Industry News - Freestar

Freestar Intelligence: We Handle The Complexity So You Don’t Have To

Miranda Hawkins — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 17:03:13 +0000

AdTech Unraveled: Solving the Complexity Puzzle

The early days of programmatic advertising were pretty straightforward – just a few bidders, minimal complexity, and fairly predictable results. In today’s landscape, it’s an entirely different story. The industry is now flooded with demand-side platforms (DSPs), supply-side platforms (SSPs), ad exchanges, identity solutions, and constantly shifting privacy regulations. The sheer number of acronyms, technologies, and optimizations can make it feel impossible to keep up.

Publishers are left asking:

Which bidders are the most effective?
Do I call them via Prebid client-side or server-side, Amazon TAM, or Google Open Bidding?
How do I balance user experience while still achieving revenue goals?
How do I optimize price floors and auction timeouts?
Which identity solutions actually drive results?

You probably already understand the value of managing all of these elements and tailoring them to your audiences, but even the most sophisticated publishers can’t manage everything across different geographies, device types, and audiences efficiently by hand.

Introducing Freestar Intelligence: The Engine that Powers Real-Time Optimization

Freestar Intelligence is our proprietary decision engine that provides real-time customization at a granularity you could only previously dream of. Combining over a decade of hands-on experience, the horsepower of artificial intelligence and machine learning(AI/ML), and relentless experimentation (over 25 million experiments a week, in fact), we have built an optimization machine that takes the guesswork out of maximizing revenue. Continually enhanced by our expert team of data scientists and engineers, Freestar Intelligence dynamically adjusts auction mechanics (the back-end) and user experience (the front-end), leveraging our ever-growing suite of solutions to remove the headaches of manual yield management.

But what does that actually look like in action? Let’s take a look under the hood and break down the key ways Freestar Intelligence works to effortlessly maximize revenue for publishers every day.

Dynamic Ad Stack: Smarter Auction Mechanics

Freestar’s Dynamic Ad Stack (DAS) ensures all the behind-the-scenes elements of the auction are performing at their full potential by leveraging the power of AI/ML to adapt to market dynamics in real-time. Unlike traditional static configurations, DAS ensures every aspect of auction mechanics is fully optimized in real-time. The following are some of the many great features of DAS:

→ Next-Gen Header Bidding: Faster, Smarter, Lighter

Freestar’s modular header bidding wrapper is designed to be as efficient as possible, loading only the necessary code components. This “micro wrapper” approach cuts memory usage by 40% and reduces latency by 500ms compared to traditional setups. By reducing the number of resource-intensive features by up to 30%, it improves page load times while minimizing the impact on device performance.

The result? Faster load times, reduced JavaScript bloat, and a smoother user experience. With fewer active modules, there’s less strain on a visitor’s device, reducing memory leaks and improving performance across all browsers.

→ Dynamic Bidder Configurations and Timeouts: A Personalized Approach

Not all bidders perform equally in every situation, which is why DAS customizes the auction mechanics for every ad request. By dynamically selecting the ideal mix of server-side and client-side bidders, fine-tuning auction timeouts based on geo, device, and network speed, and leveraging historical auction data for real-time optimizations, our AI/ML-powered configuration system ensures revenue from each impression is maximized.

The result? Unlike fixed configurations that treat all visitors the same, this more granular approach results in faster page loads, higher engagement, improved user experience, and on average, a 5 to 8% revenue uplift for publishers.

→ Staying Ahead by Testing Identity Partners

With the decline of third-party cookies, alternative identity solutions are essential as advertisers will pay more when they know something about your users. If you don’t have identity solutions in place, you’re leaving a lot of revenue on the table. However, not all solutions deliver the same results. Freestar’s Identity Testing Framework removes the guesswork by:

- Running side-by-side tests on multiple identity providers
- Tracking real revenue impact
- Optimizing for the best mix of partners

The result? Publishers using this framework have already seen a 25 to 50% higher performance on cookieless browsers and even a 3 to 5% increase in Chrome, ensuring they stay ahead in a privacy-first world.

