Resources for better media.
Plain-language guides for media buyers and planners in the United States and Canada: contextual targeting, brand suitability, made-for-advertising sites, supply paths and curated deals. Every page cites its sources.
Contextual targeting
Contextual targeting
Contextual targeting places an ad according to the content of the page, app or video where it appears, not the personal history of the person viewing it. A buyer describes the subjects that suit the message, and the buying system or planner matches inventory whose content fits, using keywords, standard categories or the meaning of the text.
Open the hub- ExplainerAI contextual targeting: how language models classify a page, and where they misreadHow large language models classify web pages for contextual targeting, where they misread satire, quotes and mixed pages, and how to test and review them.
- GuideAutomotive contextual advertising: matching content to each buying stageMap the vehicle buying journey to editorial content, from first drives to ownership costs and EV charging, and handle recalls, crash news and dealer pages.
- ExplainerWhat was the Chrome Topics API, and what replaces it in a plan?The Chrome Topics API guessed interests from browsing history, not page content. See how it worked, what Google announced in October 2025 and how to replace it.
- ExplainerComputer vision advertising: what does reading the images add?What computer vision detects on pages and in video, why an image can change a page's meaning, where visual classifiers err, and when the text is enough.
- ExplainerHow is the language of a page detected?How a page's language is detected from its text, why it differs from a reader's browser setting, what makes detection fail, and how to label bilingual pages.
- GuideContextual advertising examples: what a good match looks likeTen fictional contextual advertising examples from Michigan briefs, each with a written match reason and a near miss that looks relevant but fails the brief.
- FrameworkHow to design a contextual advertising test that answers one questionHow to design a contextual advertising test that answers one planning question: holdouts, fixed variables, run length and what the result can honestly support.
- ChecklistContextual campaign checklist: what to confirm before launchA prelaunch contextual campaign checklist: topics, avoid topics, languages, list size, Google Ads settings that can undo context, reporting and final sign off.
- FrameworkHow to measure contextual classification accuracy with a labeled sampleA plain framework for judging any contextual classifier: precision, recall, a labeled audit sample, how many pages to label and when to check again.
- FrameworkContextual creative: how to match the ad to the content beside itA framework for matching contextual creative to the tone, topic and moment of a page, with a creative to context map, variant planning and a designer brief.
- How-toHow do buyers build contextual keyword lists that read pages correctly?How to build contextual keyword targeting lists: include themes, negative lists that spare good pages, words with two meanings, platform limits and list upkeep.
- FrameworkContextual purchase intent: how to read the content stageA framework for separating topical fit from purchase intent by content stage, learning, researching or deciding, without personal data or audience inferences.
- GlossaryContextual segments: what a buyer should know before using oneWhat prebuilt contextual segments in buying platforms are, what to ask about how one was built, how to test what it reaches, and when a site list is better.
- GlossaryContextual signals: which parts of a page carry meaningA glossary of contextual signals: title, headings, body, URL, metadata, structured data and images, plus the menus, sidebars and comments that mislead a page.
- ExplainerContextual targeting on YouTube: how a video's context is readHow YouTube context is inferred from titles, categories, topics and channels, why topics are only hints, the made for kids rule and how to check what served.
- How-toHow to build a contextual topic list a reviewer can testHow to turn a client's product into a contextual topic list: lenses for finding topics, testable descriptions, how many to carry, splitting and a pilot check.
- ExplainerCookieless advertising in 2026: what still works without third-party cookies?Chrome kept third-party cookies, but Safari, Firefox and Incognito block them. See what still works, what Google retired and the privacy rules to note.
- GuideHow do packaged goods brands plan CPG contextual advertising by moment?Plan CPG contextual advertising by household moment: map product use to article types, apply food rules near kids content and split topics by product line.
- How-toHow do you build a custom content taxonomy and map it to IAB IDs?How to build a client's own content taxonomy, map each topic to IAB Content Taxonomy IDs with a stated match type, and keep it consistent across agencies.
- GlossaryEntity targeting: placing ads by the things a page namesWhat entity targeting is in contextual advertising, how an entity differs from a keyword, the brand risks of entity matches, shared names and launch use.
- GuideEvergreen content advertising: when does an article's age matter?How article age and update dates change a page's contextual value, how to tell evergreen guides from stale pages, and how to balance them with news in a plan.
- GuideFinancial services contextual advertising: what fits a bank or lender?How banks and lenders use personal finance content as context, what Google's consumer finance targeting limits say, and how to handle crash news and scam pages.
- GuideHow do colleges plan higher education contextual advertising for enrollment?Plan higher education contextual advertising: content that fits enrollment, why school sites are not inventory, teen readers, and US and Canadian calendars.
- GlossaryWhat does the IAB Audience Taxonomy actually classify?What the IAB Tech Lab Audience Taxonomy classifies, how demographic, interest and purchase intent segments differ, and why a content label is no audience claim.
- GlossaryHow does the IAB Content Taxonomy work, and how do planners map a brief to its IDs?A field guide to IAB Content Taxonomy 3.1: how tiers, IDs, vectors and SCD flags work, how IDs travel in OpenRTB, and how planners map a brief to category IDs.
- GuideInsurance contextual advertising: which content fits an insurer?Which life event content suits home, auto, life and travel insurance ads, how to treat accident and disaster news, and state and provincial ad rules in outline.
- GuideHow does local contextual targeting reach a place without location data?How city guides, local events and community sections signal a place without location data, how to find them in English and French, and when geo settings apply.
- GuideHow do luxury brands choose contextual placements on premium editorial?Plan luxury brand contextual advertising: premium editorial settings, a stricter suitability line, ad clutter limits and prestige judged without traffic rank.
- GuideHow should buyers plan mixed topic websites, section by section?How to judge general interest and lifestyle sites that cover many topics: section level samples, a share of matching articles, and how to explain a partial fit.
- GlossaryMoment marketing: how buyers plan around live momentsHow moment marketing works in programmatic: site lists for live events, which moments carry suitability risk, how fast a plan reacts and when to sit out.
- GuideMultilingual contextual targeting: what the brief must specifyWhat a multilingual contextual brief must specify: languages per market, topics rewritten per language, native reader review, mixed pages and separate lists.
- GlossaryThe OpenRTB content object, field by field, for buyersThe OpenRTB content object tells a bidder what an ad sits beside. A field guide to title, keywords, cat, genres, language and ratings, and their gaps.
- GuideReal estate contextual advertising: what content fits housing ads?What Google restricts for housing ads in the US and Canada, which content suits real estate advertisers, and the fair housing rules that reach ad placement.
- GuideHow do restaurants and quick service chains plan contextual ads?How restaurants and quick service chains plan contextual ads on food news, local guides and sports, time them to meals, and follow food rules near kids content.
- GuideHow should seasonal contextual advertising follow the calendar?How editorial content shifts with the seasons, why US and Canadian calendars differ, and when to refresh, check and retire seasonal contextual topic lists.
- ExplainerHow does semantic targeting match an ad to the meaning of a page?Semantic targeting matches ads to what a page means. See how text becomes vectors, how matches are scored, where it misreads and how to audit a semantic result.
- ExplainerSentiment analysis in advertising: what a tone score can tell a buyerSentiment analysis scores the tone of a page, not its subject or its suitability. See how scores work, where they misread, and when a plan should use them.
- GuideTravel contextual advertising: how do you match a trip to content?How to match destination, trip type and season to travel content, plan cross-border trips between Canada and the US, handle advisories and spot booking stores.
- GlossaryEmbeddings in advertising: how a page becomes a point in spaceWhat vector embeddings are, how similarity between two articles is measured, what multilingual models change for Canadian plans and what embeddings get wrong.
- How-toHow to verify contextual relevance, one article at a timeA manual protocol to verify contextual relevance before launch: articles per site, a 0 to 3 scoring sheet, tie breaks, saved evidence and keyword-led matches.
- GuideHow do brands plan video game advertising on game coverage?Plan video game advertising on game news, review, guide and esports sites: read ESRB ratings and keep gambling and loot box pages on their own line.
Media planning
Programmatic media planning
Programmatic media planning is the work of turning a client brief into the websites, channels and deals a campaign will buy through automated platforms. A sound plan records the brief as structured fields, checks every candidate site for context, quality, suitability, selling path and real audience, then approves, versions and exports the list with a reason for each site.
Open the hub- GlossaryWhat is an ad impression, and when does it count?What counts as an ad impression under the MRC and IAB guidelines, how a request, a won bid and a rendered ad differ, and which count a plan reports.
- ExplainerWhat is ad inventory availability, and how do buyers confirm it?What avails are, how buyers confirm a site has buyable inventory in the right formats and markets, which assumptions go in the plan, and why sites go dark.
- FrameworkAgency programmatic governance: who decides, who checks and what gets reportedA programmatic governance framework for agency leads: the agency standard, client rules, approval rights, audit cadence, escalation and client reporting.
- ExplainerWhere does AI fit in programmatic media planning, and where does a planner stay in charge?Where AI helps programmatic planners today, what IAB and PwC say, which steps keep a person in charge, and how to brief an AI assisted planning workflow.
- ExplainerWhat do attention metrics measure, and how far should a planner trust them?What attention metrics measure, what the IAB and MRC guidelines of November 2025 require, how attention differs from viewability, and what to ask a provider.
- How-toHow do you write avoid topics in a media brief so a planner can apply them?How to write avoid topics in a media brief a planner can apply: scope words, in and out examples, what stays allowed, section level limits and who signs off.
- GlossaryWhat is budget pacing in programmatic, and how do buyers keep it on track?How budget pacing works in programmatic buying, how even and ASAP pacing differ, why spend can pile onto a few sites in a list, and how to fix underpacing.
- GlossaryWhat is cost per completed view, and how should buyers read it?What cost per completed view means for open web video, how a complete is counted, how completion rate sets CPCV, and why instream and outstream differ.
- GlossaryWhat is dayparting in advertising, and when does it help a plan?What dayparting is, how time zones across the US and Canada change a schedule, when day and hour rules help a small site list, and how to test one fairly.
- GuideHow do you explain site selection to a client, one site at a time?How to write a reason for each shortlisted website that a client can check: evidence to cite, the weakest point to name, length, and how to explain cuts.
- GlossaryWhat is frequency capping, and how should a plan set it?How frequency caps work in Google Ads and Display & Video 360, how they count without third-party cookies, why they leak and how to set a starting cap.
- GlossaryWhat are the standard IAB ad sizes, and which ones does a plan need?The standard IAB display ad sizes, what the IAB New Ad Portfolio changed, which sizes fit phones, and how a size list decides which websites can serve a plan.
- GuideWhat changes when a brand takes programmatic in house?What changes when a brand takes programmatic in house: which planning tasks move, which approvals stay, the skills to hire, and what to keep from the agency.
- How-toHow do you build, size and maintain an advertising inclusion list?How to build a website inclusion list, size it against the budget, load it so platforms respect it, and keep it current with triggers and served domain checks.
- How-toHow do you write a programmatic media brief that picks the sites?A programmatic media brief template where every field drives a site selection decision: what to write, what a reviewer checks and what breaks when it is blank.
- GlossaryWhat is media flighting, and how do planners schedule flights?What media flighting means, how continuous, flighted and pulsed schedules differ, how flights change frequency and delivery, and how to plan them by market.
- FrameworkMedia plan forecast ranges: low, expected and high cases with stated assumptionsA framework for media plan forecasts as low, expected and high cases: the assumptions to state, how to compare forecast with delivery, and when to reforecast.
- ChecklistMedia plan handoff: what the planner gives the buyer, and what comes backA media plan handoff checklist: what the planner gives the buyer, how to separate approved sites from buyable inventory, and what the buyer confirms back.
- ChecklistMedia plan QA checklist: what to verify before a programmatic campaign goes liveA prelaunch media plan QA checklist for programmatic campaigns: list attachment, exclusions, deals, frequency, tracking, naming and who should run each check.
- ExplainerWhat does open exchange programmatic mean for site quality?What buying on the open exchange means for site quality, the controls buyers use to govern it, their strengths and limits, and when a deal is the better route.
