What is Supply Side Platform in Advertising?

Supply Side Platform or SSP is another technology like demand side platforms (DSP) and ad exchange. But it works mainly for publishers and allows them to manage or sell their video, display, or native ad inventory through mobile and desktop SSP. But how does SSP work? And why are they called yield-optimization platforms? Let’s take a closer look at each of them and find out the answers!

What is Supply Side Platform?

The supply side platform is an automated AdTech platform that the publishers use to manage, sell, and optimize the ad inventory of their websites and mobile apps. In simpler terms, publishers use this platform to sell online ad placements via real-time bidding auctions instead of negotiating prices with the advertisers. Supply side platforms also offer an intimidating toolkit for more effective inventory management and revenue optimization.

The primary goal of SSP is to help publishers efficiently sell ad inventories by maximizing views and fill rates. In addition, this platform offers more control to publishers over their ad placements. It allows them to sell their video, display, and mobile inventory within a single dashboard.

How does a Supply Side Platform Work?

When digital advertising was new, publishers used to manually assign ads to their ad spaces. However, the advertisers became more competitive for the ad spaces as the audiences on the publisher’s website increased. So, the manual process of ad placing was no longer fit. SSP makes the same process easier. It works with DSP, a demand side platforms (used by advertisers) based on RTB protocol.

The SSP receives the users’ information from the web browser when they visit a website. This data is further transferred to the Demand side platforms (DSP). Then, based on the pre-set targeting options, optimizations, and CPMs through a Demand side platforms (DSP), advertisers automatically start bidding on the ad placement. The advertiser who makes the highest bid wins the ad space, and his ad is displayed on the website. 

What are the Best SSPs?

Different SSPs offer various functionalities. So choosing the right platform depends on the publisher’s budget, goal, campaign type, strategy, and targeted audience. Here is a list of the top SSP to choose from –

1. Google Ad Exchange – It is the best ad revenue engine that can connect publishers with millions of quality advertisers. This SSP platform helps publishers gain the full value of every ad impression across different demand sources and channels. Additionally, it offers a customizable dashboard where users can edit and format their text and image-based advertisements on google search engines.
2. OpenX – This platform provides digital publishers access to many premium advertisers through its ad exchanges. It offers many features like mobile app monetization, private marketplace, video monetization, OpenX ad exchange to its clients.
3. Pubmatic – This platform provides full-stack technology to enhance the ad revenue of digital publishers by connecting them to advertisers worldwide. It offers direct programmatic deals, mobile application monetization, OpenWrap header bidding, and more. 
4. Xandr – It offers auditing tools to publishers who can use them to optimize the ad experience for the users. Native advertising, video monetization solutions, header bidding solutions, direct programmatic deals, and mobile application monetization are some additional features offered by this platform.
5. Verizon Media – The SSP can run different ad campaigns like CPC, CPM, CPA, and CPI for publishers worldwide. Moreover, it provides many data-driven monetization solutions for publishers, such as direct programmatic deals, heading bidding solutions, mobile application monetization, etc.

How does an SSP get paid by a Demand side platforms (DSP)?

Demand side platforms (DSP) doesn’t directly pay to the SSP, but it is done via an Ad exchange. It also helps different DSPs and SSPs to connect and trade. DSP sends money to the Ad exchange when the process of Real-time bidding (RTB) is complete. The ad exchange then transfers the money to SSP.