Best Publisher Ad Server Software
Publisher ad servers, commonly referred to as ad servers, help website publishers earn money from their websites through online advertising. It allows publishers to generate revenue from their content by selling ads on their site while keeping that content free for their audiences.
Publishers use ad servers to manage ad operations such as creating ad units, setting inventory price minimums, trafficking ads, and tracking conversions and advertisers’ budgets.
Ad servers are complemented by advertiser campaign management software that marketers use to buy the ad inventory made available by publishers. Publisher ad servers make inventory available to sell through ad networks software, which packages ad units from multiple publishers together to sell to advertisers.
Publisher ad servers commonly function as supply side platforms (SSP) as well, and many products in the ad server category are also in the SSP category. Ad servers may also provide functionalities otherwise found in mobile app monetization software.
To qualify for inclusion in the Publisher Ad Server category, a product must:
Best Publisher Ad Server Software At A Glance
G2 takes pride in showing unbiased reviews on user satisfaction in our ratings and reports. We do not allow paid placements in any of our ratings, rankings, or reports. Learn about our scoring methodologies.
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Google AdSense is a program run by Google that allows publishers in the Google Network of content sites to serve automatic text, image, video, or interactive media advertisements, that are targeted to
- Manager
- Owner
- Marketing and Advertising
- Entertainment
- 81% Small-Business
- 14% Mid-Market
32,553,933 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
DoubleClick for Publishers is a complete ad revenue engine that helps publishers capture the full value of every impression across demand sources and channels. Seamless integration with DoubleClick Ad
- Marketing and Advertising
- Publishing
- 43% Mid-Market
- 36% Small-Business
32,553,933 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Sizmek Ad Suite gives you everything you need to create, distribute, and optimize your messaging, including ad serving, creative authoring, and industry-leading dynamic creative optimization. Harness
- Marketing and Advertising
- 45% Small-Business
- 36% Mid-Market
6,019,494 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
SAS Customer Intelligence 360 is an enterprise multi-channel marketing hub that transforms insights into action, delivering seamless, personalized customer experiences. Our technology empowers markete
- Marketing and Advertising
- Banking
- 49% Mid-Market
- 31% Enterprise
62,425 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
AdButler is a comprehensive AdTech platform with a host of solutions for enterprise and SMB clients. We are a one-stop-shop for publishers, networks and marketers to realize their digital advertising
- Marketing and Advertising
- Publishing
- 87% Small-Business
- 13% Mid-Market
9 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Media.net is the world's second largest contextual advertising platform. We offer cutting edge ad tech with server to server technology for publishers looking to monetize their audiences as also a fre
- 59% Small-Business
- 35% Mid-Market
263 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
MonetizeMore is a Google Certified Publishing Partner that has built an award-winning ad tech platform (PubGuru) to empower web publishers and app developers. 1000+ digital publishers trust us to mana
- 67% Small-Business
- 26% Mid-Market
4,061 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Broadstreet is an Ad Manager that caters specifically to the needs of direct, digital ad sales. It's a platform best suited to city and regional magazines, local news websites, trade journals, and rad
- Owner
- Publisher
- Publishing
- Online Media
- 98% Small-Business
- 2% Mid-Market
590 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
At Insticator, we’re on a mission to create a smart, unified platform built to collect, aggregate and monetize all of a publisher’s first-party data. Our suite of engagement products empowers publishe
- 57% Small-Business
- 43% Mid-Market
3,698 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Sophisticated self-serve media technology. DanAds is the leading provider of self-service advertising technology. We provide publishers with their own customizable, scalable, white-labeled self-ser
- Marketing and Advertising
- Online Media
- 41% Enterprise
- 34% Mid-Market
1,575 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
OpenX’s vision is to unleash the full economic potential of digital media companies through superior advertising technology.
