General Terminology

This glossary provides a quick reference to essential terms in programmatic advertising, aiding in better understanding and communication within the digital advertising landscape.

DSP (Demand-Side Platform)

A system that allows buyers of digital advertising inventory to manage multiple ad exchange and data exchange accounts through one interface.

SSP (Supply-Side Platform)

A system that enables web publishers and digital out-of-home media owners to manage, sell, and optimize available inventory (ad space) on their websites and mobile apps.

Ad Exchange

A digital marketplace that enables advertisers and publishers to buy and sell advertising space, often through real-time auctions.

RTB (Real-Time Bidding)

A method of buying and selling online ad impressions through real-time auctions that occur in the time it takes a webpage to load.

CPM (Cost Per Mille)

The cost per 1,000 impressions of an ad, a common pricing model in digital advertising.

CPC (Cost Per Click)

A pricing model where advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their ad.

CPA (Cost Per Action)

A pricing model where advertisers pay for a specified action, such as a purchase or sign-up.

Pixel Tracking

A tracking method that involves embedding a small piece of code on a website to collect data on user actions.

Postback Tracking

A server-to-server tracking method that securely and accurately sends data directly from the advertiser's server to the tracking server.

Audience Segmentation

The process of dividing a broad consumer or business market into sub-groups of consumers based on some type of shared characteristics.

Lookalike Audiences

Audiences that resemble your existing customers, categorized into three levels none (broad reach), somewhat similar (moderate reach), and very similar (narrow reach).

Frequency Capping

Limiting the number of times an ad is shown to the same user to avoid overexposure.

Ad Scheduling

Setting specific times or dates for ad delivery to maximize engagement and effectiveness.

Whitelist

A list of approved publishers where ads are allowed to appear.

Blacklist

A list of publishers where ads are excluded from appearing.

Cross-Device Targeting

Reaching the same user across multiple devices, such as desktop, mobile, and tablet.

Viewability

A metric that tracks whether an ad was actually seen by a user.

Attribution

The process of identifying which actions or touchpoints contributed to a desired user action, such as a purchase.

Creative Optimization

Adjusting ad creatives in real-time based on performance data to improve effectiveness.

Brand Safety

Ensuring that ads do not appear in contexts that could harm the advertiser's brand.

Fill Rate

The percentage of ad requests that are successfully filled with ads.

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

The ratio of users who click on an ad to the number of total users who view the ad.

Conversion Rate

The percentage of users who take a desired action after clicking on an ad.