New mobile ad format slims down chance of 'fat finger' clicks

'Fat fingers' have long been a mobile problem, and those accidental clicks on ads can be annoying for users and costly for advertisers. Google has a new ad project on the go that should keep everyone happy.

by Helen Leggatt

Up to 40% of ads clicked on mobile devices are done so in error due to 'fat finger' problems or hard-to-avoid ad placements. Not only is this frustrating for mobile users, but advertisers are charged for these erroneous clicks from which they stand to gain no engagement.

To keep both users and advertisers happy with mobile ads, an increasingly important revenue stream for Google, the company has announced they are doing something about it with the introduction of 'confirmed clicks'.

Having discovered that the majority of accidental clicks on in-app image ads happen on the outer edges of the ad unit, Google will now prompt users that click in that area to verify their action was intentional. Google's initial testing confirmed a notable improvement in conversion rates using the 'confirmed click' solution, and a slight decrease in click-through rates as users confirmed their click was in error.

"As devices continue to converge there will be new challenges in the fight against what many have called the 'fat finger' problem. But implementing confirmed clicks is an important step that we think will benefit users, advertisers, publishers, and the mobile ecosystem overall, and we'll continue to look for ways to improve mobile ads for everyone," writes Allen Huang, Product Manager, Mobile Display Ads, on the Google blog.

Tags: advertising, Google, mobile advertising, mobile apps, mobile marketing