Ad Tech Mind: LCP Optimization

Showing posts with label LCP Optimization. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Complete Guide: How to Set Up Your Website with Bing Ads (Microsoft Advertising)

Introduction to Bing Ads (Microsoft Advertising)

Bing Ads, now rebranded as Microsoft Advertising, is a pay-per-click (PPC) platform that allows website owners to monetize traffic by displaying targeted ads. These ads appear on Bing, Yahoo, MSN, and Microsoft Start, helping businesses reach millions of potential customers. Setting up Bing Ads on your website can help you generate revenue through clicks and impressions.

Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up Bing Ads on Your Website

Step 1: Create a Microsoft Advertising Account

Go to the Microsoft Advertising website → ads.microsoft.com.
Click Sign Up and choose whether to sign in with an existing Microsoft account or create a new one.
Enter your business name, website URL, country, and time zone.
Accept the terms and click Create Account.

Step 2: Set Up Your Website for Bing Ads - Once your account is created, you’ll need to integrate ads into your website. There are two main ways to do this:

Option 1: Use the Microsoft Audience Network (MSAN) for Display Ads

The Microsoft Audience Network allows you to display Bing Ads on your website, similar to Google AdSense.

How to Enable Microsoft Audience Network (MSAN) Ads:

In your Microsoft Advertising dashboard, go to Tools > Audience Network Setup.
Click "Create an Ad Unit" and select the type of ad format (display ads, native ads, or text ads).
Customize the ad settings (size, style, colors).
Generate the Ad Code and copy it.
Paste the ad code into your website’s HTML source code (usually in the <head> section, sidebar, or within content areas).

💡 Tip: Place ads in high-visibility areas like the top of articles, sidebars, or within content for better engagement.

Option 2: Monetize Content with Microsoft Start Partner Program (MSN Content Monetization)

If you run a news, blog, or media site, you can earn revenue by syndicating your content to Microsoft Start and MSN.

How to Apply for Microsoft Start Partner Program:

Visit the Microsoft Start Partner Hub.
Submit your website for review (make sure you have high-quality, original content).
If approved, your articles will be displayed on MSN, Microsoft Edge, and Bing News, generating revenue from Microsoft’s ad network.

💡 Tip: This works best for publishers, bloggers, and media sites looking to expand their audience and monetize content.

Step 3: Install Microsoft Clarity for Website Insights (Optional but Recommended)

To track how visitors interact with your ads, install Microsoft Clarity, a free analytics tool that provides heatmaps and session recordings.

How to Set Up Microsoft Clarity:

Go to clarity.microsoft.com and sign up.
Add your website and generate the Clarity tracking code.
Paste the code into your website’s <head> section.
Use Clarity’s dashboard to analyze visitor behavior and improve ad placements.

Step 4: Optimize Ads for Higher Revenue

Test different ad placements – Try sidebar ads, in-content ads, and header ads to find the best-performing spots.
Use responsive ads – Ensure ads fit all screen sizes for mobile and desktop users.
Filter low-performing ads – In the Microsoft Advertising dashboard, block irrelevant ads that don’t convert well.
Improve website speed – A slow-loading website can reduce ad revenue. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to optimize performance.

Step 5: Monitor Earnings and Get Paid

Go to the Microsoft Advertising dashboard to view earnings and ad performance.

Payments are made through bank transfer, PayPal, or check, depending on your country.

The minimum payout threshold varies, but typically it’s $100 before you can withdraw funds.

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Tips on how to improve LCP on your site after monetization

Improving Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) on your site after monetization is essential for ensuring a positive user experience. LCP measures how quickly the largest visible content element on your page loads and is fully rendered. A good LCP score is under 2.5 seconds. Here are several strategies to enhance LCP while managing your monetization efforts:

1. Optimize Images and Media

Use Appropriate Formats: Use modern image formats like WebP or AVIF, which offer better compression without compromising quality.
Compress Images: Optimize images to reduce file sizes. Use tools like TinyPNG or ImageOptim to compress images without significant loss in quality.
Specify Dimensions: Always specify the width and height attributes in your image tags or CSS. This helps the browser allocate space for images before they load.

html
<img src="example.webp" alt="Example" width="800" height="600">

2. Improve Server Response Times

Optimize your server and hosting environment to ensure fast response times. This may involve choosing a better hosting plan or provider, optimizing your database, or using server-side caching.

3. Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)

Implement a CDN to serve static assets (like images, CSS, and JavaScript) from locations closer to your users. This reduces latency and speeds up content delivery.

4. Minimize Render-Blocking Resources

Defer Non-Critical JavaScript: Use the defer or async attributes for script tags to prevent them from blocking rendering of the main content.
Inline Critical CSS: Inline critical CSS needed for rendering the above-the-fold content and load non-critical CSS asynchronously.

5. Optimize Fonts

Load web fonts efficiently by using the font-display: swap; property in your CSS. This ensures text is visible while fonts are loading, preventing delays in rendering.

css
@font-face {
    font-family: 'MyFont';
    src: url('myfont.woff2') format('woff2');
    font-display: swap;
}

6. Eliminate Unnecessary Plugins and Scripts

Review your site’s plugins and scripts, especially third-party ones like ads and tracking scripts. Remove any that are unnecessary, as they can slow down your site.

7. Lazy Load Off-Screen Content

Implement lazy loading for images and iframes that are off-screen to reduce the initial load time for above-the-fold content.

html
<img src="example.jpg" loading="lazy" alt="Example">

8. Optimize Your CSS

Minimize and compress CSS files to reduce their size and improve loading times. Combine CSS files where possible to reduce the number of HTTP requests.

9. Reduce the Size of Your HTML

Optimize your HTML structure to reduce its size. Remove unnecessary comments and whitespace, and ensure that only essential elements are loaded initially.

10. Monitor and Test Regularly

Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, or WebPageTest to monitor your LCP score and identify areas for improvement. Make adjustments based on the insights gained from these tools.

How to prevent Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) when adding Ads on your site.

To prevent ads from causing layout shifts on your site, it's important to implement best practices for ad placement and sizing. Here are some effective strategies:

1. Specify Size for Ad Containers

Always define the width and height of your ad units in pixels or percentages. This ensures the browser reserves space for the ad before it loads.

html
<div class="ad-container" style="width: 300px; height: 250px;">
    <script>/* Ad code here */</script>
</div>

2. Use Responsive Ads Carefully

If using responsive ad units, ensure the parent container has a defined aspect ratio. This helps maintain layout integrity during loading.

css
.responsive-ad {
    width: 100%; /* Full width */
    height: auto; /* Maintain aspect ratio */
    padding-bottom: 75%; /* Example aspect ratio for 300x250 */
    position: relative; /* Position relative for absolute child */
}

3. Implement a Placeholder for Ads

Create a placeholder or a "dummy" ad container with fixed dimensions. This helps prevent layout shifts while the ad loads.

html
<div class="ad-placeholder" style="width: 300px; height: 250px;">
    <!-- Placeholder content -->
</div>

4. Reserve Space for Ads in CSS

Use CSS to ensure there’s a reserved space for the ad. This can be particularly useful for dynamic ads where the size might vary.

css
.ad-space {
    width: 300px; /* Fixed width */
    height: 250px; /* Fixed height */
    overflow: hidden; /* Hide overflow */
}

5. Load Ads Asynchronously

Load ads asynchronously to prevent them from blocking the rendering of other content. This can improve the overall loading experience.

html
<script async src="https://your-ad-script.js"></script>

6. Use Lazy Loading for Ads

Consider lazy loading ads that are off-screen. This can help manage loading times and prevent layout shifts for ads that aren’t immediately visible to the user.

html
<div class="lazy-ad" data-src="your-ad-code">
    <!-- Lazy loading logic -->
</div>

7. Minimize the Use of Pop-Up Ads

Avoid using pop-up ads that cover the main content and cause shifts when they appear. Instead, consider using static banners that fit within the layout.

8. Test Your Ads Setup

After implementing your ads, use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse to check your CLS score and see if the ads are causing any layout shifts.

9. Regularly Update Ad Sizes

Stay updated with the latest ad sizes recommended by ad networks and make sure your site accommodates these dimensions properly.

Conclusion

Tuesday, October 22, 2024

How Core Web Vitals Affect Site Monetization?

To enhance your website's monetization potential, it's essential to monitor and optimize your Core Web Vitals. By ensuring your site loads quickly, responds to user interactions promptly, and maintains visual stability, you can improve user experience, increase traffic, and ultimately boost your revenue from ads.