- GlossaryWhat are outstream video ads, and how do buyers verify them?Outstream video ads play outside a stream of video content. Learn the OpenRTB 2.6 plcmt values, why they replaced placement, and what to check before buying.
- GuideWhich programmatic advertising KPIs fit each campaign objective?How to choose programmatic advertising KPIs for awareness, consideration and action goals, why cost metrics alone mislead, and how to pair quality with cost.
- ChecklistProgrammatic campaign audit: what to check after the flight endsA post campaign audit checklist for programmatic buys: partner data to request, how to test fees against invoices, and which findings change the next plan.
- GuideProgrammatic client report: where ads ran, what changed and what is not knownWhat a programmatic client report should show: where ads ran, exclusions and why, evidence, changes and open risks, with metrics defined and unknowns stated.
- How-toWhat goes in a programmatic media plan, section by section?A media planning template for programmatic, section by section: objective, sites with reasons, exclusions, flights and budget, reporting and approvals.
- GuideWhat does a programmatic media planner do, from brief to approved list?What a programmatic media planner does: the decisions they own from brief to approved list, the evidence to keep for each site, a weekly routine and key skills.
- ExplainerHow does programmatic native advertising work, and what makes it trustworthy?How native ads are bought programmatically: the OpenRTB Native request, where in-feed and in-content units appear, FTC disclosure guidance and a review list.
- ChecklistWhich programmatic planning mistakes repeat, and how do you fix them?A post mortem checklist of programmatic planning mistakes: unconfirmed briefs, padded lists, stale versions, geo and language gaps and unchecked sellers.
- GlossaryWhich roles run a programmatic campaign, and who decides what?Programmatic team roles defined: planner, buyer, trader, ad operations, analyst and client lead, who decides what, and a RACI table for site list decisions.
- ExplainerHow does programmatic video advertising work?How programmatic video is bought across instream, outstream and CTV, the OpenRTB fields that tell them apart, and how planners pick and verify video placements.
- GlossaryWhat do reach and frequency mean, and how are they calculated?Reach, average frequency, effective frequency and GRPs defined with the MRC formulas, worked fictional arithmetic, and how a site list's size shapes reach.
- ExplainerHow does real time bidding work, one auction at a time?One real time bidding auction in order: ad request, bid request, bid response, win, markup and billing notices, with timings and where a site list acts.
- GuideHow should retailers plan programmatic advertising around peak season?A guide to planning programmatic for retailers: 2026 US and Canadian peak dates, publishers that fit retail briefs, and how to treat store and coupon sites.
- How-toServed domain reconciliation: matching the approved list to where ads ranHow to reconcile planned domains with the domains that served: which log fields to pull, how to normalize URL variants, and what to do about off list delivery.
- How-toHow do you keep version control on a site list?How to version a programmatic site list: a naming pattern, what a change log records, how to link each campaign to its list, and how to roll back safely.
- FrameworkWhat should a media plan do with sites that cannot be checked?What to do when a candidate website cannot be checked: keep missing data as missing, hold the site apart, retry on a rule, and review by hand before approval.
- How-toHow many pages should you read before judging a whole website for ads?How many pages to read before judging a whole website for ads, how to pick them by recency, section and popularity, when to read more, and how to record it.
- GlossaryWhat is a DSP, and what does it decide for a buyer?What a demand side platform does at each step: seats, line items, targeting, bids and reports, how it decides to bid, and which calls stay with the planner.
- GlossaryWhat is an ad server, and what do its reports tell a buyer?What publisher and advertiser ad servers do, how an ad server picks which ad runs, what an ad tag does, and why ad server and DSP counts can disagree.
- GlossaryWhat is CPM, and why is a lower one not always better?CPM, viewable CPM and effective CPM defined, with the arithmetic, how floors and deal prices are set in CPM, and why a lower CPM is not a better campaign.
- ExplainerWhat is programmatic advertising, and what does the planner decide?What programmatic advertising is, how one auction runs from page load to ad, what a bid request says about a site, and what the planner decides at each step.
- GlossaryWhat is viewability, and what does it not prove?The MRC viewable impression rules for display and video in the standard's own words, how viewability is measured, and the questions to ask before a deal.
MFA avoidance
MFA avoidance
MFA avoidance is a standing process that keeps made-for-advertising sites out of campaigns, not a one-time blocklist. It needs a written policy with the brand's tolerance, named owners, graded thresholds that decide when a site is excluded or reviewed, a fixed review cadence, and versioned site lists that record why each site is there.
Open the hub- GlossaryWhat is ad density, and how do you measure it?Ad density and ad to content ratio explained: how each is measured on phones and desktops, the thresholds the Coalition for Better Ads and the ANA published.
- ExplainerWhat is ad refresh, and how should buyers read it?What ad refresh is, how OpenRTB and Google Ad Manager declare it, what the MRC asks sellers to disclose, and how buyers read refresh as one MFA signal.
- ExplainerAI generated content sites: how do buyers tell a content farm from a real publisher?How AI generated content sites turn machine written articles into ad inventory, what the ANA said about AI slop, and the page checks that expose a content farm.
- ExplainerWhat does the ANA programmatic transparency study measure?What the ANA programmatic transparency study and quarterly benchmark measure, the latest public MFA figures, and how to cite them without overstating scope.
- ExplainerWhat should buyers check when a site runs autoplay video ads?How autoplay and sticky video players change what a video impression is worth, what the Better Ads Standards and browsers say about sound, and how to check.
- ExplainerWhat are the Better Ads Standards, and how can buyers use them?The Better Ads Standards explained: the desktop, mobile, video and app ad experiences they rule out, how Chrome enforces them, and how buyers can check a site.
- How-toWhat should happen to a site with borderline MFA evidence?How to run a review queue for borderline MFA sites: when to hold, test or exclude, which page clues need a person, how long a hold lasts and what to record.
- ExplainerWhat is cloaking in advertising, and how can buyers test for it?Cloaking shows reviewers and crawlers one page and visitors another. Learn how it fools classifiers, how to test on phone and desktop, and what to do next.
- ExplainerWhat do content recommendation widgets reveal about a site?What recommended for you ad boxes are, how they buy and sell traffic between sites, why reviewers treat widget load as an MFA signal, and how to check it.
- GlossaryWhat does domain age tell an advertiser, and how much should it count?What domain age tells a media buyer, how to look it up in RDAP and archives, why it must never decide alone, and how to weigh it so new publishers stay fair.
- ExplainerHow do expired domains end up on media plans, and how do buyers catch them?Expired news and nonprofit domains get bought and refilled with ad heavy pages. Learn how the lapse works, why they pass checks, and how to spot a new owner.
- ExplainerWhat are guest post sites, and should ads run on them?Guest post sites sell articles with links to anyone who pays. See how they look to an ad buyer, what search and FTC guidance say, and when to exclude them.
- ChecklistHow to identify MFA sites when no single signal is a verdictA reviewer's checklist for identifying MFA sites: the signals to observe in layout, traffic, content and ownership, what to save, and how to weigh each one.
- GlossaryWhat is incentivized traffic, and when is it a problem for advertisers?What incentivized and rewarded traffic is, when it is disclosed and allowed, how it differs from fraud, and how buyers find and judge it in MFA and IVT reviews.
- ExplainerWhen do infinite scroll ads become an MFA signal?How infinite scroll and auto loading next articles create many ad impressions per visit, when that is normal design, when it is an MFA signal, and how to test.
- GlossaryWhat is invalid traffic, and what does a low IVT rate really prove?Invalid traffic explained in the MRC's terms: general and sophisticated IVT, how filtering reaches billing, and why a low IVT rate says little about MFA risk.
- FrameworkHow do quality rules shrink scale, and how strict should a plan be?A framework for inventory quality and scale: how each quality rule shrinks reachable supply, how to pick a level of strictness and how to explain it to clients.
- How-toHow to build an MFA exclusion list that holds up to a disputeHow to build and maintain an MFA exclusion list: the record each entry needs, domain formatting for buying platforms, a dispute log and rules for reinstatement.
- How-toHow do you measure MFA exposure after a campaign?Run an MFA exposure analysis after a campaign: which delivery data to pull, how to work out MFA share of spend, and how to compare it with the prelaunch screen.
- ExplainerWhy do real publishers get flagged as MFA, and how do you catch the errors?How blunt MFA rules wrongly flag small and specialist publishers, which signals have innocent readings, how to check a flag and what to fix after a reversal.
- FrameworkMFA risk score: how should a calibrated score work?How a calibrated MFA risk score works: a probability per signal area, how to pick review and exclusion thresholds from error costs, and how to test calibration.
- GuideMFA site examples: what do made-for-advertising sites look like?Fictional MFA site examples: slideshow arbitrage, AI listicle farms, recipe ad stacks and news rewrites, with what a reviewer sees and the evidence to save.
- ExplainerWhat is an MFA site network, and how do shared IDs reveal it?How groups of sites sharing owners, templates and ad codes spread MFA risk, which public IDs link them, and how to judge and record a network finding.
- ExplainerAre news aggregator sites good placements for advertisers?How news aggregators and rewrite sites differ from original publishers, what licensed and curated aggregation looks like, and a scoring method for ad buyers.
- ChecklistWhich news credibility signals can a buyer check on the site?A checklist of news credibility signals buyers can see on a site: corrections, ownership and funding pages, bylines, contacts, standards and JTI reports.
- ExplainerHow do ad stacks shape page experience, and what can a buyer read from it?How heavy ad stacks move Core Web Vitals, what Chrome's public field data and new ad metrics show, and how buyers can weigh page experience in a site review.
- ExplainerWhat does a site's publishing pace tell a media buyer?How sitemaps, news sitemaps and RSS feeds show a site's publishing pace, which bursts point to content farms, how newsrooms differ, and how to weigh the signal.
- ExplainerHow can buyers detect scraped content sites before they buy?How to detect sites that copy or lightly rewrite other publishers' work, why they earn ad revenue, how they differ from syndication, and what a plan should do.
- ExplainerWhat is search arbitrage, and why should display buyers care?Search arbitrage turns bought visits into search ad clicks through related search units. Learn how the funnel works, Google's rules, and the signs buyers check.
- ExplainerWhat is site reputation abuse, and how should buyers review hosted sections?Site reputation abuse puts third party pages on trusted domains. Learn Google's policy and its four review factors, and how buyers review hosted sections.
- ExplainerHow do slideshow pages turn one visit into many ad auctions?How slideshow and paginated gallery pages turn one visit into dozens of ad auctions, the signs a reviewer can record, and where the pattern shows in reports.
- ExplainerWhat does TAG Certified Against Fraud require, and what does it leave out?What TAG Certified Against Fraud requires of buyers, sellers and intermediaries, how the seal is earned and renewed, its limits and how to confirm a partner.
- ExplainerHow can buyers tell templated content from specialist content?How to tell templated, fill in the blank articles from useful specialist content, why template sites attract ad spend, and how to score them on a site list.
- ExplainerWhat makes a site's content thin, and why is thin not short?What thin content means in Google guidance and for media buyers, why thin is not short, the signs to check on a page, and when to exclude or review a site.
- ExplainerHow does traffic arbitrage work, and how do buyers spot it?How paid traffic arbitrage works, why it pushes sites toward heavy ad loads, and the public evidence buyers can collect to spot it before a site reaches a plan.
- GlossaryWhat is trust.txt, and what can a buyer learn from it?What trust.txt declares about a publisher's associations, owners and social accounts, how buyers confirm each claim both ways, and what the file cannot prove.
- GlossaryWhat are the main types of ad fraud, and how is each one caught?A field guide to the main types of ad fraud, from bots and ad stacking to pixel stuffing, domain spoofing and click injection, with how each one is detected.
- ExplainerWhy is viewability a poor guide to site quality?Why MFA sites post strong viewability and low invalid traffic, why a quality site can score low, and how to set viewability goals that do not reward MFA.
- How-toHow do you run a website ad layout audit on phone and desktop?A manual method to audit a site's ad layout on phone and desktop: what to count, how to catch refresh and interstitials, how many pages, and a recording sheet.
- ExplainerWhat are made-for-advertising (MFA) sites, and how do buyers keep them off a plan?Made-for-advertising (MFA) sites resell ad impressions at a margin. Learn the five signs, what the ANA found, and a step by step review to keep them off a plan.
