How do you set viewability targeting in DV360?
Part of Google Ads placements
The short answer
In Display & Video 360, open a line item or insertion order, go to Viewability targeting and pick a predicted viewability threshold in the Active View section, from 10% to 90% or greater. The line item then bids only on impressions at least that likely to be viewable. Set environment targeting to Web, App or both alongside it.
Key takeaways
- Predicted viewability is a bid filter powered by Active View: it chooses which impressions to bid on, not the viewable rate a campaign will report.
- A site list, an environment setting and a viewability threshold each remove requests, so the impressions left are those that pass all three.
- Targeting a website can also target the publisher's app inventory unless environment targeting is set to Web.
- Inventory that Active View cannot measure, such as app impressions without the Open Measurement SDK, should not carry a viewability threshold.
- % Viewable Impressions divides by measurable impressions, so read it beside % Measurable Impressions.
How does viewability targeting work in DV360?
Definition
- Predicted viewability
- Display & Video 360's estimate, powered by Google's Active View technology, of how likely an impression is to be viewable. A threshold of 50% or greater means the line item bids only on impressions at least 50% likely to be viewable.
Google's viewability targeting page (opens in a new tab) describes a short path: open a line item or insertion order, go to the Viewability targeting page, choose a predicted viewability percentage in the Active View section and click Done. The Display & Video 360 API (opens in a new tab) lists nine steps for that percentage, from at least 10% to at least 90% likely to be viewable, and the SDF Line Item reference (opens in a new tab) writes the same choice as a float from 0.1 to 0.9.
Impressions with a high predicted viewability can be a small subset of all inventory that's available. Targeting a high predicted viewability, will result in fewer matches.
The threshold is a probability attached to each bid request, not a promise. A line item set to 70% or greater has filtered out requests predicted below that; its reported viewable rate is measured afterward and can land above or below 70%. The counting rules are in the viewability glossary entry.
How is predicted viewability used alongside other quality settings?
Predicted viewability is one of several settings that act on the impression rather than the site. They sit in different places in the interface and the Structured Data File, and a line item can combine them.
| Setting | What it does | Where it is set | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active View predicted viewability | Bids only on impressions at or above the chosen likelihood, 10% to 90% | Line item or insertion order, Viewability targeting | Higher steps return fewer matches |
| Open Measurement targeting | Targets only impressions measurable through the Open Measurement standard | SDF column Viewability Omid Targeting Enabled, or the advertiser setting it defaults to | Cannot be set to FALSE on a supported entity when the advertiser has it on |
| Connected TV exemption | Leaves CTV devices out of viewability targeting on video line items, on by default | Advertiser, Settings, Targeting, Viewability | Turning it off applies the threshold to CTV video too |
| On screen position | Targets Above the fold, Below the fold or Unknown positions | SDF column Position Targeting, On Screen | Leaving out Unknown removes requests with no declared position |
Does viewability targeting shrink a site list's delivery?
Yes, and the effect compounds with the list. Google's Troubleshooter page (opens in a new tab) reports targeting rejections by dimension, and three of them describe this case: Apps and URLs for impressions that did not match the line item's websites and apps, Environment for impressions outside the targeted environments, and Viewability for impressions that did not match the predicted viewability tiers. Read together with the targeting pages, the practical reading is that a request has to pass each layer to receive a bid.
A short list of independent publishers is the case to watch. Each listed site supplies a limited number of requests, and a high threshold removes any placement predicted below it, however well the site fits the brief. Google's advice when the threshold keeps budget from spending is to lower it.
Diagnosing a list line item that underdelivers
- Open the Troubleshooter. On the line item, choose the Troubleshooter tab and a 7 or 14 day range.
- Read the targeting breakdown. Compare the counts under Apps and URLs, Environment and Viewability to see which layer removes the largest share of requests.
- Change one layer at a time. Lower the viewability step by one, or widen the environment, and leave the list alone while the next days of data arrive.
- Record the trade. Note the threshold, the date of the change and the reason in the line item's notes so the client sees what was relaxed.
How do environment settings affect web and app delivery?
Google's environment targeting page (opens in a new tab) defines two choices: Web targets inventory displayed in browsers, and App targets inventory displayed in apps. The API and SDF add a split inside Web. The Environment reference (opens in a new tab) describes Web Not Optimized as browser inventory not designed for the device it is viewed on, such as a desktop site seen on a phone, and the SDF notes that Web Not Optimized cannot be selected without Web.
| Value | Inventory it targets | Use with a site list |
|---|---|---|
| Web | Browser inventory designed for the device it is viewed on, such as a mobile site on a phone | The base setting for a list of websites |
| Web Not Optimized | Browser inventory viewed on a device it was not designed for | Only alongside Web; a planner may leave it off when layout matters |
| App | Inventory displayed in apps | Needed only when the list includes apps or app delivery is wanted |
Environment and viewability meet through measurement. App impressions without Open Measurement cannot be measured by Active View, so a Web and App line item with a threshold will buy little app inventory. Separate web and app line items keep the threshold where it can be measured.
