In its latest effort to ramp up ad revenue, Facebook is planning to show more ads per page. The social network is testing a way to show users up to 10 display ads on a page, up from the prior
maximum of seven, according to the Inside Facebook blog. If expanded, the step could drive
down click-through rates for ads because of the increased competition for attention on a given page.
“Interestingly, 10 ads are more likely to appear next to a page post if a user
navigates to the page after clicking an ad as opposed to getting there from News Feed, Timeline or a direct link,” stated the Facebook-tracking blog. The company's Help Center still says only up
to six ads may be shown per page, though it started displaying seven ads at a time earlier this year.
In another apparent bid to speed revenue growth, The Wall Street Journal reported Facebook is planning to introduce a new mobile ad format that targets people based on their mobile
app usage. Advertisers, for instance, would be able to run ads in the news feed for other apps that mobile users might like based on their current app use.
Facebook, which saw its revenue dip
about 6% in the first quarter from the fourth quarter, will report second-quarter results July 26.