Weatherspark shows monthly, daily, and hourly graphical reports for weather anywhere on earth. The site is widely used for event and trip planning. Weatherspark already had excellent Core Web Vitals. In addition, the site was already optimized using responsive ‘auto-ads’ from AdSense.
- Weatherspark team was open to new ad formats and placements
- Wanted to grow revenue beyond AdSense only
- Open to utilising proprietary weather targeting options via DSPs and Snigels’s hybrid ad delivery and optimization technology “AdEngine”
Goals
Weatherspark wanted to improve monetization without jeopardising page speed, their excellent Core Web Vitals, or user experience. The main goal was to run a fast and compliant ad set-up that increased revenue while enabling the site to continue to grow its search traffic.
- Increase revenue
- Maintain/improve page speed
- Replace AdSense without affecting Core Web Vitals
- Introduce buyers with a interest in weather-specific niche
Challenge
The main challenge was to strike a balance between the publisher’s previous set-up with AdSense and the new Snigel header bidding setup created specifically for Weatherspark’s needs. See our guide on AdSense vs header bidding to learn more about the differences between these technologies. As a weather site, Weatherspark attracts unique demographics for advertisers. As a result, introducing new buyers and DSPs via header bidding, PMP deals, native video, and utilizing custom hybrid targeting technology based on real-time weather data provided an effective way to expand Weatherspark’s advertising reach.
Approach
Snigel started outperforming AdSense within the first few weeks on the same ad placements across Weatherspark. The Snigel team introduced new features such as AdStream (Snigel’s outstream video unit), adhesion sticky units, SSR (Snigel Smart Refresh), PMP deals, and optimized price floors to increase bids. Furthermore, Snigel used real-time weather data targeting, which, in combination with over 30 SSPs bidding via header bidding, significantly boosted ad revenue for Weatherspark.
Results
Snigel successfully increased revenue by 51% on Weatherspark.com. This was achieved while maintaining the site’s clean UX, lightning-fast page load speed, and overall quality score with regards to Core Web Vitals. Weatherspark continues to grow its user base and continues to be one of the most reliable weather data resources on the web.