Digital publishers are continuously focusing their efforts on actively optimizing their monetization strategy to get the best rates for their premium ad inventory and maximize their revenue. But the landscape of digital advertising comes with an overabundance of advertisers, networks, SSPs, and exchanges that greatly vary in quality and the amount they are willing to pay for ad space.
To achieve the dream of flowing revenues with premium advertisers, publishers have moved to header bidding. Through header bidding, publishers can sell their ad spaces on different ad exchanges and networks at the same time, thereby increasing the inventory value through programmatic advertising.
In a short span of time, header bidding has emerged as the preferred mode of inventory selling for publishers. There are two types of header bidding; server-side and client-side. Even though many publishers initially sought client-side header bidding, server-side header bidding has gradually made its mark on the Adtech industry.
In this article, we will talk about server-side header bidding, its key features, the difference between server-side header bidding and client-side header bidding, and how it might be the future of monetization for publishers worldwide.
Server-side header bidding, also known as server-to-server header bidding, or S2S, is a header bidding process where the ad space auction will take place on an external ad server. As the auction is moved to an external server and not the user’s browser, it positively impacts page speed, and publishers can connect with multiple ad exchanges, ad networks, and SSPs without worrying about hampering the user experience.
In client-side header bidding, as ad networks, SSPs, and ad exchanges use the user’s browser to run simultaneous auctions, the browser requires significant processing power, which can reduce page speed. This became a huge issue, especially with publishers that had a large number of ad spaces. Server-side header bidding was conceptualized to tackle the speed issues that client-side header bidding posed.
In contrast to server-side header bidding, which takes place on an external server, client-side header bidding, or browser-side header bidding, the auctions run in the user’s browser. In both bidding solutions, publishers have to auction off their inventory to multiple demand partners, which then place bids. The highest bid is selected as the winner, and the ad associated with the bid is displayed.
S2S header bidding brings multiple advantages over client-side header bidding for publishers. Here are some of the key differences between server-side header bidding and client-side header bidding.
However, there are certain aspects where client-side header bidding performs better than server-side header bidding
Both header bidding solutions, be it server-side or client-side, have the same idea behind their process. Both enable publishers to auction off their ad inventories to ad exchanges, networks, SSPs, and other demand partners. However, as we stated above, the key difference between server-side header bidding and client-side header bidding is that in S2S header bidding, the bidding takes place on an external ad server, while client-side header bidding utilizes the user’s browser to run auctions.
While server-side header bidding comes with a pool of features, it is critical to choose the right partner that not only maximizes your revenue but also enables a transparent and rewarding process. Below are some parameters you should look at while selecting a server-side bidding partner.
Yes! Google Open Bidding, formerly known as Exchange Bidding Dynamic Allocation (EBDA) is a server-side header bidding solution. The Google OB is a server-side unified auction allowing supply-side platforms, ad networks, and ad exchanges to sell ad impressions available simultaneously with Google AdX. Open Bidding allows publishers to invite third-party demand partners to compete for your inventory in a single auction with real-time, server-to-server bidding. If you want to know more in detail, here’s our in-depth article on Google Open Bidding.
While the debate for client-side vs server-side header bidding has continued among the publisher circles for a long time, many Adtech experts believe S2S bidding will reign supreme. This can be attributed to the fact that third-party cookies will become obsolete in the future, with Google phasing out cookie support from Google Chrome
While this change is bound to affect all publishers on client-side bidding, publishers leveraging server-side bidding shall not worry. The discontinuation of cookies can mark a huge shift for publishers from client-side bidding to server-side bidding, making it the advertising standard for all publishers.
While client-side header bidding offers a higher revenue to publishers due to cookies, server-side header bidding provides multiple other features that will benefit publishers in the long term. S2S bidding enables publishers to ditch the browser dependency, slow page speed, and limit ad partners to take control over their revenue. The added benefit of a better user experience makes it a far better proposition than client-side bidding.
iion offers next-generation monetization solutions for publishers looking to catalyze their earnings through header bidding. With a unified platform, we enable premium advertisers to bid simultaneously for your ad inventory so you can get the best rates for your inventory. Coupling that with easy deployment, you can get started with iion in no time!
Interested in increasing your revenue? Request a free callback today!
Question 1: What is server-side header bidding?
Answer: Server-side or server-to-server (S2S) header bidding is a programmatic approach to selling ad inventory, where the auction takes place in an external ad server, rather than on the user's browser.
Question 2: What are the advantages of server-side header bidding?
Answer: S2S header bidding reduces the dependency on the user's browser, thereby offering reduced latency. It also enables publishers to connect with as many ad partners as they wish and is perfect for video and rich media ads.
Question 3: How does server-side header bidding work?
Answer: When the user opens up the publisher's website on their browser, the browser sends a request to the ad server. The ad server then sets up an auction for the ad space, receiving bids from different advertisers. The highest bidder wins, and their ad is then sent to be displayed in the respective ad space.
Question 4: Which is better: client-side header bidding or server-side header bidding?
Answer: Both client-side and server-side header bidding solutions come with different advantages and disadvantages. While client-side bidding can increase the publisher's revenue through user targeting using cookies in the user's browser, server-side bidding opens up the inventory to unlimited demand partners.