What is Real-Time Bidding (RTB)?

RTB (real-time bidding) is an online advertising technology which enables publishers (website owners) to sell advertising inventory on an ad exchange platform on an impression-by-impression basis as each impression becomes available on a publisher’s website (i.e., in real time).

RTB enables buyers (advertisers) and sellers (publishers) to dynamically adjust their bids as market conditions change, and also based on real time feedback on the effectiveness of an ad campaign.

Typically, RTB is used in conjunction with user data, allowing for improved ad targeting and greater campaign effectiveness, which has led to the notion of ‘audience buying’ rather than ‘inventory buying’.

What makes SiteScout better?

The SiteScout platform was designed specifically for the self-serve media buyer in mind – which means that we offer ultimate transparency.

1. Transparency – Full data granularity on the campaign, site, placement, and creative levels.

2. Interface – Fast and easy-to-use interface provide a friendly experience.

3. Control – Domain level media buying allow very specific media planning. In addition to run-of-network or run-of-category.

4. Service – Our account managers are some of the most helpful people you will ever meet.

How does bidding work?

The RTB runs on an auction model. You set the max bid (CPM) that you will pay for a placement and win impressions at $0.01/CPM above the next highest bidder. In other words…

If “Advertiser A” bids $1.00 CPM and “Advertiser B” bids $5.00 CPM, “Advertiser B” will win the impression at $1.01 CPM
(or to put it more accurately, $0.00101 for that specific impression.)

Although you bid at a CPM rate, you are actually bidding on each individual impression (i.e., $1.00 CPM = $0.001 per impression.) When you make changes to your campaigns, the system reacts immediately, giving you unprecedented control over your media buying experience.

What’s a campaign?

A “campaign” is an advertising term that’s widely used to describe a bundle of specifics for an advertising initiative. In the display advertising world, this bundle of specifics include:
- the creatives (banners)
- a destination website when users click on the banner
- bid prices
- targeting rules (geography, device, time, context, demographic, etc.)
- and so on…

How does targeting work?

In the milliseconds before ads are served, we are given a ton of details about the user that is about to view the upcoming ad. From geographic location to browser and device information, we have access to a slew of data that is used for targeting. Within our platform, most of this targeting data can be specified by our users in their campaigns.

How does retargeting work?

Retargeting or “audience targeting” allows you to track users that visit your webpage (or any online destination), and find those users across almost any site on the web. This is done using cookies.

By building a retargeting list or “audience” of users who have visited a certain website, you can create powerful customized campaigns, tailored to those specific users, and which will only be seen by those users.

For more info, check out our Simple Guide to Retargeting.