Ad serving on mobile versus desktop
                     Ad serving on mobile versus desktop
John Z
Writes on ad server solutions, involved with Adspeed 
adserver platform & Adspeed ad serving software
All successful publishers and advertisers understand the importance of 
displaying ads on both mobile devices and desktop computers because 
you want to reach the audience everywhere, at home, at work and on 
the move. Because they are different environments with their own 
characteristics, ad serving for each environment has its own unique 
approach in order to be effective. Below we will discuss the main 
differences between desktop and mobile ad serving:
Content
On mobile devices, the screens are smaller and so the amount of content should be considered. You do 
not want to overload viewers with screens after screens. It is inconvenient and will increase the bounce 
rate because visitors will go to another site instead. On the other hand, displaying a mobile-optimized 
page with little content on a big screen desktop computer might feel like you have nothing to say or little 
knowledge about the subject matter. Similar to content, you can display more ad placements for desktop 
and fewer ad slots on mobile. The goal is to have just enough quality content to attract an audience and 
let them have a way to explore as much as they want via comprehensive navigation levels. Also for both 
ads and content, you should use a mix of text, images, animations, and videos to make them interesting 
and appealing because reading text paragraphs without visual breaks is boring. People share more when 
they are on mobile devices and so make it easy for viewers to share links and content, which will increase 
traffic and ad inventory.
Video ad dimension
If you decide to include video content and video advertising, the 
device's screen size is an important factor. On mobile devices, the video 
player often goes full screen because the screen is already small. Having 
the whole screen means mobile viewers pay more attention when 
watching videos. In this case, linear video ads (pre-roll, mid-roll, post-
roll) are more effective than non-linear ads (overlays, companion ads). 
On the other hand, desktop videos might not need to go full screen and 
viewers might multitask while watching video or typing comments. That 
leaves space on the page for other ads like companion ads or space for 
overlay text ads or image ads.
Video and image orientation
People hold their phones vertically. That makes portrait images and 
videos more suitable for mobile ads. Desktop and laptop monitors are 
widescreen monitors. That makes landscape images and videos more 
suitable for desktop/laptop ads. Therefore, your ad design should 
depend on your target audience. If you want a single ad creative that 
displays relatively acceptable on both then try to avoid a wide shot or an 
odd camera angle. A square ad, or one with similar width and height, 
might be a suitable solution.
Location of viewers
Desktop computers stay at home or at work. They do not move often 
and are typically on a static Internet connection. Laptops move a bit 
more frequent than desktops. It is not the case for mobile devices, 
which change locations quite frequently. Mobile users bring their 
devices with them wherever they go. These distinctions mean geo-
targeting is more important for mobile ad serving than desktop ad 
serving. Advertisers will need to decide on the ad targeting level and 
criteria for their campaigns to reach the desirable audience.
Links and buttons
Mobile ads should be small and precise. There is often no space for 
multiple call-to-action buttons or highly interactive content because a 
touchscreen is not as accurate as a mouse click. Therefore, your ad copy 
as well as your call to action for a mobile-optimized ad should be short 
and to the point. On the other hand, you can have more than one 
button or a link to view expandable content for a desktop 
advertisement. Ads with required disclosures, such as pharmaceutical 
ads, are more suitable on desktops. As a solution, you can mix text and 
image to provide a more interesting and legible ad.
About Adspeed
AdSpeed ad server is a reliable & powerful ad serving and ad 
management solution that serves your ads, tracks impressions & clicks 
and reports ad statistics in real-time. Driven by the latest ad serving 
technologies, the goal of Adspeed adserver is to provide a reliable 
platform that can help in executing online advertising strategy more 
efficiently. 
Thank you for spending your precious time in reading this article.