Optimized Ad Experience (OAE)

Rather than applying one-size-fits all ad settings, OAE adapts to each publisher’s unique content and layout, and continuously adjusts as site performance and reader behavior change.

OAE’s goal is to maximize ad revenue while maintaining a positive reader experience. By optimizing ad placement and density, OAE helps publishers get more value from their ad inventory without overwhelming readers.

Two Terms to Know

Viewability: The percentage of ads that readers actually see on their screens. Advertisers generally value viewable impressions more highly, so higher viewability can help publishers earn more revenue from their ad inventory.

Ad Density: The proportion of a page occupied by ads, particularly in-content ads placed between sections of an article. Higher ad density can create more opportunities to serve ads, but too many ads can disrupt the reading experience or cause readers to scroll past ads without viewing them, which lowers viewability.

How OAE Balances the Two

OAE works to find the right balance between viewability and ad density. Instead of simply adding more ads to a page, it focuses on serving ads readers are more likely to see. This helps publishers maximize revenue while maintaining a positive reading experience for their readers.

The result: A smarter ad experience designed to help publishers maximize the value of their content and ad inventory.

How OAE Works

Once a day, OAE reviews the viewability of each page using the previous three days of data. It adjusts in-content ads only on pages that need a viewability boost. Pages that are already performing well stay as they are. OAE measures mobile and desktop separately, so the same page may have a different ad setup on each.
OAE adjusts two things:

Ad box height: The space reserved on the page for each ad. As a reader scrolls, the ad stays in view within that space, giving it more time to be seen. The ad itself may be smaller than its ad box. That’s expected, not an error.
Spacing: The distance between one ad and the next. Wider spacing means fewer ads on the page.

If a page has strong viewability, OAE uses shorter ad boxes placed closer together, so you can earn revenue from more ads.

If a page has lower viewability, OAE uses taller ad boxes with more space between them. You’ll have fewer ads, but each one has a better chance of being seen. As the page’s viewability improves, OAE gradually adds more ads.

The Five Viewability Tiers

Site viewability	What Optimized Ad Experience does
Below 50%	Tallest ad boxes and widest spacing, resulting in the fewest ads, to help viewability recover
50% to 70%	Slightly tighter spacing as viewability works toward the 70% benchmark advertisers look for
70% to 75%	Shorter ad boxes and tighter spacing to fit more ads
75% to 80%	Even shorter ad boxes and tighter spacing to add more ads and increase revenue
80% and up	The most ads OAE allows, with the shortest boxes and tightest spacing

In every tier, OAE keeps ad density below 30%, because advertisers tend to avoid sites above that level.

If a page’s viewability is close to the line between two tiers, its number of ads may shift slightly from day to day. That’s normal.

To find your site-wide viewability, go to the Ad Units section of your Mediavine dashboard and check the Total at the bottom of the Viewability column.

Fewer Ads Doesn't Always Mean Less Ad Space

On lower-viewability pages, OAE shows fewer ads, but each ad gets a taller ad box. As a result, your ad density may not change much, even though readers scroll past fewer ads. Fewer ads can make a page feel less cluttered, even when the total ad space stays about the same.

If You Already Use OAE

OAE has been updated, and all sites already using it were automatically moved to the new version. The previous version always reduced the number of ads. The current version adjusts based on each page’s viewability, so pages with strong viewability may now show more in-content ads than before.

What Changes When OAE Is Enabled?

OAE replaces your custom in-content ad settings, such as ad frequency and paragraph spacing.
The number of in-content ads on your pages may increase or decrease, depending on each page’s viewability.
Recipe card ads aren’t affected; your existing recipe card frequency and targeting settings still apply.
If you've selected Only After Text to avoid ads directly after an image, that setting is still respected.
You can switch back to Custom Control in your dashboard at any time, and your previous custom settings will be restored.

What Results Can I Expect?

Every site is different, so results will vary. From July through September 2026, sites using OAE earned an average RPM 7.0% higher than sites not using it. The difference grew to 12.3% in August and was 9.7% in September.

Because OAE reviews viewability daily using the previous three days of data, changes to your ad setup happen gradually rather than instantly. Give it time to respond as your viewability trends up or down.

Is OAE Right for My Site?

OAE is likely a good fit if:

You want Mediavine to make in-content ad decisions for you
You're focused on maximizing revenue and are comfortable with the number of ads on your pages changing over time

OAE may not be the right fit if:

You want to keep the number of ads on your pages low no matter what. Pages with strong viewability may show more ads under OAE.
You'd rather run more ads even if viewability suffers. On lower-viewability pages, OAE limits the number of ads until viewability improves.
Your site relies on highly customized ad placements or uses a CMS other than Wordpress.

How Do I Enable OAE?

In your Mediavine dashboard, go to Settings > Ad Units and find Ad Experience Settings (In-Content Ads).

Need Help Deciding?

Reach out to our Client Experience Team at publishers@mediavine.com, and we’ll help you determine whether OAE is right for your site.

Optimized Ad Experience (OAE)

Mediavine’s Optimized Ad Experience (OAE) automatically determines the optimal number of in-content ads for each site based on how often readers actually see those ads.