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Ad Networks Best Practices

Using Old Vs. New Ad Network IDs

When integrating from another 3rd party platform always use the old ad network IDs instead of creating new ad network IDs.

Why should you use the old network IDs?

  • When publishers drop in new network IDs, we often see a drop in performance.

  • With new IDs, the networks need to start the evaluation process of the inventory all over again—performance metrics are completely new.

  • While fill rate usually remains the same, we often see a drop in CPMs.

Using the MoPub Refresh Rate

Publishers often forget to turn off the refresh rates when using 3rd parties. MoPub should always handle all refresh rates for an ad unit.

Why should you disable the refresh rate?

  • If a publisher keeps a refresh rate set within a 3rd party account, overall fill rate percentages listed within the MoPub account will be inflated.

  • In addition to the overall fill rate, there will also be an inflation on our network campaigns. For example, the above AdMob refresh rate was never disabled and set to “client code.”

  • While this doesn’t affect ad serving, it helps with understanding where impressions are served and how a campaign is performing.

Using Key Networks

As a best practice, we recommend that publishers use a handful of key ad networks live to support the inventory.

We have found that when publishers use 5-6 ad networks, compared to many ad networks, they see better performance metrics.

The ad networks that we recommend are as follows:

  • AdMob: global inventory

  • Millennial: global inventory

  • MobFox: inventory in the UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy, and Spain

  • Tapit: inventory in Australia, Canada, the US, Malaysia, the UK, and Germany

Testing Custom Native Networks

As a best practice, always test custom native networks to ensure they are properly working before going live.

To test your custom native networks, go through the following steps:

  1. Make sure the native SDK has been integrated into the application

  2. Confirm the custom method you are using to call this native SDK

  1. Create a custom native network campaign on your Networks page and drop in the custom method for the applications and ad units.

  2. Create a promotional backfill campaign set to fill 100% of the time.

  3. Target the custom native network campaign and promotional backfill campaign to a test ad unit.

  4. If you see a fill rate 100% of the time, then you know the failover for your custom native network campaign is working properly.

International and US Ad Network Campaigns

As a best practice, we recommend separating an ad network campaign into a couple of different campaigns–one for United States and the others for your top geographies.

  • Ad networks send different eCPMs on an application and ad unit level depending on country.

  • As a result, publishers can better monetize their inventory if they break out their campaigns by their top geos and the United States.

  • If a publisher creates one network campaign, targeted to all of the top geos, a publisher is actually setting an average eCPM.

Updating Ad Network eCPMs

MoPub’s ad server prioritizes campaigns by eCPM, allowing us to give more space to the networks that are performing well at this very moment.

  • The system works like a waterfall – it will attempt to show ads to the highest eCPM ad network first. If it cannot fill, trickles down to the second-highest ad network, then the third, and so on.

  • We highly recommend publishers update the eCPMs for all ad networks on a weekly basis. Not doing so would result in the top performing networks declining in rank and thus a loss in revenue.

  • Since Marketplace competes directly with the ad networks, it’s best to have them accurately reflect what you’re getting paid in order to maximize revenue from both sources.

Ad Network Revenue Reporting

MoPub can automatically pull ad network revenue data from most ad networks that are supported. This is a very useful tool to help publishers save time. You will no longer have to go into each individual ad network to find eCPM, impressions, and revenue. Instead those numbers will be displayed in orange in the Networks Dashboard.

  • To enable reporting for each network, go into “Edit Campaign Settings” and click on “Edit Revenue Reporting.” The login requirements for that particular ad network will appear.

  • Enter the login credentials for the ad network. MoPub will pull data each morning for the previous day. Note: since MoPub data is in real time, there might appear to be a discrepancy because of this.

  • Currently MoPub supports a reporting API with the following networks: AdMob, and Mobfox.

Communication with Ad Networks

Communication with ad networks is key to understanding current campaigns and if there are any burst campaigns.

As we all know, communication is the most important aspect in developing a partnership.

When a publisher develops a personal relationship with their ad networks, they tend to see higher CPMs and fill rates. Through this consistent communication, a publisher may gather further insight into the ad network’s weekly campaigns in addition to any burst campaigns within specific geos.