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Campaign/Creative Performance Optimization Tips and Tricks

This article covers essential tips to help you optimize your Display campaigns and improve performance. 

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When running Display campaigns in Nova Studio, CTR is the key success metric. The following tips are organized by optimization area to help you get the best results from your campaigns:

Ad Sizes

Nova Studio supports four standard ad sizes. To maximize inventory availability, create a copy of your creative for each size and use the same Nova ad tag across all four:

  • 300x250
  • 300x600
  • 320x480
  • 336x280

💡 You can turn individual ad sizes on or off based on performance as your campaign progresses.

Viewability

Viewability is critical for ad performance. Pull a viewability report periodically from your DSP or viewability tracker (MOAT, IAS, etc.) and monitor it closely.

Recommendations:

  • Set a minimum viewability threshold of 70%
  • Increase the threshold if it is set below 60% or if you notice low viewability in your DSP reporting
  • Always apply minimum viewability threshold targeting at the Insertion Order or Line Item level

⚠️ High viewability placements will drive CPM costs up. Use viewability targeting in combination with a maximum CPM limit set at the IO level.

Flex Size Rendering

Nova Studio ads render as Flex (full size) by default by resizing the ad slot's iframe. This delivers better looking creatives and higher engagement than fixed size ads.

There are 3 instances where fixed-sized ads (300x250, 300x600, 320x480, 336x280) automatically load, so we recommend avoiding the following:

  • When the ad is trafficked to safe-frames, e.g. when using GAM SSP (Google Ad Manager supply).

  • When the ad is trafficked to App inventory

  • When the ad lands on an AMP site/page

 

Recommended domains to blacklist:

  • googleusercontent.com
  • amazon-adsystem.com
  • c.amazon-adsystem.com
  • ampproject.net
  • ampproject.org
  • doubleclick.net
  • googlesyndication.com
  • googleads.g.doubleclick.net

Recommended exchanges for Flex inventory:

  • Pubmatic
  • OpenX
  • Index Exchange
  • Xandr (AppNexus)
  • Magnite
  • Bidswitch

These are recommendations for maximizing Flex rendering, not product limitations. Nova Studio ads will automatically fall back to fixed size if the iframe cannot be resized, so there are no rendering issues if you choose to use the above inventory.


Targeting

The more granular your targeting, the higher your CTR is likely to be.

Recommendations:

  • Target mobile web inventory only, or up-weight mobile web versus desktop web. Nova Studio Display ads perform better in mobile environments
  • Avoid App and Google AdEx inventory as restricted sizing leads to lower CTR
  • Run multiple line items with different levels of targeting and allocate the largest portion of your budget to the most targeted ones

💡 Targeting away from Apps and Google Ad Manager supply are strong recommendations for best performance and are not limitations. You can of course target these inventory should you chose to if you run into budgeting issues.

    Frequency Capping

    If CTRs are low but your daily budget is being met, apply a frequency cap to each creative.

    Recommendations:

    • Start with 5 impressions per campaign lifetime per user
    • Adjust to 5 per week as the campaign progresses
    • Adjust to 2 to 6 per day if needed to aid delivery

    DSP Optimization 

    Take advantage of your DSP's built-in optimization features.

    Recommendations:

    • Set optimization at the IO level to Maximize CTR
    • Enable automatic bid adjustments to shift budget to better performing line items
    • Set a maximum CPM threshold to control costs
    • Add only one creative per line item for more control through optimization

    URL Blocking

    Throughout your campaign, identify poor performing URLs and block them to optimize toward sites with the highest CTR.

    Recommendations:

    • Remove URLs with non-English language content if your campaign targets English-speaking audiences
    • Build your block list progressively as campaign data comes in

    ⚠️ Using a limited site list may increase CPM costs.

      Language Targeting

      Always specify language targeting to match your campaign requirements. Without language targeting, non-English sites may also be targeted in the Open Exchange.

      General Creative Recommendations

      • Run multiple creative variants: Create at least two variations of your ad creative per campaign to test different messaging, visuals, and CTAs
      • Use a strong CTA: Customize your CTA button text in Nova Studio with a compelling message that encourages users to take action.
      • Match your CTA button color to your brand color: Use the color picker in Nova Studio to create a consistent brand experience
      • Turn off social engagement icons for performance campaigns: Disabling like, share, and comment buttons directs more traffic to your landing page. This is ideal for conversion, lower-funnel, and traffic KPIs
      • Prioritize portrait assets/videos: Portrait orientation has better visibility and fits more naturally on the user's screen.
      • Choose the right social platform for your audience: Nova Studio supports multiple social platform designs, each attracting different audiences. Consider your target audience's demographics and preferences when selecting a platform:
        • Facebook and Instagram — general and older audiences
        • YouTube — video units targeting a general audience
        • TikTdrives and Snapchat — younger audiences
        • Instagram Stories and Carousels — high-impact visual campaigns
        • LinkedIn — B2B audiences

      Need Help?

      If you need assistance optimizing your campaign or creative in Nova Studio, our team is here to help. Contact support here.