Ad Mediation
Ad mediation platforms enable publishers to sell ad inventory efficiently by having ad networks compete for space, ensuring the highest bid wins, which boosts fill rates and eCPMs. In-app header bidding allows real-time bidding by multiple advertisers for ad space, with the highest bidder paying slightly more than the second-highest bid. This method ensures publishers maximize revenue and advertisers pay fair rates.
Waterfall bidding, an older method, sequentially selects ad networks based on performance or preference, often used for quick remnant inventory sales. It involves the ad mediation platform ranking ad networks by performance, then displaying the winning ad via the SDK.
When choosing among popular ad mediation platforms like AdMob by Google, ironSource, MoPub, and Max, consider the supported ad networks, server reliability, campaign optimization features like audience segmentation and testing, and the quality of customer support and data safety protocols. These criteria help select the best platform for maximizing ad revenue and campaign performance.