Too Small for Most SSPs? Top 5 Supply Side Platforms to Try

Too Small for Most SSPs? Top 5 Supply Side Platforms to Try

Top 5 SSPs That Can Work with Smaller Publishers

Switch
Rubicon Project
Pubmatic
AdMeld (Merged into Doubleclick AdX)
AppNexus

So what is an SSP (Suppy Side Platform)?
When ads are closely matched with a publisher’s content and user base, they deliver better results for advertisers. Raw metrics like clickthroughs and conversions are the objective. And that makes them more valuable.

So the SSPs specialize in matching up all their advertisers with their publishers – but optimizing conditions for the publisher.

Still here? Good. Have a quick sip of water before we go back in.

On the buyer side, advertisers, through an automated bidding process, bid for ad placements that best matched their criteria like geography, gender, income level, and more (see why data is so very important?!).
So why would you use a Supply Side Platform to fill your ad inventory?
Because SSP providers do this for a living and guess what, they’re better at it than you. They don’t let ad inventory go unsold, and they don’t sell it for anything less than the maximum bid.

Bottom line, SSPs add additional capabilities for metrics collection and price controls (i.e. setting minimum ad sale price or floor prices).
How are SSPs different from the plain old ad exchanges?

Supply Side Publishers differententiate. Their focus is skewed more towards publishers. We mentioned yield maximization briefly already. A key value that they offer is building a statistical layer of the publishers ad inventory data.

Deconstruct that last paragraph? Sure. The big networks adapt and do whatever it takes to increase profits in ad tech. SSPs focus on the publisher’s side.
The Catch 22 of SSPs
There is always one of those. Just like in New York’s elite nightclubs, there’s a sort of dress code – or entry requirement. In the ad world, it’s actually a minimum level of impressions. And sometimes even when you are into the millions of monthly impressions, it isn’t enough to make the cut.

Header Bidding: What is the Next Big Trend?
Header bidding is an attempt to improve ad network automation efficiency.

The inefficiency is as a result of the daisy chaining strategy that is used most often. Publishers ad space is essentially offered to advertisers one by one.

Some header bidding tools you can implement:

By “you” we mean someone with some Javascript skills. If you’re not a coder, you’re going to need to get one before attempting these installations.

prebid.org – Open source Javascript library for implementing header bidding.
pubfood.org – Another open source header bidding framework in Javscript.
Supply Side Platforms – Try One
You have a lot to digest. The key to remember is that a true SSP is designed to skew in favor of the publisher. And that’s you.

Have you tried an SSP?

Tell us about your experience. What was the impact on your ad revenue?
Enjoy the full article here: https://goo.gl/jnQOQs