What tech solution to use for a network of sites

Header bidding, waterfall tech or both. When someone starts building or operating an adnetwork of websites the question of what tech solution to use arises one of the first.

When choosing the best one, the common requirements to the tech solutions usually are:

– white label solution should be available. Participating publishers should have access to their statistics and reporting;

– support and tech teams should assist through integration road map and after commercial launch;

– granular analytic available;

– supports latest technologies on in the digital industry;

– follows the industry rules and regulations.

Now, when to existing technologies of waterfall and open bidding joined header bidding tech stack, it became more complicated for publishers to consider what to use.

Header bidding, waterfall tech or both? The main difference among solutions is where and how the ad auction takes place.

Header bidding:

1. We install a wrapper in the website header

2. Using it advertising requests from web page go to the potential buyer

3. Bids returned inside the script, winner bid determined

4. Web page content loaded together with the winner bid and its advertisement

Waterfall:

1. Web page starts loading content

2. Web page contains ad spot with ad server script

3. This script sends ad requests to third party server

4. Then, third party server starts finding buyer in it’s black box. Such black box may contain a number of waterfalls.

5. When buyer determined we get response with ad banner. We as a publisher do not know the price of sold impression at this stage. We will see it in the reporting afterwards.

6. In some cases the whole page with it’s content and advertisement can not be fully loaded unless ad banner loaded.

Obviously the newest technology – header bidding is the most transparent and fast. But we see a lack of technology solutions providers, which would allow vendors to operate as an ad network from one side, and to be compatible with existing adtech market form the other.

Header bidding and Waterfall combined

What we made on headbidder.net platform – we developed a tool which combines header bidding operations together with GAM, Amazon, etc. adtech for publishers. It can be run also under White Label shelter if you build header bidding White Label Ad Network.

Headbidder framework combines and does that all on one place simultaneously :

– you can add multiple bidders via UI,

– it supports client-side or prebid-server calls,

– the prebid server might be Appnexus, Rubicon, or your own,

– third-party user-id providers built in,

– custom buckets for GAM supported,

– we provide customers with an option of manual or API-based GAM integrations. Plus, you may choose between per-site or Run-of-network GAM orders,

– you may easily integrate Amazon ads via our tool as well.

Now, when digital advertising methods become more and more complicated, all these options become must-have for publishers.