Ultimate Guide to Selecting the Best Ad Servers

Optimizing the monetization value of content marketing campaigns requires the proper placement, management, editing, and display of ads. An ad server is server-hosted marketing software for managing digital ad campaigns.

The service automatically displays ad placements at designated time frames on the target mobile apps or websites. The platform holds ads and distributes them for easy display by publishers in multiple formats. Many ad servers offer all-inclusive reports, enabling users to track ad performance and better customize the placements to reach the right audience.

Questions to Ask When Choosing an Ad Server

The ad-serving requirements of advertisers and publishers vary significantly. Publishers need more control over their ad campaign pacing, inventory, and targeting. Therefore, they need tools that creatively optimize targeting across different devices while enabling superior information tracking and inventory forecasting.

Advertisers need buy-side ad servers engineered to optimize the efficient reporting and deploying of different ad units. The tools are great resources for tracking the performance of ads. When choosing an ad server, keep these essential questions in mind.

Is There a Reliable Support Team?

Many issues may pop up when using a new ad management system, including challenges in navigating the system’s complex components. These technical issues may prove stubborn if you are not tech-savvy, necessitating the need to get professional assistance. That’s where the input of a qualified customer care specialist comes in.

For a smooth ad-serving software user experience, look for a provider with a highly-qualified and reliable customer care team. Examine previous and existing clients’ feedback about the ad server’s customer support team. Pay attention to red flags like delays in responding to client questions, hard-to-navigate customer care systems, and unskilled representatives. Be wary of ad-serving companies with hard-to-reach support.

What Are the Types of Ad Features Offered?

When selecting an ad-serving system for your advertising needs, consider the type and quality of features offered. Be clear on what you want in a good ad server, and don’t forget to check for elements that match the ad-serving campaigns you want to run.

Different systems have different features, but the basic one to consider is the ability to target ads according to location and device. Other essential features include controlling how regularly a viewer sees an ad, ad date settings, and ad display time settings. For optimized geo-targeting to zip and city levels, you might need to try IPRoyal proxies.

What Are the Supported Ad-Unit Types?

Different ad servers support unique ads because they are created with a specific client base in mind. There are many types of ads, from MRAID, video, banner, interstitial, and VPAID ads. Get the most suitable ad server that supports the ads you want to display.

Decide if the ad server supports post-roll, pre-roll, or mid-roll ads beforehand. Understand that ad display timing determines the ad impressions and overall performance. The wrong ad server will affect your ad display timing, management, tracking, and performance.

How Does the Ad Server Response to Different Devices

All advertisers and publishers target a specific audience using different devices. In 2022’s third quarter, over 92% of internet users worldwide used a mobile device, with 91% using a smartphone. The use of computers and laptops lagged behind at 66%. These statistics imply that for your ads to reach a wider audience, you must use an ad server that supports mobile devices.

The best way to achieve maximum results from ad servers is to get one that delivers mobile-responsive ads. As the desktop ad market isn’t as extensive, you should endeavor to target the mobile market.

What Are the Pricing Rates?

The rates offered by different ad servers vary. Some providers will charge you a serving fee per advertisement, while other servers charge a fixed setup fee. Similarly, other ad-serving providers charge an ad-serving fee per usage rate, while others charge a fixed monthly fee. Research the charge rates of every ad-serving company before signing the contract.

And while researching and comparing multiple ad-server providers, emphasize getting fair pricing that matches your ad-serving budget. Whether you’re a publisher or an advertiser, get software with pricing within your budget reach. The perfect ad server will have clearly outlined pricing and feasible up-front prices to enable you to know what you’re paying for and if it’s value for money.

Conclusion

After evaluating all other vital features of the ad server, consider the software developer’s reputation. Some ad-serving software developers care less about customer satisfaction and wouldn’t mind taking advantage of your innocence. Depending on how deeply you research the ad-serving software developer’s reputation, you could end up with the real deal or get duped in the process.

By checking client testimonials and reviews, you can easily bypass baits by untrustworthy ad-server companies. Search independent websites and service review platforms to know what other clients feel about the ad server.