Impact on SEO Rankings:
- Google uses Core Web Vitals as a ranking factor in its search algorithm. Websites that provide a better user experience through improved Core Web Vitals are more likely to rank higher in search results. Higher visibility can lead to increased traffic and potentially higher ad revenue.
User Experience:
- Poor Core Web Vitals can lead to a frustrating user experience, causing visitors to leave the site quickly (higher bounce rates). This can negatively impact ad impressions and engagement, which in turn can lower monetization potential.
Ad Revenue:
- Ad networks, including Google AdSense, may prioritize or recommend websites with good performance metrics. Sites with poor Core Web Vitals may face lower CPM (cost per thousand impressions) rates due to decreased user engagement and higher bounce rates.
Compliance with Standards:
- Many advertising partners and networks now consider Core Web Vitals when approving websites for monetization. Websites that do not meet the minimum performance thresholds may struggle to get approved or may face restrictions in their ad serving capabilities.
Competitive Advantage:
- Sites that prioritize and optimize for Core Web Vitals may gain a competitive advantage over others in the same niche. A better user experience can lead to increased user loyalty, return visits, and improved conversion rates.

What is Google Core Web Vitals ?

Google Core Web Vitals are a set of specific factors that Google considers important for delivering a good user experience on the web. These metrics focus on three key aspects of page performance:

Basic Core Web Vitals Metrics:

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP):
- Definition: Measures loading performance. It marks the point in the page load timeline when the largest text block or image is rendered on the screen.
- Goal: An LCP of 2.5 seconds or faster is considered good.
First Input Delay (FID):
- Definition: Measures interactivity. It quantifies the time it takes for a user to interact with a page (e.g., clicking a link or button) until the browser responds.
- Goal: An FID of 100 milliseconds or less is considered good.
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS):
- Definition: Measures visual stability. It assesses how much the page layout shifts during the loading process, which can lead to poor user experience.
- Goal: A CLS score of 0.1 or less is considered good.

Checking Site's Core Web Vitals

Checking a website's Core Web Vitals is essential for assessing its performance and user experience. Core Web Vitals focus on three main aspects: loading performance, interactivity, and visual stability.

Here are several methods to check your site's Core Web Vitals:

1. Google PageSpeed Insights

Access the Tool: Go to PageSpeed Insights.
Enter URL: Type in the URL of the website you want to analyze.
Run Analysis: Click the “Analyze” button.
Review Results: The tool will provide a score for mobile and desktop performance, along with specific metrics for:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures loading performance.
- First Input Delay (FID): Measures interactivity.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures visual stability.

2. Google Search Console

Access Google Search Console: Log into your Google Search Console account.
Select Your Property: Choose the website you want to analyze.
Navigate to Core Web Vitals: In the left sidebar, click on "Core Web Vitals" under the "Experience" section.
Review Report: You’ll see a report that shows how your site performs based on real user data, categorizing pages as “Good,” “Needs Improvement,” or “Poor.”

3. Lighthouse

Open Chrome DevTools: Right-click on your website and select Inspect or press Ctrl + Shift + I (Windows) or Command + Option + I (Mac).
Navigate to Lighthouse: Click on the Lighthouse tab in the DevTools panel.
Generate Report: Select the options for mobile or desktop and click the “Generate Report” button.
Analyze Results: The report will include Core Web Vitals metrics along with recommendations for improvement.

4. Web Vitals Chrome Extension

Install the Extension: Go to the Chrome Web Store and search for Web Vitals. Install the extension.
Run the Extension: After installation, click the extension icon while visiting your website.
View Metrics: The extension will display real-time metrics for LCP, FID, and CLS directly in your browser.

5. GTmetrix

Access GTmetrix: Go to GTmetrix.
Enter URL: Type in the website URL you want to check.
Run the Analysis: Click the “Test your site” button.
Review Results: The report will provide a performance score along with recommendations, including Core Web Vitals metrics.

6. WebPageTest

Access WebPageTest: Go to WebPageTest.
Enter URL: Input the URL of your website.
Select Test Options: Choose a location and browser, then click “Start Test.”
Analyze Results: Once the test completes, you’ll see detailed metrics, including Core Web Vitals.

Final Steps

After analyzing your Core Web Vitals, review the provided recommendations for improvement. Focus on optimizing loading times, enhancing interactivity, and ensuring a stable layout to enhance user experience and improve search rankings.