AdTech Unraveled: Solving the Complexity Puzzle

The early days of programmatic advertising were pretty straightforward – just a few bidders, minimal complexity, and fairly predictable results. In today’s landscape, it’s an entirely different story. The industry is now flooded with demand-side platforms (DSPs), supply-side platforms (SSPs), ad exchanges, identity solutions, and constantly shifting privacy regulations. The sheer number of acronyms, technologies, and optimizations can make it feel impossible to keep up. 

Publishers are left asking:

• Which bidders are the most effective? 
• Do I call them via Prebid client-side or server-side, Amazon TAM, or Google Open Bidding?
• How do I balance user experience while still achieving revenue goals? 
• How do I optimize price floors and auction timeouts? 
• Which identity solutions actually drive results?

You probably already understand the value of managing all of these elements and tailoring them to your audiences, but even the most sophisticated publishers can’t manage everything across different geographies, device types, and audiences efficiently by hand.

Introducing Freestar Intelligence: The Engine that Powers Real-Time Optimization

Freestar Intelligence is our proprietary decision engine that provides real-time customization at a granularity you could only previously dream of. Combining over a decade of hands-on experience, the horsepower of artificial intelligence and machine learning(AI/ML), and relentless experimentation (over 25 million experiments a week, in fact), we have built an optimization machine that takes the guesswork out of maximizing revenue. Continually enhanced by our expert team of data scientists and engineers, Freestar Intelligence dynamically adjusts auction mechanics (the back-end) and user experience (the front-end), leveraging our ever-growing suite of solutions to remove the headaches of manual yield management.

But what does that actually look like in action? Let’s take a look under the hood and break down the key ways Freestar Intelligence works to effortlessly maximize revenue for publishers every day.

Dynamic Ad Stack: Smarter Auction Mechanics 

Freestar’s Dynamic Ad Stack (DAS) ensures all the behind-the-scenes elements of the auction are performing at their full potential by leveraging the power of AI/ML to adapt to market dynamics in real-time. Unlike traditional static configurations, DAS ensures every aspect of auction mechanics is fully optimized in real-time. The following are some of the many great features of DAS:

→ Next-Gen Header Bidding: Faster, Smarter, Lighter

Freestar’s modular header bidding wrapper is designed to be as efficient as possible, loading only the necessary code components. This “micro wrapper” approach cuts memory usage by 40% and reduces latency by 500ms compared to traditional setups. By reducing the number of resource-intensive features by up to 30%, it improves page load times while minimizing the impact on device performance.

The result? Faster load times, reduced JavaScript bloat, and a smoother user experience. With fewer active modules, there’s less strain on a visitor’s device, reducing memory leaks and improving performance across all browsers. 

→ Dynamic Bidder Configurations and Timeouts: A Personalized Approach

Not all bidders perform equally in every situation, which is why DAS customizes the auction mechanics for every ad request. By dynamically selecting the ideal mix of server-side and client-side bidders, fine-tuning auction timeouts based on geo, device, and network speed, and leveraging historical auction data for real-time optimizations, our AI/ML-powered configuration system ensures revenue from each impression is maximized.

The result? Unlike fixed configurations that treat all visitors the same, this more granular approach results in faster page loads, higher engagement, improved user experience, and on average, a 5 to 8% revenue uplift for publishers.

→ Staying Ahead by Testing Identity Partners

With the decline of third-party cookies, alternative identity solutions are essential as advertisers will pay more when they know something about your users. If you don’t have identity solutions in place, you’re leaving a lot of revenue on the table. However, not all solutions deliver the same results. Freestar’s Identity Testing Framework removes the guesswork by: 

• • Running side-by-side tests on multiple identity providers
  • Tracking real revenue impact
  • Optimizing for the best mix of partners

The result? Publishers using this framework have already seen a 25 to 50% higher performance on cookieless browsers and even a 3 to 5% increase in Chrome, ensuring they stay ahead in a privacy-first world.

→  Floor Pricing: Ensuring the Price is Right

Setting the right floor price safeguards your high-value ad inventory while avoiding overpricing that can result in low fill rates that hurt overall revenue.  Our Freestar Intelligence -powered Dynamic Flooring technology takes the guess work out of striking the right pricing balance and automatically adjusts floor prices for each ad request based on factors like:

• • Device type (mobile vs. desktop)
  • Time of day
  • Geography
  • Historical bid patterns

The result? Publishers using this technology have seen a 21% increase in CPMs compared to manual floors and a 7% lift over Google’s automated floors.

 

Dynamic Ad Products: Smarter Ad Placement Without Extra Work

The front-end on-page experience is just as important as what happens behind the scenes. However,  ad placement can be a challenge – too many ads disrupt the user’s experience, but too few leave revenue on the table. A dynamic versus static setup ensures that each user is served the right type of ad format at the right time.

Unlike many of our competitors, Freestar’s Dynamic Ad Products are not a one-size-fits-all solution. Our agnostic approach allows us to customize each publisher’s ad placements using our AI/ML engine to power smarter ads that take into account user behavior and device type.

Whether it’s showcasing multiple ads within a single ad placement, inserting the ideal video player, displaying high-impact formats, or customizing a desktop vs. mobile experience, our suite of dynamic ad products empowers you to do more with less. All while maintaining a positive user experience and adhering to the Coalition for Better Ads standards.

Our latest development, Intelligent Ad Insertion (IAI), uses Freestar Intelligence to:

• Determine the optimal mix of in-content and high-impact ad placements
• Maximize revenue without compromising user engagement

The result? Publishers using IAI have seen an additional 5% revenue uplift, all without lifting a finger!