- FrameworkWhat makes a quality publisher, and how can a buyer score it?A five part framework for judging a quality publisher: original work, accountability, transparency, reader relationship and a usable ad load, with evidence.
Supply path
Supply path transparency
Supply path optimization (SPO) is how a buyer chooses which routes to buy the same publisher's inventory through. It starts with public files: ads.txt and app-ads.txt list who may sell a site or app, sellers.json names each seller account, and the SupplyChain object in each bid request shows every party that handled it.
Open the hub- ExplainerWhat is the ad tech tax, and where does the money actually go?The ad tech tax is the share of a programmatic budget kept by intermediaries. See where each fee enters, what studies found, and why seller files can't show it.
- GlossaryWhat is an ad waterfall, and what does it mean for buyers?How the ad waterfall offered each impression to one network at a time, why publishers moved to header bidding, and where buyers still meet it today.
- GlossaryWhat is ads.cert, and what does a signed request prove?What IAB Tech Lab's ads.cert does: Call Signs, signed server requests, what a signature can and cannot prove, adoption status and questions for partners.
- ExplainerWhat do DIRECT and RESELLER mean in ads.txt, and what do they not mean?What DIRECT and RESELLER mean in ads.txt, what they do not mean, how they should agree with sellers.json, and when a reseller is a site's most direct path.
- ChecklistWhich ads.txt errors matter to a buyer, and which should stop a deal?A catalog of ads.txt errors, from bad field counts to redirect chains and stale lines, with what each means for a buyer and which should stop a deal.
- GlossaryWhat do OWNERDOMAIN and MANAGERDOMAIN declare in ads.txt, and how do buyers use them?What the OWNERDOMAIN and MANAGERDOMAIN variables in ads.txt 1.1 declare, how buyers match them to sellers.json, and what to do when the domains do not match.
- ExplainerHow do subdomains and inventory partners change ads.txt?How ads.txt treats subdomains, what the subdomain= line and INVENTORYPARTNERDOMAIN do on websites, how buyers check them, and the setup errors that break both.
- ExplainerWhere do advertising carbon emissions come from in a programmatic buy?How programmatic ads produce carbon emissions, how Ad Net Zero's framework estimates them, why supply path length matters and what buyers can ask partners.
- ExplainerWhat is app-ads.txt, and how do buyers verify app sellers?How app-ads.txt works for mobile and CTV apps: where the file lives, how buyers trace it from the store listing, inventory partners, and what it cannot verify.
- ExplainerWhat do auction transparency standards require, and what can buyers ask?The MRC's January 2026 auction transparency standards set disclosure and reporting rules for ad auctions. See what they cover and what buyers can ask partners.
- ExplainerWhat is bid duplication, and how do buyers handle it?Bid duplication sends one ad opportunity to a buyer through several paths. Learn why it happens, how it affects bids and prices, and how buyers deduplicate.
- GlossaryWhat is a bid request, and which fields should a buyer check?A bid request describes one ad opportunity to bidders. Read a sample OpenRTB request object by object and learn which site, seller and deal fields to check.
- GlossaryWhat is bid shading, and what should buyers ask about it?Bid shading lowers a bid toward the predicted price needed to win a first price auction. Learn how it estimates that price and what buyers should ask about it.
- GlossaryWhat is buyers.json, and what does the DemandChain object add?What buyers.json and the DemandChain object declare about who pays for an ad, who should publish them, how they mirror sellers.json, and adoption so far.
- GlossaryWhat is cookie syncing, and why does it matter to a media buyer?Cookie syncing lets an exchange and a DSP learn each other's user ID for one browser. See how the redirect works, what it costs a page, and what fades.
- GlossaryWhat is domain spoofing, and how do buyers catch it?What domain spoofing is, how ads.txt, sellers.json, schain and ads.cert each counter it, and the log checks that expose a seller who does not match the request.
- GlossaryWhat is a first price auction, and how does it change bidding?In a first price auction the winner pays its own bid. Learn how second price worked, why exchanges switched in 2019, and how floors and bids change for buyers.
- GlossaryWhat is the Global Placement ID, and how do buyers report on it?What the Global Placement ID (imp.ext.gpid) is, who assigns it, how it differs from tagid and the transaction ID, and how buyers use it in slot reporting.
- GlossaryWhat is header bidding, and what does it change for buyers?How header bidding lets many SSPs bid before the ad server decides, what a wrapper does, why it multiplies bid requests, and what that means for buyers.
- How-toHow to check a site's ads.txt and confirm each seller by handA manual walkthrough: open a site's ads.txt, look up each seller ID in the exchange's sellers.json, read mismatches, check freshness and log the result.
- GlossaryWhat is log level data, and how do buyers get and use it?Log level data records each bid, win and impression. Learn what it contains, which fields join buyer and seller logs, how to request it and its privacy limits.
- ExplainerWhat does a missing ads.txt file tell a buyer, and how should a plan handle it?A site with no ads.txt file is not proven bad. Learn what absence means, how buying platforms treat it, how to record it in a plan and how publishers fix it.
- ExplainerWhat changed in OpenRTB 2.6, and which release does a partner run?What OpenRTB 2.6 and its dated releases added, from plcmt and ad pods to schain and deal floors, and how buyers confirm which release a partner supports.
- GlossaryWhat does the OpenRTB site object tell a buyer about where an ad runs?The OpenRTB site and publisher objects field by field: domain, page, publisher id and cat, how they map to ads.txt and sellers.json, and what buyers should log.
- GlossaryWhat is the OpenRTB transaction ID, and how do buyers use it?What the OpenRTB transaction ID in source.tid is, who sets it, how buyers group bid requests by it to find several paths to one impression, and what changed.
- ExplainerThe programmatic supply chain: who sits between the advertiser and the publisher?A map of the programmatic supply chain: agency, DSP, curator, SSP, wrapper and ad server, what each adds, where fees enter and which parties schain shows.
- GlossaryWhat is a seller ID in programmatic advertising, and how do buyers trace it?What a seller ID is in programmatic advertising, where it appears, how to trace one ID through ads.txt, sellers.json and schain, and what a missing ID means.
- GlossaryWhat does is_passthrough mean in a sellers.json entry?What is_passthrough means in sellers.json, in the spec's words, how a passthrough seller changes the supply path, and the questions buyers should ask about it.
- GlossaryWhat is server side header bidding, and what should buyers ask?How server side header bidding moves the auction off the page, what it changes for speed, user IDs and the supply chain object, and what buyers should ask.
- GuideWhat is SSP consolidation, and how do buyers do it safely?SSP consolidation means buying through fewer supply partners. See what the ANA found, how to pick paths to keep, and how to protect independent publishers.
- ExplainerWhat does the supply chain object (schain) show about each bid?The supply chain object (schain) lists every paid party on one bid request. Learn its fields, how chains are built, the complete flag and how to read a path.
- GlossaryWhat is the TAG ID at the end of an ads.txt line?What the fourth field of an ads.txt line holds, why the TAG ID is optional, what a missing one means, and where buyers look it up and check it in sellers.json.
- GlossaryWhat is a trading desk, and what does it check during a campaign?A trading desk is the team that runs programmatic buying for an agency or brand. Learn its daily checks, how it reviews supply paths and the evidence to keep.
- ExplainerWhat is ads.txt, and how does a buyer read one line?ads.txt is the public file where a website lists who may sell its ad space. Learn how buyers read one line, what server responses mean, and what to flag first.
- GlossaryWhat is an ad exchange, and why do the terms blur?What an ad exchange is, how it differs from an SSP and a DSP today, how exchanges run auctions, and why buyers see exchange domains in ads.txt and sellers.json.
- GlossaryWhat is an ad network, and how does it show up in seller files?An ad network packages ad space from many publishers and resells it. Learn how networks differ from exchanges and SSPs and how they show up in seller files.
- GlossaryWhat is an SSP, and what does a buyer see of it?What a supply side platform does for a publisher, how it picks a winning bid, and where a buyer sees it in ads.txt, sellers.json and the bid request itself.
- GlossaryWhat is malvertising, and how is it stopped?Malvertising uses ads to spread malware and scams. Learn how malicious ads enter the supply chain, the harm to readers, and what to do if your ads are hijacked.
- GlossaryWhat is OpenRTB, and which parts should buyers know?What IAB Tech Lab's OpenRTB protocol is, its main bid request objects, what changed from 2.5 to 2.6, which fields buyers read, and where the spec lives.
- ExplainerWhat is sellers.json, and what does it tell a buyer?sellers.json is the exchange's public list of the seller accounts it pays. Learn each field in the IAB Tech Lab spec and how to cross check it against ads.txt.
- GlossaryWhat is working media, and how should a ratio be reported?Working media is the part of a budget that buys real, qualified ad exposure. Learn the competing definitions, which costs are non working and how to report it.
Curated deals
Curated deals and PMPs
A private marketplace (PMP) deal is an invitation-only arrangement between a seller and chosen buyers, set up on an exchange and identified by a deal ID. Its terms include floor price, currency and allowed buyer seats. A curated deal applies the same mechanics to a package of inventory, which can come from many publishers, assembled to a buyer's criteria.
Open the hub- How-toHow do you add a deal ID to a buying platform and confirm it bids?Steps to add a deal ID to a buying platform: what the hand-off must include, how to target it in a line item, how to confirm bid requests and how to store it.
- GuideAge restricted ad inventory: using private deals to keep ads in front of adultsHow alcohol, cannabis and gambling advertisers use private deals to limit inventory to adults, why no deal guarantees age, and what evidence to request.
- GlossaryAgency private marketplaces: how agency deals reach client campaignsWhat an agency private marketplace is, how agency deals reach client campaigns, who owns the terms, and what clients should ask about reporting and fees.
- GuideBrand suitable deals: what deal composition can enforce, and what still needs checkingHow deal composition enforces brand suitability with vetted sites, section scope and publisher exclusions, and which checks still need verifying after launch.
- GlossaryWhat is a buyer seat ID, and why does each deal need the right one?A buyer seat ID names the buying account an exchange lets bid on a deal. See how publishers use it, how to find yours and what breaks with the wrong seat.
- GuideCanadian PMP: running private deals in Canadian dollars and in FrenchHow private deals work for Canadian campaigns: CAD floors in the bid request, packaging French inventory, IAB Canada's 2025 buying data and publishers to ask.
- GuideContextual PMP: keeping a site list's context intact inside a private dealHow to turn a contextual site list into a private marketplace deal, keep the topic intact through setup, and check the deal ran on pages that match the brief.
- ExplainerCreative approval in PMP deals: who reviews the ad, and how rejections stall deliveryHow creative approval works in PMP deals: who reviews, how publisher blocks apply to private auctions, why creatives get rejected and how to plan review time.
- GuideCross exchange deals: running one site list on several exchangesRun one approved site list as deals on several exchanges: avoid bidding twice on one impression, keep the lists in sync, explain uneven delivery and report it.
- GlossaryWhat are curated audiences, and how do they reach a bid request?What IAB Tech Lab's Curated Audiences specification is, why Seller Defined Audiences was renamed, how its signals travel in OpenRTB, and what buyers should ask.
- GuideA curated deal example, from the brief to the first weekA fictional curated deal followed from brief to site list, deal sheet, seller setup, desk activation and first week checks, with who does each step and why.
- How-toCurated deal maintenance: keeping an approved site list currentHow to keep a curated deal's site list current after approval: removals, sellers that stop selling, approving additions, review dates and change notices.
- ChecklistWhat belongs on a curated deal sheet, and who fills it in?What a curated deal sheet should hold, who fills each part, how to show sellers per site and per exchange, how to flag unverified sellers and how to version it.
- ExplainerHow curation changes a deal's supply path, and how buyers trace itHow a curated deal changes the supply path, when a curator shows up in schain and sellers.json, whether curation shortens paths, and the logs that trace it.
- ChecklistCurator transparency questions to settle before a curated buyCurator transparency questions for curated deals: fields naming seller and curator, how to see the sites, what fees to disclose and where schain shows it.
- GuideDeal ad formats: how to write them so the deal can deliverHow to specify ad formats in a private marketplace deal: display sizes, native assets, rich media limits, and why a format mismatch quietly stops delivery.