- Marketing and Advertising
- 37% Mid-Market
- 32% Enterprise
17,813 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Kevel offers the infrastructure APIs needed to quickly build custom ad platforms for sponsored listings, internal promotions, native ads, and more - allowing brands to drive new revenue in a user-firs
- Marketing and Advertising
- 49% Small-Business
- 42% Mid-Market
1,930 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Adaptive Medias, Inc. is a full end-to-end platform solution for digital monetization.
- 36% Mid-Market
- 36% Small-Business
49 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Ezoic is a machine learning based advertisement testing and optimization platform.
- 93% Small-Business
- 7% Mid-Market
14,551 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
EXADS is a White-label Ad Serving Technology provider that has been developing platforms for advertisers, publishers, ad networks and agencies for over 10 years. At EXADS, we build scalable solutions
- Marketing and Advertising
- 73% Mid-Market
- 20% Small-Business
90 Twitter followers
Learn More About Publisher Ad Server Software
What is an Ad Server?
An ad server is a fundamental advertising technology responsible for placing ads on websites and apps. It manages and delivers digital ads, ensuring they reach the right audiences. Publisher ad servers store ad data and distribute ads across multiple platforms, tracking impressions, clicks, and other vital statistics. They can also target specific ads to users based on predefined criteria, enhancing relevance and engagement.
Two main types of publisher ad server software exist: hosted solutions, which are maintained by a third party, and self-hosted solutions, managed in-house on a private server. Selecting the top publisher ad servers depends on your business needs, considering factors such as scalability and user features. The best publisher ad server software offers seamless integration with ad networks, robust analytics, and advanced targeting, positioning it as a critical tool in optimizing ad effectiveness and revenue.
Why do Publishers Need Ad Servers?
Ad servers are essential for publishers aiming to monetize digital content effectively. Here’s a closer look at why publishers rely heavily on ad server technologies.
- Efficient ad management: Ad servers automate the delivery and tracking of ads, enabling publishers to manage diverse ad formats with ease and precision. This automation ensures that advertising efforts are both scalable and efficient.
- Maximizing revenue streams: By connecting with a larger pool of advertisers and managing inventory effectively, ad servers help publishers increase their revenue potential through targeted ad placements and competitive pricing strategies.
- Real-time analytics and reporting: Ad servers provide detailed insights into campaign performance, allowing publishers to make data-driven decisions. This real-time feedback loop helps optimize ad strategies for better engagement and profitability.
- Inventory control and pricing: With an ad server, publishers can maintain control over their ad inventory and set pricing strategies that align with their financial goals, ensuring transparent and profitable ad operations.
- Integration with ad networks and exchanges: Ad servers support seamless integration with various ad networks and exchanges, broadening exposure to potential advertisers and enhancing ad fill rates, which boosts overall revenue.
- Strategic advantage: Ad servers enable effective app monetization strategies, ensuring publishers remain agile and competitive.
What are the Common Features of Publisher Ad Server Software?
The following are some core features within publisher ad server programs that can help users identify if this type of software will meet their business needs:
- Ad creation and management: Publisher ad servers enable efficient creation and management of ads and campaigns. They facilitate inventory sales through ad networks, bundling ad units across publishers for advertisers.
- Third-party integrations: The best ad server software integrates easily with third-party ad networks and exchanges, offering proprietary ad inventory. They often function as SSPs, allowing real-time, impression-based marketplace transactions.
- Ad automation: Top publisher ad servers automate ad deployment to achieve campaign goals such as views and clicks. They have customizable settings (e.g., time frame, location) that align with business objectives and require minimal user intervention.
- Tracking and analytics: Publisher ad server software provides robust analytics for tracking ad performance and revenue generation. These tools offer insights into audience behavior to inform future ad strategies and enhance effectiveness.
What are the Benefits of Publisher Ad Server Software?
Ad server software has many benefits, whether for a small company with a limited budget or large conglomerates. Below are some examples:
- Easy implementation: This software often requires little setup. Once bought, the total onboarding to publishing time is relatively short. This helps the publisher move quickly and efficiently in starting revenue flow.