→ Floor Pricing: Ensuring the Price is Right

Setting the right floor price safeguards your high-value ad inventory while avoiding overpricing that can result in low fill rates that hurt overall revenue. Our Freestar Intelligence -powered Dynamic Flooring technology takes the guess work out of striking the right pricing balance and automatically adjusts floor prices for each ad request based on factors like:

- Device type (mobile vs. desktop)
- Time of day
- Geography
- Historical bid patterns

The result? Publishers using this technology have seen a 21% increase in CPMs compared to manual floors and a 7% lift over Google’s automated floors.

Dynamic Ad Products: Smarter Ad Placement Without Extra Work

The front-end on-page experience is just as important as what happens behind the scenes. However, ad placement can be a challenge – too many ads disrupt the user’s experience, but too few leave revenue on the table. A dynamic versus static setup ensures that each user is served the right type of ad format at the right time.

Unlike many of our competitors, Freestar’s Dynamic Ad Products are not a one-size-fits-all solution. Our agnostic approach allows us to customize each publisher’s ad placements using our AI/ML engine to power smarter ads that take into account user behavior and device type.

Whether it’s showcasing multiple ads within a single ad placement, inserting the ideal video player, displaying high-impact formats, or customizing a desktop vs. mobile experience, our suite of dynamic ad products empowers you to do more with less. All while maintaining a positive user experience and adhering to the Coalition for Better Ads standards.

Our latest development, Intelligent Ad Insertion (IAI), uses Freestar Intelligence to:

Determine the optimal mix of in-content and high-impact ad placements
Maximize revenue without compromising user engagement

The result? Publishers using IAI have seen an additional 5% revenue uplift, all without lifting a finger!

AdTech is Complex: You Don’t Have to Manage It Alone

The reality is that today’s Adtech world is far too complex for publishers to navigate on their own. Monetization isn’t about simple plug-and-play solutions. It requires a team, a strategy, and cutting-edge technology. That’s where Freestar comes in. We provide both the engine that powers dynamic solutions at scale and the expert team to drive the technology. While Freestar Intelligence certainly leverages the power of AI/ML, you can rest assured, we don’t let AI run the whole show. At the end of the day, we know AI/ML will always require a real heartbeat to steer it in the right direction. And Freestar’s direction has always been and will remain “Publisher First”, creating solutions that empower publishers to focus on what they do best: create great content.

Want to learn more? Register now for our upcoming webinar to see how Freestar Intelligence is shaping the future of ad monetization.

The post Freestar Intelligence: We Handle The Complexity So You Don’t Have To first appeared on Freestar.

You’ve Got the Team, We’ve Got the Tech: Introducing Freestar Flex!

Caroline Romano — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 12:00:02 +0000

For the past decade, publishers have relied on Freestar’s fully-managed ad tech solutions to increase revenue, decrease headcount costs, and simplify monetization. But we know that fully-managed is not the ideal approach for all publishers. Some have sophisticated in-house ad ops teams that want more control over their ad stack but lack the time, resources, or expertise to build a world-class header bidding solution from scratch.

That’s exactly why we created Freestar Flex.

We have taken the best elements of Freestar’s award-winning monetization platform and added in self-managed publisher tools that provide the best of all worlds – full transparency and control coupled with Freestar’s proven technology and expertise that has been perfected over a decade of driving publisher success.

Designed for Publishers Who Want More Control

Until now, publishers wanting more control were faced with a difficult choice: invest significant time and money into developing their own monetization technology or utilize sub-par solutions from companies that either don’t exclusively focus on header bidding or lack Freestar’s vast knowledge, experience and technology.

With Flex, we’re bridging that gap by offering our battle-tested monetization platform in a more flexible manner that empowers publishers to seamlessly manage their own header bidding setup. Built for teams that want more autonomy, Flex delivers the transparency, efficiency, and advanced AI/ML optimization tools needed to maximize revenue without the hassle of building from scratch and trying to keep up with the ever-changing world of ad tech.

Technology That Works for You

Flex isn’t just another behind-the-scenes ad tech tool; it’s a powerful, intuitive platform designed to put publishers in charge. With both manual and AI/ML-optimized floors, timeouts, and bidder configurations, publishers can fine-tune auction mechanics in real-time to maximize performance. The advanced reporting and analytics suite unifies dozens of disparate data sources and provides deeper insights to help publishers make data-driven optimization decisions. Built-in A/B testing tools allow publishers to run experiments with different ad stacks to compare performance and optimize with confidence.

