad formats, and optimizing page performance, the cricket website significantly increased revenue while improving user experience. The implementation of GAM, mobile ad units, and faster-loading pages ensured maximum inventory utilization and advertiser demand.
🏁 KEY TAKEAWAYS
✔ Centralized ad management improves efficiency. ✔ Mobile and video ads are critical for revenue growth. ✔ Faster-loading pages enhance both UX and ad performance.