- Simple publishing tools: Publisher ad server software's goal is to generate revenue from advertisements. However, the goal is also to save time and effort to maximize profit. Therefore, the simplicity of a single dashboard to run all elements of a campaign is preferred.
- Diverse revenue stream: Publishers are often reliant on a singular method of income. These tools allow them to incorporate different types of ads digitally (also in multiple formats) to bring a more consistent revenue stream.
Who Uses Publisher Ad Server Software?
While multiple stakeholders can use publisher ad server software, its purpose is very specific.
- Marketing professionals: The entire purpose of this software is to create an easy and accessible way to manage advertisements across a variety of channels, regardless of industry. This could mean anyone with the ability to learn how to use the software can, but more often than not, a marketing or social media professional would be tasked with this role.
- Growth marketing managers: Creating and publishing ads that meet the requirements, publication on an ad exchange, plus formatting and creating the content for them can be a large job. This responsibility will often fall to a marketing manager or a growth marketing manager. They have the skill set to run said ads while maintaining them and tracking their analytics.
Challenges with Publisher Ad Server Software
Below are the top challenges of using these tools:
- Finding the right publisher: It’s common experience to look for the right fit for any software that is well-trusted and has a good reputation. Publisher ad servers are no different, especially since they are attached to revenue goals. Be sure to check if the functionality suits the business needs and that the server is financially stable to facilitate a smooth payout.
- ROI: Since an ad server is used to create an alternative revenue stream, the main goal is actually to make money. One should ask if the return on investment (ROI) is worth the software. It’s crucial to monitor the targeting and performance, which can affect revenue goals.
Which Companies Should Buy Publisher Ad Server Software?
- Digital marketing agencies or services: Creating advertisements (via native or mobile) costs time and money. Some agencies and independent services provide end-to-end creation, campaign deployment, and monetization services, so they’ll need to utilize publisher ad servers to generate additional revenue for clients. Depending on the type of agency and the type of ad goals one is trying to accomplish, it could be more cost-effective to use this type of service.
- Any business looking to increase digital ad revenue: Because of its simplicity, a publisher ad server can be utilized by many different industries and businesses. Any type of digital ad (mobile, native, digital, out-of-home, display, etc.) can be created and run from a publisher ad server. Finding software solutions to speed up that process without compromising the product can be invaluable.
How to Buy Publisher Ad Server Software?
Start by systematically approaching the purchase of top publisher ad server software to ensure alignment with business goals and requirements. Follow these steps for gathering requirements, comparing products, and making informed decisions.
- Requirements gathering (RFI/RFP): Identify software that enables digital publishers to monetize their websites effectively through online ads. Ensure the product aligns with core business objectives.
- Create a long list: Start by understanding which products don't meet your key needs. Focus on essential features—like publishing channels and content types—and exclude options lacking these. Remember, if a product offers non-essential, unique features that don't align with primary goals, it's prudent to exclude it.
- Create a Shortlist: Select products that closely match your necessary features and business requirements. Utilize reviews and third-party evaluations to refine your choices further and ensure reliability.
- Conduct Demos: Opt for free trials, often between one week and a month, to evaluate how the software suits your needs. Use this period to assess features and prepare questions crucial to your purchasing decision. Review tiered pricing plans to ensure they align with your business size and needs during discussions with sales contacts.
How to choose the best Publisher Ad Server Software?
Selecting the best publisher ad server software involves careful consideration and collaboration with internal teams to match the software's capabilities with business needs. Follow these outlined steps to make a wise investment.
- Choose a selection team: Involve key internal stakeholders, like managers and department heads, in the purchasing decision to align strategy and ensure transparency in cost and implementation. Consider both financial implications and implementation timelines.
- Negotiation: While negotiation may not always be necessary, never compromise on essential features, add-ons, or services. Evaluate extra costs for potentially beneficial features and attempt to include them in the base package where possible.
- Final decision: Base the decision on aligning with business objectives and staying within budget. Ensure all stakeholders agree on how this software will enhance business outcomes.
Researched and written by Victoria Blackwell
