Ad Network
Ad Serving Guide: What It Is and How It Works
Ankitesh Thakur
This guide explains the difference between an ad server and a typical server, the different server types, how ad serving operates, and the key functions of ad servers.
If you’re in the world of ad technology and you’re aware that the internet advertising market is a complex one. It includes supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-side platforms (DSPs), as well as ad marketplaces. Even with all this complexity, the goal remains to show attractive online advertisements within a fraction of a second! Ad servers are responsible for the entire work that happens behind the scenes.
Ad servers are an element of advertising technology that optimizes, manages, and disperses advertising over paid channels, such as websites and applications. Advertisers, publishers, and agencies use ad servers to manage and track ads.
The ad server stores the ad’s creatives, decides on the ads to display in real-time, to the available advertisements, gathers the data of users, and gives reports on the performance of ads.
Ad serving technology process that makes use of software to display advertisements on many websites. They display online ads to visitors when they go to websites, download an app on their mobile device, or interact with online media.
This involves the technology and infrastructure that manages the display, rotation, and monitoring of advertisements across a variety of digital platforms.
Ad-serving technology displays ads with the right content to the target audience, based on demographics, behavior, and advertiser targeting criteria.
The cost of serving an ad is associated with the running of the ad. They may include:
The cost is based on an advertisement that is displayed on a site or app platform. This covers the primary function of optimizing and delivering ads on the internet.
Costs incurred by using third-party tools to track the performance of ads.
The cost of advertising is determined by the choice to display via a web-based, mobile, or other digital platform.
Advertisers use ad servers to track performance and manage ad distribution costs.
Advanced ad formats, like video, dynamic display, and audio creatives, come with additional fees, added to the standard ad-serving cost.
Ad servers come in many kinds that each cater to distinct demands within the digital advertisement marketplace. There are two primary kinds of ads servers: third-party and first-party ads servers. There are various kinds of subtypes, such as mobile ad servers, display ads servers, local ads servers, and more.
Ad servers serve several critical functions in the advertising industry:
The operation of an advertising server is a set of actions to ensure the successful transmission of ads online.
Then, it would help if you understood how ads service works on the side of the publisher (1st the party)
If a user goes to an app or website with an advertisement tag, the server gets notified that an advertisement opportunity is available.
The ad server analyzes specific targeting parameters that the advertiser specifies, such as the demographics of the audience, their location, and patterns of use. The server analyzes these variables to select the most pertinent advertising message to display.
The server decides on the most appropriate ad from the advertisers’ inventory according to the analysis. The selection is done immediately and makes sure that the ads displayed are in alignment with the user’s profile as well as the objectives of the campaign.
The creative ad reaches users’ browsers or mobile apps through visually rich content, including videos, images, or interactive elements.
When an ad is requested, the ad server tracks user interactions like clicks, impressions, and conversions. This information is essential for monitoring the success of an ad campaign.
Ad servers rotate different creatives in campaigns to track performance and optimize for better results. Continuous adjustments could be made to the targeting variables or other creative elements for greater effectiveness.
They generate detailed reports that help advertisers understand how well their ads are performing. Publishers and advertisers utilize this data to analyze the most critical metrics and make informed decision-making for future ads.
Ad servers help manage budgets by controlling how ads are delivered, ensuring the budget is spent as planned, either evenly or adjusted based on campaign timing.
A user starts their web browser and begins the session by visiting an individual website.
The browser on the user’s computer requests the web page’s publisher server and asks for the content of the website.
The publisher’s server processes the request and then sends the page’s content to the user’s browser. The content is embedded with ad tags.
Add tags to the content of the website and send an inquiry to a third-party advertising server, signaling the possibility of advertising.
Third-party ad servers process the ad request based on the advertiser’s campaign settings, preferences, and targeting criteria. Then, it selects the appropriate ad to show.
The selected ad is then sent from the third-party ad server back to the publisher’s server, completing the ad-serving process.
The website’s server is notified of the chosen ad on the page’s content. The entire webpage, including the ad that was selected, is delivered to the browser of the user and then displayed.
| Aspect | Ad Serving | Ad Tracking |
| Definition | The process of delivering digital ads to users. | Monitoring and recording user interactions with ads. |
| Primary Function | Manages the delivery and display of ads. | Records and analyzes user interactions with ads. |
| Tasks Involved | Selecting ads, delivering them to users, and ensuring timely | Counting ad impressions, tracking clicks, and monitoring conversions. |
| Timing | Primarily concerned with the ad display process. | Ongoing process focused on user interactions. |
| Tools Used | Ad servers to manage ad delivery. | Tracking tools and technologies for data collection. |
| Creative Optimization | Allows advertisers to change ads easily and independently. | Publishers control ad changes, advertisers rely on them. |
| Data Collection | Data on impressions, clicks, and ad delivery efficiency. | Data on interactions, click-through rates, and more. |
Choosing the correct ad server is critical for both publishers and advertisers. Ad serving helps you efficiently deliver ads while keeping costs down.
Performoo offers a powerful solution with the latest programmatic monetization technologies at no extra cost. With Performoo’s ad-serving feature, you save money and reduce your deliver your ads to the right audience.
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