Additionally, Flex includes a comprehensive identity testing framework to future-proof publisher monetization in a privacy-compliant manner. The platform also seamlessly integrates a myriad of third-party technologies and partners through one simple implementation, making it an incredibly powerful monetization engine and not just a Prebid wrapper. Finally, while Flex provides self-managed tools and offers class-leading AI/ML optimization options, publishers will still have on-demand access to Freestar’s white-glove consultative support via an integrated chat feature that provides direct access to our expert teams if needed.

Tested, Proven, and Ready for You

Although Flex is only now being publicly unveiled to the world, it is far from brand-new, as we have been working on it for over a year. That time has included dozens of iterative sprints, hundreds of hours of rigorous testing, and a ton of invaluable feedback from industry-leading publishers who have helped test and refine the offering. We are incredibly excited to introduce many new features with Flex that will empower publishers in different ways than we have in the past; however, its core is the same monetization platform trusted by hundreds of publishers for the past 10 years that has allowed Freestar to become the number one ad management partner for large websites in the world. As a result, we know Flex can help take even the most sophisticated publisher’s monetization to another level while decreasing the time and effort needed to make it happen.

See Freestar Flex in Action

Curious to learn more about Freestar Flex? Check out our interactive highlight demo for a preview of the platform’s capabilities in action.

Ready For The Real Thing?

If you feel like you are beginning to outgrow a fully-managed offering, you are looking for a tool kit powerful enough to support your expert ad ops team, or simply want to learn more about everything Freestar has to offer, request a live demo by submitting your contact information and discover how we can take your monetization strategy to the next level!

The post You’ve Got the Team, We’ve Got the Tech: Introducing Freestar Flex! first appeared on Freestar.

Introducing Sertify: A New Partnership to Empower Diverse Publishers

Caroline Romano — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 23:47:54 +0000

At Freestar, we aim to help publishers succeed by providing innovative tools, resources, and opportunities to thrive in today’s competitive advertising landscape. That’s why we’re excited to announce our new partnership with Sertify, a groundbreaking organization dedicated to simplifying and standardizing accreditation for diverse-owned businesses. This collaboration will enable our publishers to earn official certification as diverse-owned entities within minutes and at no cost, paving the way for expanded revenue opportunities while supporting a more equitable advertising ecosystem.

Certification: A Catalyst for Growth

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are increasingly driving decisions in the advertising industry, with many brands and agencies committed to investing in diverse-owned media. Official certification through Sertify helps publishers stand out by providing advertisers with the confidence that their dollars are being spent with verified diverse media outlets. This validation removes potential barriers and creates opportunities for publishers to secure meaningful partnerships with advertisers prioritizing DEI-focused spending.

How Sertify Supports Publishers

Sertify’s streamlined process provides publishers with an efficient pathway to official accreditation. Here’s what the process includes:

Ownership Verification: A thorough review is conducted to confirm that publishers meet diverse business ownership criteria.
Enhanced Credibility: Certification builds trust with advertisers seeking to meet DEI objectives.
Access to Opportunities: Accredited publishers are well-positioned to secure high-value campaigns and increase their visibility in the marketplace.

Getting Started with Sertify

Freestar publishers can now begin the certification process through Sertify here. It takes only 5-10 minutes at no cost to them. For those who have already self-identified as diverse-owned, this next step ensures they maximize their competitive edge and remain attractive to advertisers with DEI goals.

Looking Ahead

This collaboration with Sertify represents a shared commitment to fostering inclusivity and innovation in the advertising industry. By empowering publishers with the tools they need to succeed, we’re building a future where diverse voices are amplified and supported. Together, we’re unlocking new possibilities and driving meaningful progress for publishers and advertisers alike.

About Sertify

Sertify is dedicated to advancing equity in media by providing a straightforward and reliable accreditation process for diverse publishers and influencers. Their mission is to empower publishers, build trust with advertisers, and create a more inclusive digital ecosystem.

