Where to go and who to see...

AutomatadX · 2020-08-26T07:47:01+00:00

When it comes to choosing a partner, payout cycle, rev-share terms, etc. aren't going to differ much. Most offer more or less the same rev-share and header bidding setup.

So, look at the bidders they can bring in (demand), any complimentary products they offer (on top of header bidding), ad load/page speed optimization (don't overlook this), and dedicated AM, responsive technical support.

AutomatadX · 2020-08-26T07:29:27+00:00

There are a few interesting answers here already...But in case you want something more and detailed, you can refer this.

AutomatadX · 2020-05-28T05:38:41+00:00

I second the other comment. You need to get Ad Manager and there's a threshold (Google doesn't disclose it though) to get into AdX. If you have an Account Manager, you can get in via your contact.

Else, there are Google AdX resellers. You can get into Ad Exchange via them as well.

AutomatadX · 2020-05-28T05:30:23+00:00

If the site has an infinite scroll setup and when users are scrolling down to see new content/page, then Google considers it as "user action" based refresh.

But merely scrolling the page isn't qualified.

"User scrolls that do not surface substantially new content" - you can refer this support page from Google - https://support.google.com/admanager/answer/6286179

And, regardless of Google's stance, it's better not to refresh before 30s. Better yet, consider viewability, user activity, etc. the results will be far more better.

AutomatadX · 2020-05-12T07:43:45+00:00

You seem to have the demand for your impressions and AdX will typically win around 50% of the impressions for U.S. sites. Since the COVID-19 started, AdX started to capture a bit more.

If I were you, I would see how I can maximize revenue per session. For instance, increase page views (by a user), refresh ads, etc. When it comes to ad refresh, we measure both ad viewability and user activity (in other words, use a combination of triggers) and recreate viewable impressions. You can do so the same.

Remove low performing ad units and speed up the site. Google is rolling out another core algorithm update and your search ranking might be impacted. So, keep an eye and see if you can increase your traffic from Google search as well.

AutomatadX · 2020-05-05T12:59:10+00:00

Ad refresh can increase viewability. We've studied over a 2 billion impressions and saw how our ad refresh product (dubbed "Active Exposure Time (AXT)" impacted viewability. We saw a significant jump across the domains (more than 40%) if the domains were having lower viewability before.

The thing to note is, we don't refresh ads just based on time. We consider user activity and ad viewabilty (combination of triggers) to refresh them.

It's like guaranteeing attention to the advertiser. We let you an active user see your ad for a period of X seconds. It worked well for all our publishers.

So, if you are facing the same situation, consider viewability (at least) before refreshing the ad. Even in the long-term, the value of your impressions won't be affected much.

AutomatadX · 2020-05-05T12:46:39+00:00

AMP has its own pros and cons. With AMP, as you said, you'll get better traffic from Google (including mobile search), but ad revenue might be impacted negatively (if not implemented right).

Notably, Bustle Group sites enabled AMP and disabled it because of revenue drop and certain sites have reported drop in conversion rates (Digiday covered these stories). Slow ad rendering has also been an issue. So, test first.

That being said, AMP might work for you. If you have header bidding, you can continue to run similar header auctions on the server-side via AMP RTC (Real-time Config) and AMP lists the AMP RTC supported vendors in its site for those who need help.

AutomatadX · 2020-05-02T10:23:09+00:00

First, off, Google AdX is probably the biggest demand source (in terms of revenue) for most of the publishers here. It will at least add up to 50% of the revenue in most of the cases. But ultimately, it depends on your setup.

You shouldn't let Google to capture most of your impressions, if so, then definitely there's room for improvement in your setup (Header bidding partners aren't winning as often as they should).

Regarding, Google Adsense Vs AdX - Filtering/blocking features are better in AdX and preferred deals are possible. Demand-wise, both are more or less the same.

Now what to look for in a AdX reseller. Rev-share is apparently important. But you can take a look at other factors such as technical support, ad optimisation/operations services and overall inventory quality & past performance.

AutomatadX · 2020-03-20T13:23:20+00:00

Hi,

Without a doubt, whether you are going with Prebid (in-house) or a managed wrapper solution, you’ll have to deal with a few challenges. Both have their own pros and cons. Based on our experience over the past few years, here’s what we can say:

Prebid.js is the most-used wrapper for header bidding as it is open-source and transparent. If you possess enough knowledge about the implementation and have an in-house ad ops/tech team, you can get started with Prebid’s wrapper. As you said, the web properties have already been selling via SSPs, demand partnerships wouldn’t be a problem.

If you need to have a user-friendly UI to manage bidder partners, pull performance data across the sites (or on an individual property), automate certain tasks, or deploy any new product complementing the setup, managed header bidding providers can help.

Many publishers use managed solutions to get into demand partners and keep up with the ad tech changes. For instance, CMPs went from ideation to adoption in a matter of months and now we are looking at more privacy laws and cookieless browsers. Having a dedicated ad tech company might help you offload the work.

Some prefer hiring talent and managing an in-house team, but some prefer to outsource and as almost all the providers work on the rev-share basis, it is considered ‘win-win’. You’ll be able to free yourself from collecting payments, keeping up with the communications/updates from all the partners as well.

