Best Practices
Strategic Ad Placement
Natural breaks & transition points. The most effective time to serve a rewarded video is during a natural pause in the action.
- Failure / Game Over — Offer a "Watch to Continue" or "Revive" option.
- Achievement milestones — Let players "Double Your Reward" after completing a level or reaching a high score.
- Store entry — Offer "Free Daily Currency" in exchange for a video view when a user opens the in-game shop.
Opt-in design. Always ensure rewarded ads are voluntary. Use clear CTAs like "Watch video for 50 coins." Users should never be forced into a rewarded video — the value exchange must be explicit and chosen by the player to maintain trust and high completion rates.
Frequency & Timing Control
Smart frequency capping. Avoid ad fatigue and player churn by finding the sweet spot:
- Standard cap — 3–5 rewarded videos per session for the average user.
- Cooldown periods — 2–5 minutes between ad availability so gameplay stays the priority.
- First-session rule — Avoid showing any ad prompts within the first few minutes of a new user's very first session. Let them get hooked before introducing monetization.
Dynamic scaling. Consider diminishing returns for heavy users. The first ad of the hour might grant a large reward; subsequent ads in the same window provide smaller bonuses. Protects your in-game economy while still allowing for revenue.
Technical Optimization
Preload to prevent "ad lag". To avoid the case where a user clicks "Watch" and nothing happens, preload an ad ahead of time using preloadAd(). Then only enable the button once an ad is confirmed ready. See Preload for instant reveal for the recommended keep-alive pattern.
Handle no-ad gracefully. If preloadAd() doesn't return a ready ad within 2–3 seconds, hide the offer rather than show a broken button. The user shouldn't see a non-functional CTA.
Platform-specific tips:
- Unity / WebGL — Use the latest AppLixir Unity package to handle the audio transition between game and ad cleanly.
- HTML5 / web — Keep the integration lightweight. The v6 SDK is three lines — don't over-wrap.
Data-Driven Performance
Monitor these metrics regularly:
- Completion Rate — If it drops below 80–90%, either the reward isn't valuable enough or the ads are interrupting flow. Re-test placement.
- Fill Rate by Geo — Low fill rates in specific regions are normal but worth flagging if persistent.
- eCPM Trends — Rising eCPM means demand likes your placement. Falling eCPM is a signal to rotate placements or change the reward.
A/B test rewards. Don't guess. Test different reward types (e.g., "1 Life" vs. "100 Gold") to see which drives higher CTR and stronger retention. Small reward-type changes often move metrics more than ad-tech changes do.
Still tuning placements? Email support@applixir.com — we can review your integration and suggest where to test.