Myth: native traffic has more intent than display

Myth: native traffic has more intent than display

No. Where did this come from? Display at least sometimes runs contextual or retargeting — a user who already touched your funnel. Native recommendation widgets serve people mid-distraction, leaving an article, clicking on impulse. That's lower intent than a retargeted display impression, not higher.

The "native = engaged reader" story conflates the publisher's content with your placement. The reader was engaged with the article. Your widget sits in the post-content dead zone they scroll past on autopilot. Run the same offer through retargeting display and through native discovery; compare cost-per-acquisition, not cost-per-click. Display retargeting usually wins on the metric that matters. Native's "intent" advantage is a slogan, not a finding.