The post Introducing Sertify: A New Partnership to Empower Diverse Publishers first appeared on Freestar.

How Partners Like Deepsee (and Others!) Have Helped Pave the Way for Freestar’s Next Era

Lindsay Valdez — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 20:47:01 +0000

Freestar is thrilled to announce our partnership with the publisher quality platform, Deepsee.io. Following a highly successful trial last year, we quickly recognized the significant value this technology brings to our operations. Deepsee now complements our suite of tools dedicated to maintaining and enhancing inventory quality, further strengthening our commitment to excellence.

This year, Freestar turns 10! Reflecting on the past decade, it’s incredible to see how much the industry has evolved—innovations we couldn’t have imagined then are now the norm. We’ve continually adapted our product offerings and pitch, staying agile and ahead of industry shifts. The digital ad ecosystem is a complex, ever-changing landscape, and we’ve embraced the need to evolve alongside it.

“Our early adopters are teams and companies whose commitment to quality is baked into their ethos, and our partnership with Freestar is a great example of that. They take their responsibility as a top web publisher seriously, and their dedication to doing right by publishers and buyers is evident in every conversation we have.”
— Rocky Moss, Co-Founder, Deepsee

Over the past decade, we’ve grown significantly! By partnering with innovative companies like Deepsee, Jounce, HUMAN, and others, we confidently stand by the quality of the websites we monetize and the inventory we sell.

How We’re Using Deepsee

Supply Quality
Inventory quality standards have evolved significantly to keep up with technology, consumer behavior, advertiser demands, and the need for accountability. Publishers must meet our guidelines before joining our network, and now, Deepsee allows us to run monthly scans to ensure ongoing compliance with these standards.

Transparency
Transparency is the foundation of trust and efficiency in our industry, benefiting advertisers, publishers, technology providers, and consumers alike. Deepsee scans check for essentials like ads.txt files, legal compliance (privacy policies, CMP banners), and other critical elements to uphold trust.

Advertising
At Freestar, we prioritize partnerships with DSPs, SSPs, brands, and agencies. By maintaining robust internal guidelines aligned with industry standards, we ensure seamless collaboration while delivering exceptional monetization performance. Deepsee incorporates signals related to ad-industry expectations, such as frequency, positioning, and quantity of ads.

Notably, Deepsee recently added UI functionality for monitoring refresh rates at the site level, and we adhere to the standard 30-second refresh rate.

Brand Suitability
As revenue from PMP, PG, and direct deals grows, so does our focus on advertiser concerns. Deepsee scans for sensitive issues like adult-oriented content, pirated material, made-for-advertising signals, and more, ensuring brand-safe inventory.

Audience Development
Freestar’s audience development services are a key differentiator. Alongside our in-house traffic experts and partnerships, Deepsee enhances SEO and audience growth strategies with powerful signals. These include page speed metrics, content quality analysis (e.g., low-quality AI content detection, reading time, author performance), and actionable insights to help publishers refine their strategies and boost engagement.

Partnerships That Matter

As we look ahead to Freestar’s next decade, we are energized by the strength of our industry partnerships. Deepsee’s cutting-edge technology and actionable insights empower us with greater efficiency and strategic direction, enabling us to deliver unparalleled service to our publishers. Together, these partnerships drive meaningful innovation and reinforce our commitment to industry leadership—proving that true progress comes from partnerships that matter.

The post How Partners Like Deepsee (and Others!) Have Helped Pave the Way for Freestar’s Next Era first appeared on Freestar.

ICYMI: Ad Tech Edition | Week of September 16th, 2024

Karthikeyan Kumaran — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 17:39:34 +0000

Bits and Bobs from around the industry:

How Google got away with charging publishers more than anyone else

Google’s 20% fee on ad transactions took center stage in its antitrust trial, with the DOJ arguing that the fee highlights Google’s monopoly over online ads. Internal Google emails and testimony revealed executives were concerned about justifying the fee, which was higher than competitors’. However, they maintained it due to Google’s control over a vast advertiser base. The government is attempting to prove that Google tied its publisher ad server to its ad exchange to maintain dominance, despite the company’s defense that publishers benefited from its system. The trial continues with more testimony expected.

