KPISales

Ad Fill Rate

Percentage of available advertising inventory that is sold and filled with paying advertisers

What is Ad Fill Rate?

Ad fill rate is the percentage of available advertising slots that were filled with an ad. It shows how much of a publisher's ad space is being monetised.

Unfilled impressions earn nothing, so a low fill rate points to lost revenue from weak demand or poor targeting.

How this KPI is measured

Function
Sales
Sub-function
Ad Revenue
Industry
Media & Entertainment
Type
Lagging
Impact
Revenue
Unit
%
Measurement frequency
Monthly
Formula
(Filled ad impressions / Total available ad impressions) × 100

How to calculate it

Divide filled ad impressions by total available ad impressions, and multiply by 100.

For example, if 10,000,000 impressions were available and 8,500,000 were filled, the fill rate is 85%.

Look at the rate by placement, format and audience, and consider the price earned as well, since filling slots cheaply may not be best.

Where it is used

  • Finding lost revenue

    Spot unsold inventory.

  • Improving demand

    Add advertising partners and networks.

  • Optimising placements

    Adjust layouts that attract fewer advertisers.

How to improve it

Tips and common mistakes

  • A 100% fill rate at a very low price is not the goal.
  • Keep user experience in mind. Too many ads reduce engagement.
  • Compare with the revenue per thousand impressions.

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