- How-toDeal delivery reconciliation: proving a deal ran on its intended sitesHow to prove a curated or private deal delivered on its approved sites: which logs show domains, off list delivery, matching seller counts and the report.
- How-toHow to confirm each site in a deal can actually sellHow to confirm each site is sellable on the intended SSP, in the formats a deal needs, before it goes into a deal, and what to remove when inventory is missing.
- How-toDeal naming conventions: how to name deals so each ID stays traceableA deal naming convention that keeps PMP deal IDs traceable: which tokens to use, how to tie a name to a list version, safe renames and who owns the rules.
- GlossaryDeal priority in programmatic: why the ad server's order decides deliveryHow publisher ad servers rank guaranteed, preferred, private auction and open auction demand, what first look means and how to ask about a deal's priority.
- GuideDeal targeting settings: who sets each layer, and whereHow a deal's geography, devices and other targeting are set on the seller and buyer sides, how double targeting starves a deal, and how to record each layer.
- ChecklistDeal terms checklist: does the live deal match the agreement?A checklist for comparing agreed deal terms with the live setup before spend: deal ID, seat, price, auction type, formats, geography and dates, field by field.
- GlossaryDirect sold advertising: what it means for a buyerWhat direct sold advertising is, how direct buys work with a publisher, why premium space is sold direct, when buyers go direct and how it limits programmatic.
- GlossaryWhat is a floor price in programmatic, and how do deal floors work?What a floor price is in programmatic buying, how hard and soft floors work, how deal floors travel in OpenRTB and why a high floor can stop a deal spending.
- ExplainerWhat is the IAB Tech Lab Deals API, and what does it change for deal setup?What the IAB Tech Lab Deals API 1.0 standardizes, when it was finalized, which deal terms it moves from SSP to DSP, and the questions to ask partners about it.
- ExplainerWhy do impression counts differ between platforms, and how big is too big?Why publisher, SSP, DSP and ad server impression counts differ, what the standard terms say about a 10 percent gap, which count bills, and how to trace a gap.
- GlossaryWhat is an insertion order in advertising, and how does it relate to a deal?What an insertion order is in advertising, the fields it holds, who signs it, how it relates to programmatic deals and what standard terms say on underdelivery.
- GlossaryInventory packages in programmatic: what is inside the boxWhat publisher and exchange inventory packages are, who builds them, how to see the sites inside one, and what to ask before buying a package as a deal.
- GlossaryWhat is a makegood in advertising, and when does a publisher owe one?What a makegood is, the situations that trigger one under the standard terms, how makegoods work in programmatic guaranteed deals and how to record them.
- GlossaryWhat is the OpenRTB deal object, and how do buyers read it?A field by field guide to the OpenRTB 2.6 Pmp and Deal objects: private_auction, id, bidfloor, at, guar, wseat and wadomain, and what to check in deal logs.
- GuidePMP negotiation: which deal terms can a buyer shape before launch?A guide to PMP negotiation: which deal terms are open, what to ask the publisher, how reporting terms protect buyers, what to record and when to walk away.
- FrameworkPMP scale: how big does a deal need to be to spend its budget?A framework for PMP scale: why site count is a poor guide, how to estimate eligible impressions, when a deal is too small, combining deals and telling clients.
- ExplainerPreferred deals: how a fixed price and a first look work in programmaticA preferred deal gives one buyer a first look at a publisher's inventory at a fixed price, with no duty to buy. See how it runs, how to bid and when to use it.
- ExplainerProgrammatic curation: who packages the inventory, and what buyers should askWhat programmatic curation means in 2026, who curates a deal, how curators disclose data, fees and changing sites, and the questions a buyer should ask first.
- GlossaryWhat is programmatic direct, and which deals does it cover?Programmatic direct for buyers: which deal types it covers, how it differs from a direct insertion order and the open auction, and what both sides agree.
- ExplainerProgrammatic guaranteed: how reserved deals work and when planners use themProgrammatic guaranteed reserves inventory at a fixed price. Learn how deals are negotiated, what each side commits to, how billing works and when to use one.
- How-toHow to write a publisher proposal request that gets comparable answersHow to write a publisher proposal request for a programmatic deal: what to include, a reply window, scoring answers against the brief and the handoff after yes.
- GuideVideo PMP deals: what to specify before the first ad playsWhat changes in a video private marketplace deal: plcmt types, player size, sound, skip and length terms, completion tracking and checks before launch.
- ExplainerWhat is a deal ID, and how does it travel through a bid request?A deal ID labels one programmatic deal. See who creates it, where it sits in the bid request and response, how buyers traffic it and why a valid ID still fails.
- ExplainerWhy publishers use PMPs, and what they want from buyersThe publisher side of private marketplaces: price control, buyer choice, data, ad quality, priority, why deal requests get declined and how to ask better.
Brand suitability
Brand suitability
Brand suitability is the practice of matching ad placements to one brand's own tolerance for sensitive content. Brand safety sets a floor of content no advertiser should fund; suitability works above that floor, category by category, so a brand avoids what is wrong for its message without blocking news and other responsible content it could reach.
Open the hub- GlossaryWhat does ad verification measure, and what can it not prove?What ad verification measures, from viewability and fraud to context and geography, how pre bid and post bid checks differ, and how to reconcile reports.
- GuideAdult content brand safety: where does suggestive end and explicit begin?How brand safety frameworks grade sexual content, what separates suggestive from explicit pages, how Google and YouTube label them, and which brands fit where.
- GuideHow do you plan advertising on news sites without overblocking?Plan advertising on news sites with a tolerance per news topic, the Google settings that touch news, and an approval workflow that survives breaking stories.
- GuideAlcohol content adjacency: how much drinking content can a brand sit beside?How alcohol and non alcohol brands set tolerance for drinking, tobacco and vaping content, what frameworks grade at the floor, and why audience age matters.
- GlossaryBrand safety categories: what each one covers and where they overlapPlain definitions of the brand safety categories used by industry frameworks and Google Ads, where they overlap, which get confused and which need human review.
- ExplainerWhat is the brand safety floor, and who defines it now?The brand safety floor is content no ad should fund. See what it covers, who defines it now that GARM has ended, and how to document a floor for a client.
- GuideBrand safety for brand managers: which calls are yours to make?The brand safety decisions only a brand manager can make, a sign off worksheet for the agency, how to read suitability reports and what to ask every quarter.
- FrameworkWhat should a team do when an ad appears beside harmful content?A five phase plan for when an ad appears beside harmful content: capture evidence, contain the placement, trace the root cause, tell the client, fix and close.
- How-toHow do you run brand safety monitoring on a live campaign?How to monitor a live campaign for suitability drift: edited articles, new site sections, settings changes, a sampling method, pause triggers and clear owners.
- How-toWhat goes into a brand safety policy that agencies can follow?What a written brand safety policy contains: scope, floor, tolerances, owners, exceptions, escalation and review cycle, with a section by section outline.
- GuideWhat should a brand safety report show, and how does it test the policy?What a brand safety report should show: incidents, blocks, unknowns and coverage gaps, how it tests the suitability policy, and which metrics mislead readers.
- ChecklistWhat should a brand suitability audit trail record for each borderline call?What to record for each borderline suitability call: page, category, tier, reviewer, reason and date, plus client approval, retention and policy review.
- How-toHow do you write a brand suitability profile that teams can apply?How to write a one page brand suitability profile: a tolerance per content category, allowed and excluded examples, sign off roles and when to revise it.
- FrameworkCampaign level brand suitability: how far can one campaign move from the profile?A framework for campaign level brand suitability: when a campaign runs stricter or looser than the brand profile, who approves it and how to keep it traceable.
- GuideCelebrity news advertising: when does pop culture coverage become a risk?How to set tolerance for celebrity news, treat scandal and celebrity death coverage, and tell entertainment reporting from tabloid gossip by its signals.
- GlossaryWhat does content adjacency mean on a page, in a video and in a feed?Content adjacency means how close an ad sits to specific content. See how it is measured on pages, in video and in feeds, and how to report it to a brand.
- GuideCrime news advertising: how do you tell reporting from content that harms?How to tell crime reporting from content that promotes harm, which crime topics sit at the floor, and how to set a tolerance and review local crime sections.
- GuideDebated social issues: how should brands treat climate, immigration and abortion coverage?How frameworks and Google define debated social issues, how to set tolerance for climate, immigration and reproductive rights coverage, with a decision table.
- GuideDisaster news advertising: when should a brand pause?How to set a tolerance for natural disaster coverage, how long to hold ads after an event, which brands should pause, and how travel and insurance brands adapt.
- GuideDrug content brand safety: how do you tell coverage from promotion?How frameworks grade illegal drug content, how to tell recovery and policy coverage from promotion, and how to treat cannabis content where it is legal.
- GuideBrand safety for financial services: where should a bank or insurer draw the line?Brand safety for banks, insurers and investment brands: market crash coverage, scam adjacency, hardship news and who approves suitability at a regulated brand.
- GuideFirearms content advertising: how do you separate sport and news from weapon sales?How frameworks grade arms and ammunition content, how to separate sport and policy news from gun sales, what sits at the floor, and how US and Canada differ.
- GuideGambling content brand safety: where does gaming end and gambling begin?How to grade casino, betting, lottery and sweepstakes content, how to tell video game coverage from gambling, and how family brands set a gambling tolerance.
- ExplainerWhat was the GARM brand safety framework, and how do you cite it now?What GARM was, what its Brand Safety Floor and Suitability Framework held, why it ended in August 2024, and how to cite it as a legacy reference today.
- GuideHate speech brand safety: how do you tell reporting on hate from hateful content?How frameworks define hate speech, how to tell reporting on hate from hateful pages, why coded terms beat keyword lists, and how to review other languages.
- GlossaryWhat is the IAB Ad Product Taxonomy, and why do ads get blocked?What the IAB Ad Product Taxonomy classifies, how publishers block ad categories with bcat and badv, and how buyers trace why an ad was filtered out.
- GuideHow do keyword blocklists overblock news, and how do you scope one?Keyword blocklists overblock news and miss risky pages. See how they match, what the research shows, and how to scope and audit a list without losing reach.
- ExplainerMisinformation advertising: how does ad money reach false news?How ad revenue reaches misinformation sites, what a 2024 Nature study found, and how to define misinformation in a brand policy without blocking real debate.
- ExplainerWhat does MRC accreditation cover, and how do buyers check a claim?MRC accreditation means an audited measurement process, not a safe site. Learn what the audit checks, what it leaves out and how to verify a claim.
- GuideMultilingual brand safety: how does one policy hold up across languages?How to apply one brand safety policy across English, French and other languages: why translated keyword lists fail, native review and how to document it.
- GuidePharma brand safety: which suitability settings fit a drug brand?Suitability settings for pharma and health brands on the open web: grading disease news, keeping medical misinformation out and responsible health coverage in.
- ExplainerPiracy sites advertising: how do ads end up on pirated content?How ads end up on piracy websites and apps, the industry lists and certification rules against them, signs of a piracy site, and the steps after an incident.
- GuidePolitical content advertising: how much politics can a brand accept?How brands set a tolerance for political news and opinion, treat election periods, tell reporting from partisan commentary and stop keyword rules overblocking.
- GlossaryPre bid brand safety: what the filter sees before it bidsHow pre bid brand safety filters decide inside a buying platform, which bid request fields they rely on, why they miss unsafe pages and how they change reach.
- GuideProfanity brand suitability: how much strong language can a brand accept?How frameworks and Google platforms grade profanity from mild to strong, how music, comedy and comments change the call, and how to write a language tolerance.
- ExplainerWhat does TAG Brand Safety Certified require, and what does the seal prove?What the TAG Brand Safety Certified seal requires of buyers, sellers and verification services, what it leaves out, and how to confirm a partner holds it.
- GuideTerrorism content advertising: what sits at the floor, and what is reporting?Why terrorist propaganda sits at the brand safety floor, why reporting on terrorism does not, how platforms define extremism, and what a policy should say.
- GuideUnclassified inventory: what should a buyer do with unlabeled placements?What unclassified and unlabeled placements are, why unknown is not unsafe, and the hold, review or allow rules buyers use to handle and shrink that inventory.