How do you report viewability in DV360?
Display & Video 360's metrics reference (opens in a new tab) lists the Active View metrics. Four of them cover the questions a client asks about a list, provided each is read with its denominator.
| Metric | Google's definition | Denominator |
|---|---|---|
| Active View: % Viewable Impressions | Viewable impressions out of all measurable impressions | Measurable impressions |
| Active View: % Measurable Impressions | Impressions measurable with Active View out of the total Active View eligible impressions | Eligible impressions |
| Active View: Impression Distribution (Viewable) | Viewable impressions out of eligible impressions, measured or not | Eligible impressions; never higher than % Viewable Impressions |
| Active View: Impression Distribution (Not Measurable) | Eligible impressions where measurement was attempted but failed | Eligible impressions |
The same reference states the counting rules Google applies: a display ad is viewable when at least 50% of it is visible for at least 1 second, or 30% for large display ads of 242,500 pixels or more, and a video ad when at least 50% is visible while playing for at least 2 consecutive seconds. Gaps in measurement have known causes. Google's Active View limitations page (opens in a new tab) names ad tags in cross domain iframes, backup images and default ads, and creatives that are not tracking ad placements, such as those using IMG tags, which do not support Active View.
Build the report with site or app as a dimension beside the line item, and add impressions, % Viewable Impressions and % Measurable Impressions. A strong viewable rate on few measurable impressions says less than it appears to.
What does viewability targeting look like on a real brief?
Fictional example
A coding bootcamp in Northern California
A fictional coding bootcamp with campuses in San Jose and Sacramento asks its trading desk for English display ads beside technology news, career advice and personal finance content read in Northern California. The approved list holds 70 websites and no apps, and the client's buying policy asks for viewable placements.
The desk builds one line item on the list, sets environment targeting to Web and leaves Web Not Optimized off because the creative is built for mobile and desktop layouts. It sets predicted viewability to 60% or greater rather than the 80% the client first mentioned, and records why: several listed sites are small independent publishers, and the client values the list more than the threshold.
After a week the Troubleshooter shows Viewability removing far more requests than Environment. The desk keeps the threshold, reports viewable and measurable rates by site, and reviews the step with the client after week two.
How does PlacementGraph look at ad layout before a site joins a list?
What should a buyer check before adding viewability targeting to a list line item?
Viewability and environment setup for a site list line item
- Environment targeting matches the list: Web for a website list, App only when apps are wanted.
- No viewability threshold is set on app inventory that lacks Open Measurement.
- The threshold step is written down with the reason, and the client knows it is a prediction, not a guaranteed rate.
- Campaign Manager 360 placements behind synced creatives have Active View enabled.
- The advertiser's CTV exemption setting is known before a video line item goes live.
- Reports show % Viewable Impressions beside % Measurable Impressions, by site.
- A date is set to read the Troubleshooter's targeting breakdown and adjust one layer at a time.
Frequently asked questions
Can viewability targeting be set on an insertion order instead of each line item?
Yes. Google's viewability targeting page starts from either a line item or an insertion order, so a desk can set the threshold at the insertion order level. Google's page does not describe how the two levels combine, so open one line item afterward and confirm the threshold it shows before launch.
Is above the fold position targeting the same as viewability targeting?
No. Display & Video 360 lists on screen position as its own targeting column, with Above the fold, Below the fold and Unknown values. Position describes where a slot sits on the page; predicted viewability estimates the chance of a viewable impression. Excluding Unknown positions also removes requests that carry no position at all.
Why are measurable impressions lower than impressions served?
Google explains that a Display & Video 360 creative maps to a Campaign Manager 360 placement, which can rotate Active View enabled and non enabled creatives. Its example: with two equally rotated creatives and only one enabled, measurable impressions can be no more than 50% of all impressions. Default static image creatives are not measurable either.
Does the connected TV exemption change how CTV viewability is reported?
The exemption only changes bidding: by default, CTV devices are left out of viewability targeting on video line items so those line items can still bid on CTV inventory. Reporting follows Google's own CTV rule, which counts an ad on a known connected TV device on a top publisher as viewable when the video plays for at least 2 consecutive seconds.
Sources
- Viewability targeting (opens in a new tab)Display & Video 360 Help
- Environment targeting (opens in a new tab)Display & Video 360 Help
- App, channel, and website targeting (opens in a new tab)Display & Video 360 Help
- Troubleshoot your deals and line items (opens in a new tab)Display & Video 360 Help
- Metrics in reports (opens in a new tab)Display & Video 360 Help
- Limitations of Active View in Display & Video 360 (opens in a new tab)Display & Video 360 Help
- Viewability enum (opens in a new tab)Google for Developers, Display & Video 360 API
- Environment enum (opens in a new tab)Google for Developers, Display & Video 360 API
- Structured Data Files v11: Line Item (opens in a new tab)Google for Developers
Researched and written by PlacementGraph Research. Read how we research, source and update these pages. Corrections: diana@placementgraph.com.