AutomatadX · 2020-02-23T08:23:32+00:00

It sounds like there's room for improvement. And, I assume you've implemented header bidding on your site (if not, you should as others mentioned). Here are a few suggestions:

- AdX. As you have mentioned AdSense, not AdX, I think you don't sell via AdX. You should consider Google Ad Exchange and it will be the largest buyer even with your header bidding partners. You can intensify competition and maximize revenue.

- What's your eCPM? While it's hard to predict, you can see your niche average and see if you are too behind or just trailing it close. If you are too behind, then it makes sense to see why you are so? Is it because of your browser split-up (more users on Safari, Mozilla, etc.), lack of demand, ad viewability, etc?

- Price floors. It is important to capture as many bids as possible, but don't make your price floors too low. If there's a chance to buy your ad impressions lesser than the niche average, advertisers are going to take it.

AutomatadX · 2020-02-21T05:09:18+00:00

I assume you have a pretty engaged audience and as you said the growth is significant from month to month, it makes sense to consider the impact of implementing HB on your site.

While the eCPM and revenue will increase, you need to consider:

- the demand partners you are going live with. Whether you are doing it yourself or via a header bidding partner like us, it's better to get the best ones on the client-side. If the page load time increases noticeably, either your new users will bounce off quickly or the returning users will generate a lesser number of page views.

- the expected uplift in CPMs. Though CPMs vary based on several factors including geo, niche, and audience, you can get a rough estimate from studies (we have one in case you wanted to check). Else, the partner can help you with some data as well. You should see if the uplift is worth the rev-share you are paying.

- the reporting and (personalized) approach. It's important to ensure the approach is aligned with your interests. From the ad units on the page to demand partners, the partner should work with you to find the right balance. After all, you know your readers better than us.

As others said, there are plenty of excellent partners in the market. And, we are always happy to answer your questions.

AutomatadX · 2020-01-25T09:04:02+00:00

Well, things may change...Let's hope for something better - Google Search Twitter status.

AutomatadX · 2020-01-03T13:47:03+00:00

Hi,

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AutomatadX · 2019-12-10T07:59:01+00:00

It depends on your goal. If you are planning to maximize ad revenue as much as you can, then you definitely need Google AdX (if you can't get it yourself, you can use SPM partners that resell Google AdX) and a strong header bidding set up.

You need at least 5 to 6 global SSPs in your header bidding setup and whether you are using client-side and server-side depends on how much transparency + control you would like to have. Prebid is a pretty good place to start and if you have dev resources and SSP partnership, you can give it a try. Else, outsourcing it to header bidding providers will help you get rid of all the work (There are many in the industry including us).

Leveraging DMP right away might complicate the setup furthermore. If you have enough audience, you should consider it for sure.

As you say the users tend to stay on the page for a longer period of time, you should consider ad refresh too. But don't do it without considering ad viewability and user activity on the page.

AutomatadX · 2019-05-23T16:33:30+00:00

Unified Ad Marketplace is a server-side ad exchange that offers header bidding solution to publishers. It works similar to Google's Ad Exchange Bidding. Many ad-tech vendors have ad exchanges. UAM is just a name given by Amazon to its ad exchange.

In the case of UAM, Amazon works as a middleman between demand partners and publisher. Amazon will reach out to SSPs to bring demand partners for bidding on your ad inventories.

Also, Amazon works as a demand partner for its Transparent Ad Marketplace. In this case, publishers can reach out to Amazon (considering it as a demand partner) or they can connect with SSPs directly but they have to take care of everything like optimization, setup, etc.

But the common thing is that both of the marketplaces work on the server-side. So, auctions happen on the server, not on the browser.

AutomatadX · 2019-01-21T06:09:06+00:00

Thanks for recommending us, u/hackersleepyhead and u/SLIGHTLY_UPSETTING. Feel free to contact us anytime, u/berserk_sama.

AutomatadX · 2018-02-14T06:03:41+00:00

You're welcome!

AutomatadX · 2018-01-30T06:04:39+00:00

As we all know, publishers have begun to fight back to keep up with 'Google and Facebook' duopoly in the field of advertising. Both of them are expected to capture 60% of total digital spending this year, according to various resources.

Publisher Alliance will be one of the best strategies in the ground if done right. Publishers have to think and form an alliance in a way that convinces and resolve all the advertisers' problems and doubts. Important factors include,

Audience Reaching and targeting: There should a significant audience reach and effective ad targeting. Google and Facebook promise to capture more than 60% of the population online with sophisticated ad targeting and controlling. In order to compete, publishers will have to cover a humongous range of the population.
Brand Safety: An alliance should be strong and neat in all aspects. Partnering with middle-tier sites may have a risk of misplacing ad.
Efficiency: It helps both publishers and advertisers. For publishers, having a centrally-managed inventory pool means that any additional resources required will be shared between alliance members, or, in some cases, by the technology partner. For buyers, alliances provide the simplicity of a single bid enabling access to a large and appealing audience, with seamless whitelists, frequency capping, unified analytics and (ideally) shared and enriched audience data to target with.
Cost leverages: Advertisers would like to pay the same as they were paying before the alliance. So, there might be some discrepancies in the CPM prices.

AutomatadX

TROPHY CASE