- GuideUser generated content brand safety: when is a forum worth keeping?Why forums, comments and community pages carry more brand risk, which moderation signals a buyer can check, and when user generated content is worth keeping.
- GuideWar news advertising: where does reporting end and glorification begin?How frameworks grade war and conflict news, how to treat graphic imagery, where reporting ends and glorification starts, and why keyword lists overblock.
- ExplainerWhat is brand safety, and which rules still apply in 2026?Brand safety keeps ads away from content that can harm a brand. See how the MRC, TAG and IAB define it, and which frameworks still apply as of October 2026.
Lookalike sites
Lookalike websites
Lookalike websites are publishers whose content closely resembles a few seed sites a client already trusts. Buyers find them by comparing what the seed sites' articles mean, not just their category label, searching each theme separately when the seeds differ, and then checking every match for quality, suitability, selling path and audience before it joins a plan.
Open the hub- FrameworkAdjacent audiences advertising: a framework for testing topics next to the coreA framework for testing adjacent topics next to a core site list: how to pick them, size a small budget, keep them separate and decide when one joins the plan.
- GuideHow do B2B advertisers find and judge trade publications?How B2B tech advertisers find and judge trade publications without account data: which sites reach buyers, how to read gated sites, and how to size the list.
- GuideHow should advertisers judge beauty websites before buying ad space?How to judge beauty and fashion sites for ads: sponsored post disclosure, influencer led blogs, cosmetic and drug claims, and growing a list from trusted seeds.
- How-toHow do you audit a site list a client hands you?How to audit a list of favorite sites a client hands you: the checks every site must pass, what to do when one fails, and how to explain removals clearly.
- GuideHow should advertisers judge DIY and craft websites before buying?How to judge DIY and craft sites for ads: original tutorials against copies, image search and pin traffic, ad heavy layouts, craft seasons and lookalike search.
- GuideHow should advertisers vet entertainment websites before buying?How to vet film, TV, music and celebrity sites for ads: editorial signals, piracy and lyrics rights checks, gossip tolerance, family fit and lookalike search.
- How-toHow do you expand a programmatic site list that underdelivers?A site list that underdelivers can grow without diluting fit. Learn which criteria to widen, which checks never move, how to add a market and report the change.
- How-toHow do you find local websites for advertising in each city?A city by city method for finding local websites for advertising from one good local seed, in English and French, with checks that prove each is a publisher.
- How-toHow do you find publishers in your own referral traffic?Use your own analytics referral rows to find publishers your visitors already read, keep personal data out, filter the noise and turn the best sites into seeds.
- How-toHow do you find similar websites, starting from one seed site, and check them?A step by step method to find similar websites from one seed site: describe its articles, gather candidates, sample their pages and check each one.
- How-toHow to find similar YouTube channels from one the client already likesExpand from one YouTube channel a client likes to similar channels using topics, video meaning and audience signals, and screen out re-uploads before the plan.
- How-toHow do you find websites by topic when there is no seed site to start from?A topic first method for building a site list from scratch: map the topic, search for specialists, sample articles, set aside stores and log every find.
- GuideWhich food publishers are worth advertising on, and how do you tell them apart?How buyers judge food and recipe publishers: signs of original testing, why recipe pages run heavy ad loads, how to spot recipe farms and find trusted sites.
- GuideHealth websites for advertising: how to tell a trustworthy publisher from a content farmWhat makes a health website trustworthy for advertisers: medical review, sources, dates and corrections, plus how to spot content farms and find similar sites.
- GuideHome improvement websites advertising: telling publishers from stores and directoriesHow to judge home improvement websites for advertising: separate publishers from stores and contractor directories, test renovation advice, plan for seasons.
- GlossaryWhat are lookalike audiences, and how do site lookalikes differ?What lookalike audiences are, how a seed list becomes a modeled group of people, how site lookalikes differ, and the personal data each approach relies on.
- ExplainerWhat is lookalike drift, and when should expansion stop?What lookalike drift is, why repeated expansion rounds wander off theme, the signs a planner can measure, a stop rule and how to reset a drifting site search.
- How-toWhen should you rerun a lookalike search, and how do you show what changed?When to rerun a lookalike website search, which seed changes force an early refresh, and how to show added, kept and removed sites to the client.
- ChecklistWhat should a lookalike site list pass before approval?A final checklist for approving a lookalike site list: theme fit, seed tracing, quality, sellers, market audience, duplicates, review flags and who signs off.
- How-toHow do you find Canadian lookalikes of US seed sites?How to find Canadian lookalike websites from US seed sites, find French counterparts of English seeds, and confirm each match has a real Canadian audience.
- GuideHow should a buyer judge magazine websites for advertising?How buyers judge magazine websites for advertising: who runs each section, how web formats differ from print, which titles suit niche brands, how to find more.
- FrameworkHow do negative seed sites steer a lookalike search away?A framework for negative seed sites: when to give a lookalike search examples of what the client does not want, how many to use and how to record them.
- GuideHow should buyers judge new websites for advertising fairly?How buyers judge new websites for advertising when history is thin: the checks that work on day one, what to watch for, and how to run a small, fair test.
- GuideHow do you find the niche publishers that broad site lists leave out?How to find niche publishers that broad site lists miss: why they go unseen, the vertical signals of a specialist outlet, where to look and how to check them.
- GuideParenting websites advertising: how to judge a site written for parentsHow to judge parenting websites for advertising: who a site is written for, which topics need suitability review, and how to find more trusted parenting sites.
- FrameworkHow do you turn a customer persona into a site list?A framework for turning a customer persona into content topics, formats and publisher types, with the persona claims to drop and a test for each site.
- GuideHow should advertisers judge personal finance websites before buying ad space?How to judge personal finance sites for ads: affiliate card and loan offers, editorial independence statements, scam adjacency, and growing a trusted list.
- GuideHow should advertisers judge pet websites before buying ad space?How to judge pet sites for ads: checking veterinary reviewers, recall coverage, breed forums and pet topics to review, then growing a list from trusted seeds.
- GuideHow should advertisers judge product review sites before buying ad space?How to judge product review sites for ads: real testing, affiliate disclosure under the FTC Endorsement Guides, review farms and reviews of your own brand.
- GuidePublisher discovery: where buyers find publishers they have never usedPublisher discovery sources for media buyers: associations, award lists, citations, link graphs, newsletters and local directories, and how to log each one.
- GuideHow should advertisers judge science websites before buying?How to judge science news and explainer sites for ads: research sourcing checks, preprints and retractions, why university sites are not inventory, and fit.
- How-toHow do you find similar websites from one example article?Seed a lookalike website search with one to three example articles: when article seeds beat site seeds, how to pick them and how to check every result.
- GuideHow do you choose seed sites that lead a lookalike search to the right places?How to choose seed sites for a lookalike search: where seeds come from, the failure modes that mislead it, a scoring table and questions for the client.
- ExplainerGoogle's similar audiences ended in 2023. What replaced them?What changed when Google stopped generating similar audiences in 2023, what replaced them in Google Ads, and the site level options that use no data on people.
- GuideSports websites advertising: judging sports publishers and keeping betting apartHow to judge sports websites for advertising: team blogs, league news and fantasy sites, keeping sports coverage apart from betting, and finding similar sites.
- GuideHow should advertisers judge technology news sites before buying ad space?How to judge technology news sites for ads: spotting press release rewrites and AI written posts, consumer and enterprise tech, and topics that need review.
- GlossaryWebsite categorization: how sites get labels, and when a domain label misleadsHow websites get categories, why a domain label can mislead buyers on mixed sites, how many labels one site carries and how labels feed lookalike searches.
- GlossaryWhat does website similarity mean, and what does each measure prove?Two sites can be similar by topic, meaning, audience, links or ownership. Learn what each measure proves, what it misses and which one needs personal data.
- GuideHow should advertisers judge wedding websites before buying ad space?How to judge wedding sites for ads: planning guides and real wedding features against vendor directories, disclosure checks, seasonality and lookalike search.
- How-toWho owns a website, and how can an ad buyer find out?How ad buyers find who owns or runs a website: about pages, ads.txt OWNERDOMAIN, sellers.json, US and Canadian business registries, and what to do with gaps.
YouTube planning
YouTube channel planning
YouTube channel targeting means choosing the specific channels where a campaign's video ads may run. A sound channel plan starts from the brief, checks each channel's recent uploads, audience country, language and made for kids status, separates Shorts from long form, projects views as ranges and ends in a placement file a buyer can upload.
Open the hub- GuideHow do you plan ads on beauty YouTube channels?How to plan ads on beauty YouTube channels: which creators suit a cosmetics brand, paid promotion disclosure rules, product claim risk, tutorials and hauls.
- GuideHow do you plan ads on car YouTube channels?How to plan car YouTube channels: spotting compilations, grading crash and street racing videos, judging EV creators and loaned test cars, and finding creators.
- GuideHow do packaged goods brands plan food YouTube channels?How packaged goods brands plan food YouTube channels: recipe and food entertainment creators, food ad limits on made for kids content, and recency checks.
- GuideDemand Gen YouTube placements: how channel controls and placements work after Video actionHow YouTube placements work in Demand Gen after the Video action upgrade: channel controls per ad group, contextual targeting, exclusions and delivery checks.
- GuideHow do you plan ads on education YouTube channels?Plan ads on education YouTube channels: science, history and study creators, audience age checks, made for kids handling, brand fit and sponsorship disclosure.
- GuideHow should regulated brands plan finance YouTube channels?How banks, insurers and brokerages plan finance YouTube channels: finfluencer risks, scam signals, what regulators expect, and how to find creators by market.
- GuideHow do you plan ads on gaming YouTube channels?How to plan ads on gaming YouTube channels: which formats suit non gaming brands, how to check young audiences and made for kids status, and mature games.
- GlossaryGoogle video partners: where your video ads run beyond YouTubeWhat Google video partners are, where partner ads run, which suitability controls apply, how to opt in or out by campaign type, and how partner reports work.
- GuideHow do you plan ads on home and DIY YouTube channels?How to plan ads on home improvement and DIY YouTube channels: judging tutorials, handling unsafe how to videos, sponsored tool reviews and seasonal topics.
- GuideHow do you plan ads on music YouTube channels?How to plan music YouTube channels: official artist and Topic channels, lyric and re-upload channels, explicit lyrics, and picking channels by genre and market.
- GuideHow do you plan video podcast advertising on YouTube?Plan video podcast advertising on YouTube: full episodes and clips channels, guest driven topic swings, reviewing long episodes fast and the brands that fit.
- GuideHow do you find and review Quebec YouTube channels?How to find French language Quebec YouTube channels, tell them apart from European French channels, apply Quebec rules to a plan and review videos in French.
- GuideHow do you plan Spanish language YouTube advertising for the US?Plan Spanish language YouTube for US audiences: find US based Spanish creators, weigh Latin American channels, set language, handle dubs and review suitability.
- GuideHow do you plan ads on sports YouTube channels?Plan ads on sports YouTube channels: league and team channels, fan analysis, spotting unofficial highlight re-uploads, betting content and creators by market.
- GuideHow do you plan ads on tech YouTube channels?How to plan tech YouTube channels: tutorials and reviews for B2B and consumer brands, judging sponsored reviews, hacking and leak content, and finding creators.
- GuideHow do you plan ads on travel YouTube channels?Plan ads on travel YouTube channels: matching creators to a destination brief, checking country and language, judging hosted trips and handling incident videos.
- GlossaryYouTube ad formats: which one fits each campaign goal?Every current YouTube ad format in one place: where each serves, when it can be skipped, how it is billed, and which formats take channel placements.
- ExplainerHow does YouTube video ad sequencing tell a story across ads?How YouTube video ad sequencing orders ads into a story, how to build the steps, why a sequence cannot target a channel list, and how to read step reports.
- GuideHow do you plan YouTube advertising for a Canadian brief?Plan YouTube ads for Canada: find Canadian creators, judge US channels seen in Canada, set CAD budgets, and split English and French channels using census data.
- ExplainerHow does a YouTube Brand Lift study measure ad recall?How Google's Brand Lift surveys YouTube viewers, the US and Canada budget minimums, what a lift result cannot show, and how to set up channels for a study.
