Get seen! Ad visible for 13.6 seconds

How long does an ad actually need to be visible to make an impression?

An ad impression means that the ad has been displayed, but it does not necessarily mean that the viewer has had time to see it. The amount of time an ad remains visible on screen can affect the impact of the campaign.

Think about how quickly you scroll through a feed yourself. In just a few seconds, you can pass images, videos, posts and ads. Some things catch your attention. Much of it disappears before you even register who the advertiser was.

That is a challenge for advertisers. It is not enough for an ad to have technically appeared on the screen. If the message is going to have a chance to make an impression, people also need enough time to process it.

Research into attention in digital media suggests that around 2.5 seconds of active attention may be an important threshold for an ad to have a chance of being remembered.

Ads bought through Lyll are visible for almost 14 seconds on average

From 1 April until today, ads purchased through Lyll have, on average, been visible on screen for 13.6 seconds.

That is more than five times the 2.5 second threshold.

Of course, this does not mean that the reader is staring at your ad for 13.6 seconds. But the probability of achieving at least 2.5 seconds of active attention is high.

And in addition to being noticed, ads in online newspapers are always seen by a real person. You do not have the same issue with bots that we experience on social media.

Instead of disappearing quickly in a stream of content, the ad remains on screen while the reader is engaged with a news article. That gives them more time to register the image, the message and the advertiser behind it.

From an impression to making an impression

An ad that briefly appears on screen before the user scrolls on, and an ad that remains visible for several seconds while someone reads a news article, will both be counted as an impression. But there is a big difference between the two.

Whatever the channel, creativity matters. The message needs to be relevant, the creative needs to capture attention and create a response in the viewer. On top of that, the ad needs to reach the right people.

Screen time gives your message the opportunity to be noticed and understood.

Why does this matter for sales?

Not all marketing should lead directly to a click or an immediate action.

Brand building helps customers recognise or remember your brand when the need for your product or service arises. We also know that brand building over time can make search marketing more profitable and contribute to stronger revenue growth.

A Norwegian study by ANFO, the Norwegian Media Businesses’ Association and Kapero found that brands accounted for a large share of traffic, conversions and revenue among the companies analysed. The study suggests that much of the connection to a brand is created before the search phase – before the customer goes to Google to look for the product or service.

That is why we cannot rely solely on the results reported by Meta, Google and other channels.

Editorial content gives your ad time

When you advertise through Lyll, your ads appear across Norwegian online newspapers and digital magazines. The reader is already there to spend time with content: reading a news story or exploring a topic such as politics, fashion, sport or travel.

For a small or medium-sized business, this means you do not necessarily need a huge advertising budget to start building awareness. You can start small, be visible in editor-controlled media and give your message time to do its job.

Ideally, campaigns should run for 6–24 months. In Lyll, you can select “monthly” for campaigns that are intended to run over time.

Through Lyll, you can buy advertising across Norwegian online newspapers and digital magazines from one self-service platform. You choose your own budget and can start or stop your campaign whenever you want. The minimum spend is NOK 500.

Ready to give your ad enough time to be seen?