The Best Advice At The IAB Connected Commerce Summit: Don’t Annoy Your Customer

The IAB’s Connected Commerce Summit emphasized the importance of understanding consumers in retail media. While expanding ad budgets and improving effectiveness were key themes, many stressed that overuse of retail media could alienate shoppers. Digital out-of-home ads, or “phygital” ads, should enhance the shopping experience rather than disrupt it. IAB research highlighted a disconnect between brands and consumers, with commerce videos seen as intrusive by some shoppers despite advertisers believing them to be effective. The summit concluded that while data is crucial, marketers must rely on intuition and trust to maintain strong consumer relationships.

DOJ vs. Google: Can the digital media industry learn from the last 15 years?

As the Department of Justice prepares to close its case in the Google antitrust trial, evidence from over 30 witnesses and internal documents suggest Google has operated monopolies in ad exchanges, networks, and search. Notable disclosures include discussions by top executives, like YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, about acquiring competitors to limit competition. The case highlights how regulators failed to act on similar monopolistic practices in the past, and critics argue both publishers and advertisers played roles in Google’s dominance. Industry leaders, such as Alessandro De Zanche and Paul Bannister, emphasize learning from these past mistakes, particularly as AI technologies emerge.

Twitch Launches Brand-Customizable Game In Fortnite

Twitch, in collaboration with Amazon Ads, is launching The Glitch, a customizable Fortnite game designed to connect brands with Twitch streamers and gamers. Created by Halo co-creator Alexander Seropian’s Look North World studio, The Glitch allows brands like Domino’s and Peloton to create unique in-game experiences. Domino’s will introduce a pizza-themed health boost, while Peloton will track engagement with non-combative gameplay.

Amazon invites brands to stay in the game for at least one fiscal quarter to maximize engagement with Twitch’s core audience, primarily aged 18-34. Brand activations will also be promoted through Twitch streamers on the platform’s homepage, broadening visibility. The Glitch officially opens to the public on Friday, coinciding with Twitch’s annual convention in San Diego. Amazon Ads plans to bring more brands into the evolving experience, offering new ways for companies to engage with gamers.

The post ICYMI: Ad Tech Edition | Week of September 16th, 2024 first appeared on Freestar.

ICYMI: Ad Tech Edition | Week of September 9th, 2024

Caroline Romano — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 00:04:35 +0000

Bits and Bobs from around the industry:

Exclusive: Aditude Acquires Hashtag Labs

Aditude has acquired Hashtag Labs, merging two ad tech firms that support publisher monetization. The deal, which closed on August 16, reflects publishers’ need for efficient revenue solutions amid growing competition. Hashtag Labs, founded in 2014 by John Shankman, will integrate its technology into Aditude’s platform. Shankman will become Aditude’s chief strategy officer. Both companies collectively support over 200 publishers, and all 25 Hashtag Labs employees will join Aditude. Aditude, which raised $15 million last year, plans to expand through more acquisitions while building additional products, including analytics tools for publishers.

Google’s second antitrust trial could help shape the future of online ads

Google is back in court facing a second antitrust trial from the Department of Justice, this time focusing on its advertising business. The DOJ argues that Google’s ad tools monopolize the market, leading to higher ad prices and limiting competition. If the DOJ succeeds, Google could be forced to divest its Google Ad Manager suite. The case follows an August ruling that declared Google a monopolist in internet search. The DOJ claims Google unfairly leveraged acquisitions like DoubleClick, while Google argues its practices promote innovation and competition. The trial could last several weeks.

Unraveling The Mystery Of PubMatic’s $5 Million Loss From A “First-Price Auction Switch”

PubMatic revised its 2024 revenue projections, citing a $5 million shortfall due to Google DV360 shifting to first-price auctions in May. PubMatic had been tagging bid requests as second-price auctions, winning more bids from DV360 as a result. However, DV360’s updated bidding logic affected all SSPs, redistributing PubMatic’s lost revenue to competitors. Despite the industry-wide shift to first-price auctions in 2017, PubMatic continued using second-price auctions, perplexing experts. The revenue didn’t leave the market but was reallocated to other exchanges when DV360 stopped honoring second-price bid requests. PubMatic declined to comment on the discrepancy.