- ExplainerYouTube bumper ads: how to buy six seconds and plan the channels around themYouTube bumper ads explained: the 6 second spec, Target CPM buying, where bumpers run, how to plan channels for them, and when to pair them with longer ads.
- ExplainerWhat does a YouTube channel's country tell an advertiser?What a YouTube channel's country setting means, why it differs from where viewers watch, and how to plan channels for a Canada only or US only campaign brief.
- How-toYouTube channel list for ads: build it, size it and keep it currentBuild a YouTube channel list for ads from a brief: turn brief fields into searches, tier candidates, size each tier for the budget and set a review calendar.
- GuideWhich YouTube channel metrics should advertisers read?Which public YouTube channel metrics advertisers should read: views per video, views per subscriber, upload pace and recency, and how to read uneven engagement.
- FrameworkHow should a YouTube plan set channel size thresholds?A framework for YouTube channel size targeting: when to set subscriber or view thresholds, what each removes from a plan, and how to explain it to a client.
- GlossaryYouTube CPV: what counts as a view, and how channel placements change deliveryWhat cost per view means on YouTube, what Google counts as a TrueView view for each format, which campaigns bid on CPV, and how to report it beside impressions.
- ExplainerYouTube connected TV ads: how to plan channels for the living roomHow YouTube connected TV ads run on smart TVs and consoles, how channel choice changes on a shared screen, how to target TV screens and read TV reports.
- How-toYouTube in Display & Video 360: from line item to channel reportHow to buy YouTube in Display & Video 360: account terms, line item types, adding channel placements, controls unlike Google Ads, and reading channel delivery.
- ExplainerYouTube in-feed video ads: where they show and how to plan them beside in-streamYouTube in-feed video ads, formerly discovery ads: where they show, how Google counts a view, which suitability controls reach them, and how to plan them.
- How-toYouTube keyword targeting: how video keywords find videos, and where they stopHow YouTube keyword targeting works in Google Ads, how it differs from topics, which campaign types still take keywords and how to see the videos they matched.
- ExplainerWhat is the YouTube Masthead, and when does it fit a launch?The YouTube Masthead for media buyers: CPM and CPH booking, what shows on desktop, mobile and TV, targeting limits by country, and when it fits a launch plan.
- ExplainerYouTube non-skippable ads: how long they run and how to plan themYouTube non-skippable ads for buyers: length limits by route, auction and reservation setup, YouTube TV rules and how to pick channels for a full message.
- How-toHow do you read a YouTube placement report after launch?How to read the YouTube placement report in Google Ads by channel, video and Shorts after launch, and how to turn the findings into changes to the channel list.
- How-toYouTube ad placements: how to set channels and videos per campaign typeYouTube ad placements step by step: which Google Ads campaign types take channel and video placements, how to add them, and which settings widen delivery.
- How-toYouTube Reach Planner: how to build a forecast and read it as a rangeHow to build a YouTube forecast in Google's Reach Planner, which inputs move the estimate most, what the tool leaves out and how to show results to a client.
- ExplainerYouTube reservation ads: what a fixed CPM booking gives and takesHow YouTube reservation ads work: fixed CPM quotes, the formats on offer, Standard and Premier reach, the control you give up, and when to book instead of bid.
- ExplainerWhat is YouTube Select, and how do buyers use lineups?YouTube Select for buyers: how lineups are built, how Premier reach and instant deals buy them, which channel lists you can get, and when to plan your own.
- GuideYouTube Shorts ads: how to plan inventory, creative and channel selectionPlan YouTube Shorts ads: which campaign types buy the Shorts feed, the vertical creative it needs, how channel choice works and what Shorts reports show.
- GlossaryYouTube advertising targeting options: what each does and where it worksThe main YouTube advertising targeting options in one glossary: placements, topics, keywords, audiences, demographics, location, language and devices.
- ExplainerVideo reach campaigns: three ways to buy YouTube reach, and what each allowsHow Google Ads video reach campaigns work: Efficient reach, Non-skippable reach and Target frequency, how each treats channel placements, and when to use one.
- ExplainerVideo view campaigns: how the format mix works, and how much placement control remainsHow Google Ads video view campaigns mix in-stream, in-feed and Shorts ads, how a view is counted, and how much channel placement control the format mix leaves.
YouTube brand safety
YouTube brand safety
YouTube brand safety is the set of checks that keeps a brand's video ads away from channels and videos it should not fund. For buyers it covers four things: YouTube's made for kids label and the COPPA limits behind it, re-upload and compilation channels, Google Ads content suitability settings, and monitoring channels that change after a plan is approved.
Open the hub- ExplainerWhat YouTube's advertiser friendly content guidelines tell buyersWhat YouTube's advertiser friendly content guidelines decide for creators, what limited ads means, and how media buyers can use them when vetting channels.
- GuideHow can toy and kids brands advertise on YouTube?How toy and kids brands can advertise on YouTube: contextual ads on made for kids content, barred categories, CARU and Canadian codes, and Quebec limits.
- ExplainerWhat are the rules for advertising to teens on YouTube?Google bars personalized ads and sensitive categories for users under 18. See what changed since 2021, what state laws add, and how to plan teen heavy channels.
- ExplainerHow do ads work on age restricted YouTube videos?What makes a YouTube video age restricted, how ads behave on it, how mature themes and Restricted Mode differ, and how to plan channels with restricted videos.
- ExplainerAI generated YouTube channels: how buyers tell them apartHow mass produced AI YouTube channels work, what YouTube makes creators disclose about synthetic content, signs a buyer can check and how to treat AI voices.
- ExplainerWhat are the rules for alcohol ads on YouTube?Google's alcohol ad policy for YouTube in plain terms: purchase age targeting, listed countries, made for kids limits, and how alcohol brands choose channels.
- ExplainerWhat are casino streaming channels on YouTube, and should brands avoid them?How YouTube treats casino streams and gambling content, why slot streams land in gaming plans, the signals that reveal them, and when other brands exclude them.
- ExplainerHow does YouTube treat dangerous challenges, pranks and stunts?How YouTube's harmful or dangerous content policy treats challenges, pranks and stunts, which earn ads, and how buyers judge stunt and prank channels.
- ExplainerWhat happens to ads when YouTube videos are embedded elsewhere?When YouTube ads run in videos embedded on other websites, why the host page matters, how the embedded videos exclusion works and what reports show about it.
- GuideHow do buyers find family friendly YouTube channels that are not made for kids?How to find family friendly YouTube channels that are not made for kids, what the Content Suitable for Families exclusion removes, and which checks matter.
- GuideWhat should brands check before advertising on family vlogs?The brand risks on family vlogs that feature children, YouTube's rules on minors in videos, why comments are off, and how to judge a channel before buying.
- ExplainerHow do hacked YouTube channels end up as scam streams?How hijacked YouTube channels become crypto scam streams, the signs a buyer can see in a plan, a fast removal sequence, and how YouTube restores a channel.
- ExplainerWhen a YouTube channel's made for kids label is wrongWhat happens when a YouTube channel's made for kids setting is wrong, who is responsible under YouTube's rules and COPPA, and how buyers spot mismatches.
- ExplainerWhat does the made for kids label change for YouTube ads?What YouTube's made for kids label changes for ads: who sets it, how the FTC defines child directed content, YouTube Kids rules and the Quebec law on ads.
- ExplainerWhat do misleading YouTube thumbnails tell a buyer about a channel?What YouTube's thumbnail, spam and clickbait rules say, how packaging that oversells a video signals channel quality, and a review method that scales.
- GuideHow should pharma brands plan YouTube?Plan YouTube for pharma and health brands: health source panels, medical misinformation and ad earnings, vetting health creators and the sign offs a plan needs.
- GuideShould brands advertise on political YouTube channels?How to decide if ads belong on political YouTube channels: election policies, Google controls, election period steps and a channel by channel tolerance scale.
- ExplainerAre reaction channels on YouTube safe for advertisers?How YouTube's reused content rules treat reaction videos, how to tell commentary from a re-upload, which brands fit reaction channels and which checks matter.
- GuideShould brands advertise on true crime YouTube channels?How YouTube's ad rules treat true crime videos, what separates respectful case coverage from sensational content, and a review method for true crime channels.
- ExplainerHow does YouTube treat violent video game content for advertisers?How YouTube's ad rules treat gameplay violence apart from real violence, what the opening seconds and thumbnails decide, and how to set mature game tolerance.
- ChecklistHow do you run a YouTube brand safety audit after a campaign?A post campaign YouTube brand safety audit: pull served placements, size the sample, log findings against the brand's rules, then act and report.
- How-toHow to build a YouTube channel exclusion list that holds upHow to build a YouTube channel exclusion list that lasts: channel IDs over handles, the evidence each row needs, where to apply it and when to review it.
- ChecklistA YouTube channel vetting checklist for each channel in a planA channel by channel YouTube vetting checklist: confirm who runs a channel, read age, paid promotion and AI labels, sample the right videos and record the call.
- ExplainerDo YouTube comments affect brand safety?How YouTube comments bear on brand safety, when YouTube turns comments off, what moderation hides from view, and how to use comment health in a channel review.
- How-toHow to set YouTube content exclusions, surface by surfaceHow to set YouTube content exclusions in Google Ads: which controls reach in-stream, Shorts and the Home feed, which never apply to YouTube, and the limits.
- ExplainerWhat did the 2019 YouTube COPPA settlement require?The 2019 FTC and New York settlement with Google and YouTube: what was alleged, what the order required, how kids ads changed and what COPPA added since.
- ExplainerHow do copyright claims on YouTube channels move ad money?How Content ID claims move ad revenue on YouTube, what a channel full of claims says about re-upload risk, what buyers can see, and how claims shape a plan.
- FrameworkWhat should a brand do when a YouTube creator becomes controversial?A playbook for when a YouTube creator in a plan becomes controversial: verify the facts, set decision rights, apply pause rules and explain the call.
- ExplainerYouTube fake views: what the policy bans and what buyers can seeWhat YouTube's fake engagement policy bans, how bought views and subscribers show up in channel statistics, what uneven engagement means and how to report it.
- ExplainerWhat does YouTube's hate speech policy mean for ad buyers?What YouTube's hate speech policy bans, how hateful and derogatory content loses ads, and how buyers judge commentary channels, educational videos and strikes.
- ExplainerWhat YouTube's inauthentic content policy covers, and what buyers do with itWhat YouTube's inauthentic content policy covers, what the July 2025 rename changed, how it differs from reused content and what buyers do near the line.
- ExplainerYouTube inventory types: what each tier lets throughWhat each YouTube inventory type includes and excludes, why some Google pages still say Expanded and Standard, where it applies and how to pick a tier.
- ExplainerHow do ads work in the YouTube Kids app?How paid ads run in the YouTube Kids app: banned categories, creative rules, pre-approval, what its privacy notice allows and how it differs from made for kids.
- GuideHow should brands handle YouTube live streams?Why YouTube live streams carry their own brand risk, how the live streaming exclusion works by surface, and how to review channels that stream before a buy.
- ExplainerWhat does YouTube's misinformation policy mean for advertisers?What YouTube's misinformation policies cover across medical, election and manipulated media, how they affect ad earnings, and how buyers review channels.
- GuideHow should brands plan ads on YouTube news channels?How to plan ads on YouTube news channels: what information panels mean, how YouTube ranks authoritative news, live coverage and telling news from opinion.
- ExplainerYouTube Partner Program eligibility, and what it tells a media buyerWhat the YouTube Partner Program requires, how YouTube reviews channels for it, why monetized channels still need vetting and what YPP status tells a buyer.
- ExplainerWhat does YouTube's sensitive events policy mean for advertisers?How YouTube's sensitive events policy limits ads during tragedies, how long limits last, when to pause or adjust a YouTube campaign, and how to review coverage.
- GuideYouTube Shorts brand safety: which controls reach the feedWhich Google Ads suitability controls reach YouTube Shorts, which do not, how to keep refused channels out of the feed and how to review where Shorts ads ran.
- ExplainerWhat does the YouTube verification badge really prove?What the YouTube verification badge means, who can get one, why it says nothing about brand suitability, how channels lose it and how to use it in vetting.
