GLOSSARY / SupplySidePlatform
Supply-Side Platforms

Supply-Side Platforms (SSPs)

What are Supply-Side Platforms (SSPs)?

Supply-side platforms (SSPs) are technology platforms that help publishers automate the selling, managing, and optimizing of their ad inventory on the web and mobile devices. SSPs streamline the process of selling ad space, enabling publishers to scale their operations and maximize revenue by ensuring that ad spaces are filled efficiently.

How SSPs Work

SSPs play a crucial role in the digital advertising ecosystem by bridging the gap between publishers and advertisers. They send available ad impressions to multiple potential buyers, aiming to sell the publisher’s inventory at the best possible price. This automated process allows advertisers to purchase ad impressions across various publisher sites, targeting specific users based on their online behaviour.

When a user visits a webpage, the SSP communicates with the advertiser’s demand-side platform (DSP) to serve relevant ads in real-time. This interaction ensures that ads are placed on sites that align with the advertiser's target audience, leading to more effective ad campaigns.

SSPs and DSPs

DSPs and SSPs are complementary technologies within the programmatic advertising ecosystem. While SSPs are used by publishers to sell ad space, DSPs are employed by advertisers to buy ad inventory. Both platforms connect via ad exchanges, where automated, auction-style transactions occur.

Mobile SSPs

Mobile SSPs are integrated into existing SSP ecosystems, handling mobile ad inventory. These platforms connect to mobile ad exchanges, enabling app publishers and developers to offer their mobile impressions to advertisers.

Benefits of SSPs

  1. Boosting Ad Fill Rates: SSPs help increase ad fill rates by ensuring that available ad spaces are sold to the highest bidder, leading to higher revenue per space.

  2. Limiting Impression Fatigue: SSPs work with DSPs to cap ad frequency, reducing the likelihood of users seeing the same ad repeatedly and preventing ad fatigue.

  3. Giving Publishers More Control Over Pricing: SSPs allow publishers to set price floors, ensuring that ad space is sold at fair prices and maximizing revenue.

The Programmatic Advertising Ecosystem

Programmatic advertising automates the buying and selling of digital ad space, connecting publishers to ad exchanges, and facilitating real-time bidding (RTB) and programmatic direct transactions.

Real-Time Bidding (RTB)

In RTB, advertisers bid automatically for ad impressions in real-time. The SSP manages the bidding process, and the winning ad is served to the user based on budgets and demographic criteria.

Programmatic Direct

Programmatic directly involves non-auction transactions where publishers sell ad space directly to advertisers at a negotiated price. This model guarantees premium ads and a set number of impressions, benefiting both parties. Choosing the Right SSP

When selecting an SSP, consider the following questions:

  1. Do I Need a Third-Party SSP or a Custom SSP? Third-Party SSP: These ready-made platforms are easy to implement and use but come with fees and limited customization options. Custom SSP: Custom-built platforms offer complete control, ownership of data, and tailored features but have higher upfront costs.

  2. Does It Consider the Publisher’s Users? An SSP with diverse options allows publishers to experiment with different formats, optimizing user engagement and increasing click-through rates.

  3. Does It Have Multiple Demand Sources? Connecting to various top-quality DSPs, ad exchanges, and ad networks ensures a competitive environment for ad space, maximizing revenue.

  4. Does It Offer Analytics and Reporting?

An SSP with robust analytics helps publishers track performance, fill rates, and user interactions, enabling better monetization of ad impressions.

Top SSPs in the Market

  1. Google Ad Manager

  2. OpenX

  3. Magnite

  4. Sovrn

  5. PubMatic

  6. InMobi

  7. SmartyAds

  8. Index Exchange

Key Takeaways

SSPs are essential for the future of digital advertising, automating, and optimizing the selling of a publisher’s media space. They facilitate relationships between publishers and advertisers, boost ad fill rates, limit ad impression fatigue, and provide greater control over pricing. By understanding their needs and the right questions to ask, publishers can choose the SSP that best suits their requirements.