Your Day One Recap: DOJ vs. Google Goes Deep Into The Ad Tech Weeds

The first day of Google’s ad tech antitrust trial in Virginia highlighted the complexities of the ad tech ecosystem. The DOJ argues that Google operates three monopolies in ad servers, ad exchanges, and ad networks, citing Google’s control of 87-91% of the ad server market and its tie between Google Ads demand and AdX. Google’s defense counters that the DOJ’s claims are outdated, asserting that ads span multiple channels, and it only controls 25% of the market. Witnesses from companies like Gannett and Index Exchange testified on Google’s dominance, with debates over header bidding, programmatic advertising, and server switching challenges.

Day 2: Stephanie is being emotional and unproductive

On Day 2 of the Google ad tech antitrust trial, key witness Stephanie Layser, an expert from Amazon and former News Corp exec, testified about Google’s Unified Pricing Rules (UPR) and its monopolistic grip on publishers. She detailed how News Corp’s efforts to switch from Google’s ad server (DFP) were hindered by the loss of AdX demand, and Google’s refusal to share logs for comparison. Layser explained how Google’s “last look” bidding practices and lack of competition control affected publishers’ revenue. Jay Friedman, CEO of Goodway Group, also testified about the ad market’s complexity and Google’s dominance.

The post ICYMI: Ad Tech Edition | Week of September 9th, 2024 first appeared on Freestar.

ICYMI: Ad Tech Edition | Week of September 2nd, 2024

Caroline Romano — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 21:21:34 +0000

Bits and Bobs from around the industry:

Exclusive: Aditude Acquires Hashtag Labs

Google’s second antitrust trial could help shape the future of online ads

OpenX CEO John Gentry On Why SSPs Don’t Deserve The Flack They Catch

OpenX CEO John Gentry highlights how SSPs (Supply-Side Platforms) have evolved beyond being “dumb pipes,” investing in data, identity, and sell-side curation. Gentry emphasizes that direct relationships with buyers, clean ad supply, and innovations in CTV (Connected TV) have driven growth. OpenX has differentiated itself by cutting out low-quality CTV inventory and focusing on premium content. Video, including CTV, accounts for 35% of its business, with CTV growing 80% in the first half of the year. While OpenX isn’t currently pursuing acquisitions or an IPO, Gentry remains focused on steady growth.

The Deal With Demand Gen; The Brokerages Might Be Broken

Google’s Demand Gen now attributes all conversions to its campaigns, potentially misrepresenting its performance compared to Meta’s Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns. Consumer data brokers like Acxiom and Experian face criticism for outdated and inaccurate data, unlike more reliable profiles from Amazon and Google. The Trade Desk is developing a new TV OS to compete with Roku and Google TV, aiming to enhance addressable device reach and cross-platform measurement. Additionally, Reddit lacks a formal publisher program but is being tested by publishers, while Twitter investors face losses since Elon Musk’s acquisition. NaNoWriMo’s new AI policy has confused writers, and generative AI is found less effective than humans at summarizing information.

The post ICYMI: Ad Tech Edition | Week of September 2nd, 2024 first appeared on Freestar.

Google’s New Game: Are you a Winner?

The Freestar Team — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 21:25:59 +0000

In August Google released its first Core Update since March.

The most recent Google core update appears to be one of the most positive updates that Google has released, especially for smaller publishers, specializing in user-focused content! Google has stated that,
“This update is designed to continue our work to improve the quality of our search results by showing more content that people find genuinely useful and less content that feels like it was made just to perform well on Search.”

In the last 2 weeks, we have seen numerous publishers experience increases in traffic, demonstrating the positive impact for those who prioritize user experience over search engine algorithms.

To recover from a Google penalty or a significant traffic decline following a core update requires strategic action and can be a lengthy process, often spanning over months. However, core updates present a unique opportunity for recovery as websites are reassessed against the new guidelines. There is a strong reason to believe that the publishers who have invested in creating high-quality, user-centric content will see their sites rise in search rankings during these times.