Market targeting
US and Canada targeting
Plan programmatic advertising in Canada by choosing sites for the audience they actually reach in Canada, not for a .ca domain or a Canadian head office. Check country popularity in Chrome UX Report data, read each site's language from its pages, cover English and Canadian French, and keep federal, Quebec and US state privacy rules in view.
Open the hub- FrameworkHow do you map a campaign's data flows before legal review?A worksheet to record each data flow in a campaign, who collects what and where it goes, so the privacy lead reviews facts. Built from regulator guidance.
- ExplainerHow do Alberta and BC privacy laws apply to advertising?How Alberta's and British Columbia's PIPA acts apply in place of PIPEDA, what they say about consent for advertising, and who enforces them. Facts only.
- ExplainerWhat rules govern alcohol advertising in Canada, and what do they mean for placements?Alcohol advertising in Canada: the CRTC Code, Ad Standards clearance, Ontario, Quebec and BC rules, and what they mean for placements and audience age.
- ExplainerWhat are the alcohol advertising rules in the US?US alcohol advertising rules in the sources' own words: TTB requirements, the 73.8 percent adult audience standard, state rules and how buyers check placements.
- ExplainerHow big is the Canada digital advertising market, and how should you cite it?Canada's digital advertising market size from IAB Canada's latest survey: 2025 totals, programmatic shares, forecasts and actuals, and why US data misleads.
- ExplainerWhat does the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards cover?What Ad Standards' Canadian Code of Advertising Standards covers, how consumer complaints are judged, and which of its 14 clauses touch digital placements.
- ExplainerWhat do Statistics Canada's internet usage figures tell planners?What Statistics Canada's Canadian Internet Use Survey says about Canadians online, how to cite it in a plan, and what its numbers cannot tell an advertiser.
- ExplainerCan cannabis be advertised in Canada, and where can a promotion run?Cannabis advertising in Canada: what the Cannabis Act prohibits, what informational and brand-preference promotion allow, and where open web ads stand.
- ExplainerWhat counts as cross context behavioral advertising under the CCPA?California's definition of cross context behavioral advertising, the opt out of sharing, contextual ads in the CPPA's examples, and the 2026 regulation dates.
- ExplainerWhat does the Colorado Privacy Act say about targeted advertising?What the Colorado Privacy Act's targeted advertising opt out covers, who must comply, the universal opt out rules in 4 CCR 904-3 and how the act is enforced.
- ExplainerHow does COPPA apply to programmatic advertising?COPPA programmatic advertising explained: who the FTC's rule covers, what makes a site child directed, the 2025 amendments, the coppa flag and contextual ads.
- FrameworkCross border advertising in Canada and the US: how should a plan disclose uncertainty?A framework for cross border advertising plans covering Canada and the US: disclose spillover, shared sites, geo accuracy and currency, then report by country.
- GlossaryWhat does a CrUX popularity rank actually measure?What a CrUX popularity rank measures in Google's words, how country ranks are built, why a bucket is not a reach count, and how often the data changes.
- ExplainerWhat rules govern direct to consumer pharmaceutical advertising in the US?US rules for direct to consumer drug ads in the FDA's words: brief summary, fair balance, the major statement, the 2025 enforcement push and placement rules.
- GuideHow do you plan francophone advertising outside Quebec?Plan francophone advertising outside Quebec: where Franco Ontarians and Acadians live, which minority French media serve them, and what bilingual law covers.
- GuideHow do you plan French Canadian advertising inventory?Plan French Canadian advertising inventory: where French speakers live by province, how to tell Canadian publishers from European ones, and a review routine.
- How-toHow do regulated advertisers keep ads inside legal jurisdictions?How gambling, cannabis, alcohol and pharma advertisers keep ads inside legal jurisdictions: platform rules, location settings, site choice and delivery audits.
- ExplainerWhat is Global Privacy Control, and how does it reach the ad chain?Global Privacy Control explained for media buyers: how the signal works, which states require businesses to honor it, how it reaches bid requests, and checks.
- ExplainerWhich federal rules govern health data in advertising?US federal health data rules for advertisers: the FTC Health Breach Notification Rule, HHS tracking guidance, enforcement cases and the records to keep.
- ExplainerIs an IP address personal information?What Canada's privacy commissioner, the Supreme Court of Canada, California and Virginia say about IP addresses, truncation, hashing and geotargeting.
- ExplainerWhat does the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act mean for advertisers?Maryland's Online Data Privacy Act in its own terms: data minimization, the sensitive data rules, the under 18 targeted advertising ban, dates and enforcement.
- GuideHow do you plan multicultural advertising in Canada?Plan in language media for Canadian communities with 2021 Census language data: Mandarin, Punjabi, Tagalog, Arabic, publisher discovery, review and reporting.
- ExplainerWhat does Washington's My Health My Data Act mean for advertisers?Washington's My Health My Data Act for advertisers, in the statute's and AG's words: consumer health data, consent, sale authorization and the geofence ban.
- ExplainerWhat does New York's Child Data Protection Act mean for ad supported sites?New York's Child Data Protection Act, in force since June 20, 2025: who is a covered user under 18, the strictly necessary test and what it means for ad sites.
- ExplainerWhat did Canada's Online News Act change for news advertising?What Canada's Online News Act did, why news left Facebook and Instagram in Canada in 2023, who receives payments, and what it changes for news ad plans.
- ExplainerWhat rules apply to online gambling ads in Ontario, and what do they mean for placements?Ontario igaming advertising rules from the AGCO: the athlete ban, limits on celebrities and inducements, audiences to avoid, and what they mean for placements.
- ExplainerWhat does PIPEDA guidance say about online advertising, and what does it mean for contextual plans?What Canada's privacy commissioner says about online behavioural advertising under PIPEDA, its six opt-out conditions, past findings, and contextual ads.
- ExplainerCan prescription drugs be advertised to consumers in Canada, and what does that mean for placements?Prescription drug advertising in Canada: the name, price and quantity rule, reminder and help seeking messages, who reviews them, and what it means for ads.
- ExplainerHow does programmatic geo targeting decide where a user is?How buying platforms locate a device from IP, GPS and postal data, what the bid request carries, the limits near the border and the geo settings a list needs.
- GuideHow should a plan handle province targeting in Canada?How province targeting in Canada works in programmatic: language mix by province, provincial rules for regulated ads, geo accuracy limits and budget splits.
- ExplainerHow does Quebec's ban on advertising to children work?Quebec advertising to children: the Consumer Protection Act ban on ads aimed at under 13s, the three criteria the OPC applies, the exceptions and online scope.
- ExplainerWhat does Bill 96 require of advertising in Quebec?Bill 96 advertising rules for Quebec: what the Charter of the French Language requires of ads, the June 2025 predominance rules, exceptions and enforcement.
- ExplainerWhat does Quebec's Law 25 say that touches digital advertising?What Quebec's Law 25 says about profiling technology, consent, default settings and data sent outside Quebec, in the CAI's own words, with a dated timeline.
- ExplainerWhat counts as sensitive data in advertising?Sensitive data in advertising under California, Colorado and Connecticut law and Canadian guidance: the categories and which uses need consent.
- GuideHow do you plan Spanish language advertising in the US?How to plan Spanish language programmatic in the US: Census language data, US Spanish publishers, bilingual pages, Puerto Rico and Spanish suitability review.
- ExplainerHow are sports betting advertising rules set in the US?How US sports betting advertising is regulated: state rules such as New York's, the AGA code's 73.6 percent standard, audiences to avoid and geo restriction.
- ExplainerWhat does the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act mean for advertising?How the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act treats targeted advertising, why its small business rule differs from volume tests, and how the AG has enforced it.
- ChecklistWhat should a US brand check before advertising in Canada?A checklist for US brands advertising in Canada: CAD budgets, Quebec French, price and green claim rules, email consent, privacy and which publishers to know.
- ExplainerHow big is the US digital advertising market, and what do the figures measure?US digital advertising market size from the IAB and PwC report: 2025 totals by format, programmatic revenue, what the survey measures and how to cite it.
- ExplainerWhich state privacy laws affect advertising, and what do they actually say?The 19 US state comprehensive privacy laws in force in October 2026, how they define targeted advertising, and their opt-out signal and teen rules, sourced.
- GuideHow do you plan US websites for a Canadian audience?How to plan US websites with a Canadian audience: the evidence of Canadian readers, how to confirm Canadian impressions are for sale, and how to label sites.
Google Ads placements
Google Ads placements
Google Ads placement targeting lets an advertiser choose the websites, apps, YouTube channels and videos where ads may show. It is set per ad group in Display and eligible Video campaigns, and Demand Gen accepts placements as contextual targeting. Performance Max takes no placement targets but respects account level exclusions. Google Ads Editor imports lists in bulk.
Open the hub- GlossaryWhat are automatic placements in Google Ads, and how do you prune them?What automatic placements are in Google Ads, how other targeting picks them, how they differ from chosen placements, and how to review, promote or exclude them.
- How-toHow do you set negative keywords for the Display Network and YouTube?Set content keyword exclusions in Google Ads at ad group, campaign and account level: the 1,000 term limit, exact match, surface coverage and news safeguards.
- ExplainerWhat are custom segments in Google Ads, and why are they not a placement list?How Google Ads custom segments use keywords, URLs and apps to reach people, why a custom segment is not a placement list, and when to use the two together.
- ExplainerWhat does the Display to Demand Gen migration change for placement lists?How Google is moving Display campaigns into Demand Gen, the dates, why migration cannot be undone, and what happens to placements and exclusions along the way.
- GlossaryWhat are display keywords in Google Ads, and how do they match?Display keywords in Google Ads match ads to the central theme of pages and videos: how matching works, how they mix with placements, and where they run.
- GuideHow do you choose managed placements on the Google Display Network?A guide to choosing managed placements on the Google Display Network: placement types, the Targeting and Observation setting, ad group design and the reports.
- GuideHow does the DV360 authorized sellers setting filter inventory?How the DV360 authorized sellers setting reads ads.txt and app-ads.txt, which option to pick for resellers, where it is set and how to see what it filters.
- GuideWhich brand safety controls does Display & Video 360 offer, and where does each one apply?DV360 brand safety explained: inventory modes, content themes, labels, sensitive categories, keyword exclusions and verification, and where each one applies.
- GuideHow do channels work in Display & Video 360, from build to line item?A guide to channels in Display & Video 360: partner and advertiser channels, URL and app ID rules, limits, blocking and applying channels to line items.
- GuideHow do inventory sources work in Display & Video 360, and how do deals and site lists fit together?How inventory sources work in Display & Video 360: exchanges, deals, packages and deal groups, how each deal type is accepted, and how site lists layer on top.
- How-toHow do you set viewability targeting in DV360?How to set predicted viewability and environment targeting in Display & Video 360, how both narrow a site list's delivery, and which metrics to report.
- How-toHow do you keep low quality sites out of Google Display campaigns?A weekly routine for keeping made-for-ads and low quality sites out of Google Display campaigns: settings, placement reviews, exclusions and inclusion lists.
- ExplainerWhat are digital content labels in Google Ads, and where do they still apply?What Google Ads digital content labels and sensitive content exclusions do on the Display Network and video partners, and why YouTube ads no longer use them.
- How-toHow do you bulk upload placements with Google Ads Editor?Bulk upload placements with Google Ads Editor: a sample sheet, the column values that matter, the import steps, and the review to run before you post changes.
- ChecklistWhy does Google Ads Editor reject placements, and how do you fix each error?A checklist for Google Ads Editor import errors on placement files: header mismatches, encoding, duplicates, campaigns that refuse placements, and upgrades.
- How-toHow does Google Ads language targeting work, and how should a bilingual campaign set it?How Google Ads language targeting reads the languages a person understands, why it is not the page language, and how to set it for English and French Canada.
- How-toGoogle Ads location targeting: when to choose Presence over Presence or interestHow Presence and Presence or interest work in Google Ads, why they matter near the US and Canada border, and which setting a Canada only campaign should use.
- How-toHow to set up placement exclusions in Google Ads, level by levelHow to set placement exclusions in Google Ads: pick the right level, format domains and app IDs, build shared exclusion lists and plan around limits and timing.
