Header Bidding Explained

What is header bidding?

Header bidding is an approach where publishers allow multiple exchanges and SSPs to bid on the same impression simultaneously before calling the ad server. This increases competition and transparency versus a sequential waterfall model.

Benefits

• Higher yield for publishers through increased competition.
• Better price discovery and transparency across buyers.
• Opportunity to run private deals and preferred bidding rules.

Best practices

1. Monitor latency and only enable vendors that meet performance SLAs.
2. Use consistent floor pricing to avoid skewed auction results.
3. Validate bid responses and filter invalid traffic or suspicious activity.