It’s important to adopt a proactive approach to website optimization rather than passively waiting for updates to change the game. Publishers should have a plan and a strategy that is being reviewed and implemented to ensure their website’s continued success. By implementing these guidelines below, publishers can capitalize on traffic gains and maintain a competitive edge in the ever-evolving search engine landscape.

1. Know your Audience.

Understanding your audience is paramount in creating content that resonates with them and is an essential key step to delving into your audience development strategies. Direct users are the most stable of traffic sources that take pressure off the rise and fall of search engines. This aligns with Google’s EEAT standards enabling you to produce high-quality valuable content that is curated specifically for your audience.

2. Track your Metrics.

Be proactive in investing time in evaluating your Google Analytics (GA4) dashboard to understand what content is performing well and those that are not. Knowing what content is performing better and those that are falling short, you can make data-driven decisions that can make or break your content strategy. Embracing a flexible approach and adjusting your priority based on performance metrics is key to maximizing the website’s traffic.

3. Audit Existing Content

Avoid being hindered by outdated content that no longer meets current-day standards. Refreshing existing or evergreen content can be a relatively efficient way to keep your website content fresh and engaging.. If content is not able to be updated, placing a NoIndex tag can prevent it from being indexed by search engines, thus avoiding potential penalties

4. First-Party Data Strategy

Implementing a strategic approach to obtain your users’ First Party Data is critical to optimizing site revenue and owning your own audience. Gaining a way to target your audience can help with things like newsletters which can gain site traffic, surveys which helps you know your audience, and even integrating additional interactions on the site through voting systems. Furthermore, having FPD allows for optimized revenue through your ad partner (Freestar!) as CPM’s are higher when the ads are curated for the specific user.

By following the above guidelines you can be in a place to be positively impacted when core updates are launched. While optimizing your site remains crucial, it should never come at the detriment of the user experience.

More important than that, by following the above best practices you can improve your site and make the user experience better. You want to be a site that users are coming back to, are typing your site in their browser, have tagged and saved and used in their everyday lives. Google appears to be finally listening to the publishers and there are a lot of positive changes happening. Provide the best, user-first content that you can, and the traffic will follow!

Learn more on how Freestar can efficiently monetize your content while maintaining a positive user experience.

The post Google’s New Game: Are you a Winner? first appeared on Freestar.

ICYMI: Ad Tech Edition | Week of March 25th, 2024

Jessica Potter — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 20:34:29 +0000

Bits and Bobs from around the industry:

Media buyers don’t want to pay extra for publishers’ first-party data

Amidst the transition away from third-party cookies, media buyers are cautious about the premiums associated with first-party data and contextual targeting offered by publishers. While some publishers are seeking premiums of around $2, buyers are hesitant due to concerns about overspending on data versus media. Holly Dunn from Havas emphasizes the importance of scrutinizing data privacy and costs. Publishers like Epsilon advocate for value-focused pricing strategies.

However, not all publishers have seen significant increases in CPMs. Buyers are now asking about first-party data earlier in the sales process, but they seek tangible performance improvements before investing heavily in premiums. The future of CPMs depends on evolving cookie alternatives and data accessibility, with winners likely offering high-quality, portable data without restrictive spending requirements.

A Pubmatic Server Anomaly, $1 Billion CPMs, and a Complicated Programmatic Ecosystem

Pubmatic’s $1 billion ad auction glitch, though quickly rectified, reverberated through the programmatic advertising landscape, prompting a deeper examination of its underlying complexities and vulnerabilities. This brief yet impactful server anomaly shed light on the intricate interplay of factors within the programmatic supply chain. While no tangible financial losses occurred, the incident served as a wake-up call for industry stakeholders, highlighting the potential for disruption within an ecosystem reliant on seamless digital transactions.

Experts emphasize the imperative of enhanced collaboration and transparency among players to fortify defenses against future anomalies and ensure the integrity of ad transactions. Moreover, the episode underscores broader concerns regarding power dynamics, intermediary proliferation, and the hegemony of walled garden platforms, prompting calls for more robust regulatory frameworks to safeguard the interests of all parties involved in the programmatic ad ecosystem.

As discussions continue, industry veterans advocate for a concerted effort to address systemic vulnerabilities and establish clearer guidelines to foster fairness, resilience, and trust in the digital advertising sphere.