- How-toHow do you test two placement lists in Google Ads?How to test two placement lists in Google Ads: set up a custom experiment, split traffic fairly, pick the run length, read the scorecard and apply the winner.
- How-toHow do you automate placement exclusions with Google Ads scripts?Use Google Ads scripts to review placements and add exclusions on rules: the script methods, which rules to automate, safeguards, logs and who approves.
- GlossaryWhat is topic targeting in Google Ads, and when does it help?Google Ads topic targeting explained: where topics run on the Display Network and YouTube, how they widen a placement list, when to use them and how to exclude.
- How-toHow do you read the where ads showed report and turn it into list changes?How to read the Google Ads where ads showed report: what each row means, what it leaves out, and how to turn findings into placement and exclusion list changes.
- GlossaryGoogle Display Network targeting options: what each one selects and how they combineThe main Google Display Network targeting options in one table, from placements and topics to audiences, location and devices, and how they combine.
- ChecklistWhat should a media buyer check between an approved list and live placements?The media buyer's checklist from an approved placement list to live delivery in Google Ads and Display & Video 360, with three sign offs and a review rhythm.
- How-toHow do you exclude mobile apps in Google Ads, and why do they keep appearing?How app placements and app categories work on the Google Display Network, how to exclude mobile apps by ID, and why apps show up in your placement reports.
- ExplainerWhat does optimized targeting in Google Ads do to a placement plan?How optimized targeting in Google Ads reaches past your chosen signals, which campaigns use it, how it treats placements, and how to turn it off and audit it.
- ExplainerDo Google ads still show on parked domains?What a parked domain is, how Google Ads stopped serving on parked domains in February 2026, and how to read old placement reports for parked and error pages.
- How-toHow do placement exclusions work in Performance Max?Which placement, brand and content exclusions Performance Max respects at account and campaign level, which surfaces they reach, and how to check where ads ran.
- GuideHow should campaigns and ad groups be built around placement lists?How to structure Google Ads campaigns and ad groups around placement lists by theme, market and tier, so bids, reporting and control stay clean after launch.
- How-toHow do bid adjustments work for placements?How placement bid adjustments work in Google Ads Display campaigns: the bid strategies that allow them, custom placement bids, Smart Bidding and stacking.
- How-toHow should a placement list be formatted so the import matches?How to format a placement list so imports match: protocols, www, subdomains, paths, letter case, duplicates and file encoding, with Google's documented rules.
- How-toWhy is a Google Ads placement not serving?Why an added Google Ads placement gets no impressions: bids, eligibility, campaign type, targeting layers and inventory, and when to remove or exclude it.
- FrameworkPlacement targeting strategy: when to run a list alone, and when to add content targetingA decision framework for placement targeting: when to run a narrow list alone, when to add topics or keywords, and how list size and objective change the plan.
- How-toHow do you exclude Search partner sites in Google Ads?How account level placement exclusions reach Google Search partner sites since March 2024, how to read partner placements, and when to switch partners off.
- GlossaryWhat do the Targeting and Observation settings change for a placement plan?What the Targeting and Observation settings do for placements, topics and audiences in Google Ads, how layers combine, and how one wrong choice widens a plan.
- How-toHow do you upload an approved site list to a DSP?How to load an approved site list into a DSP as an inclusion or exclusion list, which file formats work, the checks after upload and how to keep it in sync.
- How-toHow do URL placements work in Google Ads, from whole domains to single pages?How domain, subdomain and page level URL placements work in Google Ads, how each shows up in reports, and when a single URL is the right placement for a plan.
- ChecklistHow do you verify a bulk placement import in Google Ads?A checklist for verifying a bulk placement import in Google Ads: who checks the count, which fields to read, how to confirm exclusions held, and what to log.
- ExplainerHow does viewable CPM bidding work with placement lists?How viewable CPM bidding works on the Display Network: what Google counts as viewable, which campaigns offer vCPM, and how bids work with placement lists.
- How-toHow do you upload YouTube channels and videos with Google Ads Editor?How to upload YouTube channel and video placements with Google Ads Editor: the ID each row needs, which campaigns accept them, bulk exclusions and post checks.
Fair planning
Fair publisher planning
Fair publisher planning means building site lists that judge independent, niche, local language and responsible sensitive topic publishers on the same evidence as large media groups. Relevance and quality decide the ranking, reach is shown as information but never used as a cutoff, missing data is never counted as failure, and the plan is audited slice by slice for bias.
Open the hub- GuideHow can brands advertise beside addiction recovery content?How to keep addiction recovery and harm reduction coverage in a media plan: which brands fit, how to read the language, and how to write the policy clause.
- ChecklistWhat should an AI audit trail record for each planning decision?A checklist of what to record with each automated planning decision, from model version and inputs to reviewer and date, so a media plan can be audited later.
- ExplainerHow can AI site recommendations skew a plan toward large publishers?How AI site recommendations can skew a media plan toward large publishers, the NIST bias types behind it, and tests and questions to audit an automated plan.
- GlossaryAlgorithmic fairness definitions, applied to publishersPlain definitions of parity, calibration, equal error rates and slice based evaluation, applied to how a model includes or excludes publishers, never people.
- GuideHow should a media plan treat a bilingual website with uneven coverage?How to plan ads on bilingual websites when one language section is thin: judge each section on its own, read language signals, and show sections in the plan.
- ExplainerDo brand safety tools treat some communities unfairly?Research on classifiers that flag identity terms and dialect as unsafe, what it means for community publishers, and a method buyers can use to test a tool.
- GuideHow do you include Canadian independent publishers?Who Canada's independent digital publishers are, how the Online News Act and Meta's news block affected them, what the LJI funds and how to plan them in.
- GuideHow do you keep disability content in a media plan fairly?Why disability news, advocacy and accessibility content gets wrongly blocked, how to tell it from injury content, and how to describe it in a policy.
- FrameworkHow should a brand set and track a diverse media spend target?How brands set a spend target for diverse owned, local and independent media, decide which publishers count, track delivery and report progress honestly.
- GuideHow do you include diverse owned media in a plan with definitions you can verify?Plan diverse owned media advertising with definitions you can verify: ownership tests, certifiers in the US and Canada, claims to avoid, and a checklist.
- GuideHow can brands advertise beside domestic violence awareness?Why domestic violence awareness and survivor support content gets blocked as crime, how to tell it from violent content, and how to write a clear tolerance.
- ExplainerWhat makes an AI site recommendation explainable?What an explainable AI site recommendation should show, from supporting pages to its weakest point, and five tests a planner can run to see if it is real.
- ExplainerWhich governments require advertising in community media, and how is it documented?Which governments require ad spend with community and ethnic media, what New York City's Local Law 83 requires and how buyers document spend for each agency.
- ExplainerHow is Government of Canada advertising governed, and what does it mean for publisher choice?Government of Canada advertising rules: the 2025 policy and directive, Official Languages Act duties, who coordinates buys and what it means for publishers.
- GuideShould brands advertise beside health news?How brands can advertise beside health journalism on outbreaks, research and public health, why it was blocked in 2020, and how to write a disease news policy.
- GuideHow do you plan in-language media into a US campaign?Why US in-language community media in Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and other languages drops out of plans, and how to verify, review and report it.
- GuideHow do you include Indigenous media in a media plan, respectfully?How to include Indigenous owned and Indigenous language media in US and Canadian plans: who they are, how to verify ownership, where language detection fails.
- GuideHow can advertisers keep investigative journalism in reach without blunt rules?Why investigative outlets covering abuse, crime and corruption lose ad revenue to blunt rules, and the tolerance settings and reviews that keep them on a plan.
- ExplainerWhat is language variant bias, and how do buyers test for it?How classifiers and filters can serve Canadian French, Mexican Spanish or regional English worse than standard forms, and how buyers test quality per variant.
- GuideHow do you keep LGBTQ+ content in a media plan responsibly?Why LGBTQ+ news and lifestyle pages get wrongly blocked, what published research shows, and a review method and policy clause that keep them in a media plan.
- GuideHow do you plan advertising on local news sites in the US and Canada?How to plan advertising on local news sites in the US and Canada: what counts as local news, how much is left, how outlets sell, and a market checklist.
- GuideShould brands advertise beside mental health content?Keep mental health coverage and support content in a media plan: how suicide reporting guidelines shape suitability, what needs extra care and what to exclude.
- ExplainerHow does keyword blocking affect news publishers?How news keyword blocking works, what sourced studies found about its effect on news publishers, where Google applies keyword exclusions, and a blocklist audit.
- ExplainerWhat are news deserts, and what can advertisers do about them?What a news desert is in US and Canadian research, how advertising money shaped local news closures, and practical steps buyers can take in their media plans.
- GuideHow should a nonprofit plan programmatic advertising on a small budget?How nonprofits plan programmatic campaigns: mission aligned publishers, suitability for sensitive causes, small budgets, election rules and reports to ask for.
- FrameworkWhen should a planner override an AI site recommendation, and how is the call recorded?When a planner should override an automated site recommendation, what evidence justifies it, how to record the reason, and how override patterns reveal bias.
- GuideHow should brands plan media for Pride Month and after it?Plan Pride Month media on LGBTQ+ publishers that stay on the plan after June: why pull outs happen, suitability settings for Pride news and how to report it.
- GuideHow do public service announcements run in programmatic?How public service announcements run in programmatic media, what donated inventory is, which publishers suit public health messages and how to report PSAs.
- FrameworkHow should a buyer run a fair publisher appeal?How a buyer designs a fair appeal for publishers excluded for suitability, MFA risk or quality: grounds, evidence, an independent reviewer, timelines and fixes.
- FrameworkHow do you measure publisher concentration in a media plan?Measure how much of a media plan goes to one owner or network, find sites that share an owner, set a concentration limit and report it to clients clearly.
- GuideHow do you plan beside religious content without blanket exclusion?Plan beside faith coverage without blanket exclusion: separate religious publishing from hateful content, write a policy clause and review the creative.
- FrameworkResponsible media investment: a framework for brandsA framework for brands whose spend should support quality journalism and diverse publishers while meeting suitability and performance goals, with measures.
- GuideWhy do rural publishers fall out of programmatic plans, and how do you bring them back?Why rural publishers fall out of programmatic plans, how missing popularity data hides them, and how to verify rural media and report rural reach honestly.
- ExplainerWhy do satire sites get flagged, and how should advertisers review them?Why satire and humor sites get flagged as misinformation or unsafe, how to tell satire from fake news, which brands fit, and how to review a satire site fairly.
- GuideHow do you keep sexual health education in a plan and explicit content out?How to keep responsible sexual health education in a media plan while excluding explicit content, with a decision table by content type and a review method.
- ExplainerWhy do small websites have no CrUX data, and what should a plan do?Why small and niche websites can have no Chrome UX Report record, why that gap is not an audience of zero, and how to show missing data honestly in a plan.
- GuideHow do you include small YouTube creators in a plan fairly?Why subscriber minimums drop strong small YouTube channels, which evidence can stand in for size, and how to test small creators in a plan without buying junk.
- GuideAre student newspapers good placements, and how do you plan them?How to find, verify and plan independent student newspapers and campus media for youth brands, from ads.txt on university subdomains to teen reader rules.
- ExplainerHow accurate are third party website traffic estimates, and what should a plan use instead?How accurate third party website traffic estimates are, why they fail small and niche sites, how they bias media plans, and better public evidence to use.
- GuideHow do you keep women's health content in a media plan?Why menstrual, menopause and reproductive health pages get blocked, which brands fit beside them, how to treat reproductive news, and policy wording to use.
HOW AGENCIES WORK WITH US
From your first brief.
From your first brief.
To your next campaign.
Share a brief in plain language. Get contextual websites and YouTube channels that fit it, with the evidence behind every pick and a deal ready for your usual buying platform.
- 01
Share your brief
The campaign in plain language.
- 02
Get your shortlist
The strongest contextual sites and channels, with the evidence behind each.
- 03
We build the deal
Your shortlist becomes a curated deal through our exchange partners.
- 04
Activate and grow
Buy in your usual platform. Agencies earn benefits as their investment grows.