[JonM]

Good point, I think there is a balance though....

For example, on a site with only one advert per page, I don't think there is any harm in having a new page load rather than an ajax call (which arguably would be the better "user experience").

What shouldn't be encouraged is sending users "around the houses" to get an extra couple of advertising impressions.... which if we were honest is likely to floor the CTR anyway.

The key in most instances is making sure your page loads fast, and let your users get to what they want quickly.

[stylejam]

Well, if you're choosing a suboptimal solution (a new page) over an optimal solution (the ajax call) there's definitely something wrong ... FWIW, I strongly believe that a worst UX will bring less conversions, but I don't have any data to bring.

[JonM]

Suboptimal from what perspective? Server processing time & data transfer - maybe, user experience - not necessarily.

Ajax calls aren't by more optimal by definition, it depends on the context.

Agree that worse UX will frustrate users making them less likely to spend time on the site and have less interaction.

For the advertising that is sold on my site, the CPM is determined by the number and quality of Unique Visitors and volume is determined by Page Impressions.

So it's good to have a large number of page impressions, but actually I need to build my audience (UVs) which is more difficult (to a point).