As a publisher, looking to increase your ad revenue, especially without disrupting the user experience, is always a topic that remains on your mind. With this in mind, we’d like to introduce you to a new ad format to make you money!
TL;DR
- Interstitial ads are full-screen, highly visible ads that can help publishers increase engagement and potentially boost revenue.
- They are flexible, mobile-friendly, and easy to integrate.
- Interstitials can complement other ad formats such as native, push, and popunder ads, giving publishers another monetization option, especially effective on mobile and at natural content breaks.
What Are Interstitial Ads?
Interstitial ads are full-screen advertisements that appear between two content pages or during natural transition points within a website such as when a user finishes reading an article, completes a level in a game, or navigates between sections within an app.
In Mondiad, interstitial ads will be displayed in the center of a website’s screen with a darkened background around it, being displayed to your website audience, at the time customized by you, namely, a display delay in seconds.
Because the ad appears as a separate overlay layer, not a slot embedded in your template, it doesn’t require any changes to your site’s existing layout or theme.
The Anatomy of An Interstitial Ad
An interstitial ad in Mondiad is built from one of two creative types:
- A 900×600 static or dynamic ad creative, composed of:
- A title
- A description
- A static or dynamic visual
- A close button (always visible, so users can exit without friction)
- A landing page URL, where the interstitial serves as a full-screen gateway directly to the advertiser’s page rather than a self-contained creative.
Configuration variables that affect performance:
- Display delay: how long after page load the interstitial appears. Test multiple delays; a delay that’s too short reads as intrusive, one that’s too long may miss the engagement window.
- Frequency cap: a starting benchmark of 1 impression/hour/domain/user is common in the industry as a baseline to avoid fatiguing repeat visitors, but treat it as a starting point to A/B test against your own retention and revenue data, not a fixed rule.
It is recommended to experiment with different time delays. A recommended frequency cap would be 1 impression/hour/domain/user.
Don’t forget to use our demo ads mode which previews how the ad zones you’ve configured will show ads on your website. This feature uses dummy ads but you’ll need to set up your ad codes into your website beforehand.
Interstitial Ads Monetization Perks
- Adds a monetization option without redesigning your site. Interstitials are an additional format, not a replacement; you can test them alongside what you’re already running to see whether they lift total revenue.
- High visibility, low banner blindness. Because they take over the full screen, interstitials are effectively immune to the visual fatigue that affects standard banner placements over time.
- Higher engagement, by design. Full-screen placement captures attention more reliably than in-page units, which typically translates into stronger CTR, though actual lift depends heavily on delay, cap, and creative quality, not the format alone.
- Mobile-friendly. The full-screen format adapts to any screen size or orientation without additional configuration.
- No layout disruption. Because interstitials render as a separate overlay rather than a page element, adding them doesn’t require touching your existing template, theme, or the placement of your other ad units.
- Built-in analytics. Mondiad reports impressions, clicks, CTR, and revenue per ad zone, so you can optimize placement and delay based on your own data rather than industry averages.
Setting Up Interstitials in Mondiad
- Create an interstitial ad zone in your Mondiad publisher dashboard.
- Generate and install the ad code on your site.
- Set your display delay and frequency cap.
- Preview with demo ads mode before going live.
- Monitor impressions, CTR, and revenue, and adjust delay/cap based on results.
Interstitial Ads vs. Push, Popunder, and Native
No single ad format is right for every site. Here’s how interstitials compare to the other formats most publishers already run, so you can decide where they fit in your stack.
| Format | Visibility | UX Intrusiveness | Typical Best Fit | Works Alongside Existing Formats? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interstitial | Very high (full-screen) | Medium, timed, dismissible, capped by frequency | Content sites, games, apps with natural transition points | Yes, renders as a separate overlay, doesn’t compete for page real estate |
| Push notifications | High (persists outside the page) | Low-medium, opt-in based | Sites with returning traffic; long-tail re-engagement | Yes |
| Popunder | High (opens behind active window) | Medium, delayed visibility softens intrusiveness | High-volume traffic, broad verticals | Yes |
| Native | Medium (blends into content) | Low, designed to match site design | Content and editorial sites prioritizing UX | Yes |
Interstitial Ads Monetization FAQ
Are interstitial ads safe for user experience?
Yes, but like with any ad format, when used properly. A good balance ensures both high revenue and positive UX.
Do interstitial ads work on all devices?
Yes, interstitial ads are compatible with desktop, mobile web, and in-app environments. Mobile traffic, however, often performs best due to higher engagement rates.
Can I use interstitial ads with other ad formats when monetising?
Yes, you can use interstitial ads together with other ad formats. In fact, combining multiple formats is a common strategy to increase overall revenue and make better use of your traffic.
What frequency cap should I use to start?
A common industry starting point is 1 impression per hour per domain per user. Treat this as a baseline for testing, not a fixed rule; the right cap depends on your traffic pattern and how much of your audience is repeat versus first-time.
Monetize with Mondiad!
Interstitials are one format among several in Mondiad’s publisher toolkit. If you’re already running other formats, the fastest way to know whether interstitials add incremental revenue is to test them on a subset of your traffic and compare.
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