Sins Of The Cookie: How Third-Party Cookies Set The Industry Back

The third-party cookie, now phased out by Google Chrome, has left a mixed legacy in digital advertising. While it facilitated the growth of programmatic advertising, its shortcomings were significant. Advertisers abused its targeting capabilities, leading to plummeting CPMs, content arbitrage, and misleading attribution practices. Shady data vendors proliferated, offering questionable data quality and privacy violations. Measurement became skewed, relying on flawed attribution models and inflated conversions.

Moving forward, the industry must embrace alternative solutions:

1. Identity Solutions: Probabilistic and authenticated traffic solutions can enhance addressability and attribution.

2. Publisher First-Party Data: Leveraging publisher data for segmentation, particularly in understanding consumer intent, can provide valuable context for advertisers.

3. Advertiser Data Enrichment: Brands can leverage their own data infrastructure to better understand audiences, utilizing identity solutions and co-mingling with publisher data.

4. Retail Media: Collaborating with retailers allows brands to measure advertising impact on actual sales, providing valuable insights into campaign performance.

5. AI-Powered Targeting: Independent AI-driven platforms offer sophisticated targeting algorithms, strengthened by experience and partnership with publishers.

As the industry navigates the post-cookie era, embracing diverse data strategies and innovative technologies can lead to a more sustainable and effective advertising landscape, prioritizing quality, context, and consumer privacy over the limitations of the past.

The post ICYMI: Ad Tech Edition | Week of March 25th, 2024 first appeared on Freestar.

ICYMI: Ad Tech Edition | Week of March 18th, 2024

Jessica Potter — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 21:41:20 +0000

Bits and Bobs from around the industry:

How Disney Juggles Direct Supply Paths Without Disintermediating SSPs

Disney continues its journey toward automating ad sales with the launch of DRAX Direct, an extension of its real-time ad exchange. This new platform offers advertisers direct access to inventory on Disney+ and Hulu via integrations with The Trade Desk and Google’s DV360. The initiative aims to provide advertisers with increased transparency into available inventory and audience demographics, potentially resulting in higher match rates and better-deduplicated reach.

While Disney maintains partnerships with SSPs like Magnite, DRAX Direct offers advertisers an additional avenue to access inventory, catering to diverse preferences in ad buying. With partnerships extending to over 30 DSPs, including smaller players, Disney seeks to offer advertisers flexibility and efficiency in campaign execution across various platforms and budgets.

Google’s new Sandbox advertising system could be ‘the end for a lot of publishers

As Google prepares to phase out third-party tracking cookies from its Chrome browser, stakeholders closely scrutinize its proposed alternative, the “Privacy Sandbox” ad system, amidst concerns and critiques from publishers, advertisers, and regulatory bodies like the UK Competition & Markets Authority (CMA). The system, developed under legally binding commitments to prevent abuse of Google’s dominant market position, faces skepticism over its effectiveness and fairness. Of particular concern is the Sandbox’s Topics system, which critics argue lacks flexibility and may consolidate Google’s control over ad targeting.

This scrutiny underscores broader anxieties about the future of digital advertising and the balance of power within the ecosystem. Despite Google’s efforts to address these concerns and promote Sandbox as a voluntary framework, doubts persist regarding its potential impact on publisher revenue, data dynamics, and overall market competitiveness. As the digital advertising landscape undergoes significant shifts, stakeholders remain vigilant, advocating for transparency, fairness, and innovation in ad tech solutions.

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The Digital Markets Act (DMA), enacted by the European Union today, imposes stringent regulations on six tech giants—Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, and Microsoft—targeting their core platform services (CPS). The DMA aims to disrupt the dominance of Big Tech by introducing measures like banning self-preferencing and mandating data interoperability. While some companies contest their designations, others brace for compliance adjustments. The DMA’s objective is to foster competition and innovation by curbing unfair practices, but its effectiveness depends on user adoption of alternative services. Despite pushback from tech giants, the EU is poised to enforce DMA provisions swiftly, signaling a significant paradigm shift in digital regulation.

The post ICYMI: Ad Tech Edition | Week of March 18th, 2024 first appeared on Freestar.