AdTech is Complex: You Don’t Have to Manage It Alone

The reality is that today’s Adtech world is far too complex for publishers to navigate on their own. Monetization isn’t about simple plug-and-play solutions. It requires a team, a strategy, and cutting-edge technology. That’s where Freestar comes in. We provide both the engine that powers dynamic solutions at scale and the expert team to drive the technology. While Freestar Intelligence certainly leverages the power of AI/ML, you can rest assured, we don’t let AI run the whole show. At the end of the day, we know AI/ML will always require a real heartbeat to steer it in the right direction. And Freestar’s direction has always been and will remain “Publisher First”, creating solutions that empower publishers to focus on what they do best: create great content.

Want to learn more? Watch our recent webinar to see how Freestar Intelligence is shaping the future of ad monetization. 

For the past decade, publishers have relied on Freestar’s fully-managed ad tech solutions to increase revenue, decrease headcount costs, and simplify monetization. But we know that fully-managed is not the ideal approach for all publishers. Some have sophisticated in-house ad ops teams that want more control over their ad stack but lack the time, resources, or expertise to build a world-class header bidding solution from scratch.

That’s exactly why we created Freestar Flex.

We have taken the best elements of Freestar’s award-winning monetization platform and added in self-managed publisher tools that provide the best of all worlds – full transparency and control coupled with Freestar’s proven technology and expertise that has been perfected over a decade of driving publisher success.

Designed for Publishers Who Want More Control

Until now, publishers wanting more control were faced with a difficult choice: invest significant time and money into developing their own monetization technology or utilize sub-par solutions from companies that either don’t exclusively focus on header bidding or lack Freestar’s vast knowledge, experience and technology.

With Flex, we’re bridging that gap by offering our battle-tested monetization platform in a more flexible manner that empowers publishers to seamlessly manage their own header bidding setup. Built for teams that want more autonomy, Flex delivers the transparency, efficiency, and advanced AI/ML optimization tools needed to maximize revenue without the hassle of building from scratch and trying to keep up with the ever-changing world of ad tech.

Technology That Works for You

Flex isn’t just another behind-the-scenes ad tech tool; it’s a powerful, intuitive platform designed to put publishers in charge. With both manual and AI/ML-optimized floors, timeouts, and bidder configurations, publishers can fine-tune auction mechanics in real-time to maximize performance. The advanced reporting and analytics suite unifies dozens of disparate data sources and provides deeper insights to help publishers make data-driven optimization decisions. Built-in A/B testing tools allow publishers to run experiments with different ad stacks to compare performance and optimize with confidence.

Additionally, Flex includes a comprehensive identity testing framework to future-proof publisher monetization in a privacy-compliant manner. The platform also seamlessly integrates a myriad of third-party technologies and partners through one simple implementation, making it an incredibly powerful monetization engine and not just a Prebid wrapper. Finally, while Flex provides self-managed tools and offers class-leading AI/ML optimization options, publishers will still have on-demand access to Freestar’s white-glove consultative support via an integrated chat feature that provides direct access to our expert teams if needed.

Tested, Proven, and Ready for You

Although Flex is only now being publicly unveiled to the world, it is far from brand-new, as we have been working on it for over a year. That time has included dozens of iterative sprints, hundreds of hours of rigorous testing, and a ton of invaluable feedback from industry-leading publishers who have helped test and refine the offering. We are incredibly excited to introduce many new features with Flex that will empower publishers in different ways than we have in the past; however, its core is the same monetization platform trusted by hundreds of publishers for the past 10 years that has allowed Freestar to become the number one ad management partner for large websites in the world. As a result, we know Flex can help take even the most sophisticated publisher’s monetization to another level while decreasing the time and effort needed to make it happen.

See Freestar Flex in Action

Curious to learn more about Freestar Flex? Check out our interactive highlight demo for a preview of the platform’s capabilities in action.

Our latest webinar of the Publisher Predictions was an insightful deep dive into the most pressing issues and opportunities shaping the publishing and adtech landscape. From decoding audience engagement to navigating the complexities of SSP consolidation, the session offered actionable strategies for publishers aiming to thrive in a dynamic market. If you missed it, here are the top takeaways you need to know:

1. Building Smarter Traffic Strategies with Identity Graphs and Audience Segmentation

Publishers are leveraging identity graphs to unlock deeper insights into their audience profiles, creating a bridge between anonymized data and identifiable user attributes. This enables more precise audience segmentation, allowing publishers to tailor content and advertising for higher engagement and ROI. SSO (Single Sign-On) has emerged as a pivotal tool for integrating these insights, ensuring a seamless user experience while safeguarding privacy.

Pro Tip from our experts: Use your content as a testing ground to refine audience segments – track what resonates and iterate to drive higher traffic quality. Look into data to drive your content strategy.

2. Video Monetization: Filling the Gaps with a Mobile-First Approach

Video continues to dominate the ad revenue conversations in 2024 and well into 2025, but it’s no longer enough to prioritize desktop placements. Mobile-first video monetization strategies are essential, especially as mobile traffic accounts for a growing share of publisher audiences, especially when targeting the younger mobile-first demographic. Publishers can improve fill rates and monetize short-form content by optimizing video placements and format, particularly on social platforms.

Pro Tip from our experts: Experiment with vertical and immersive video formats to capture mobile users’ attention in competitive feeds.

3. Monetization Diversification: The Power of Curation and Omnichannel SSPs

Publishers are strategically curating ad inventory and packaging premium placements to attract higher bids. By partnering with omnichannel SSPs, they’re diversifying programmatic ad spend across channels like video, display, and CTV, reducing reliance on any single ad type or buyer. Supply path optimization (SPO) is critical in creating transparency and efficiency for buyers, translating to stronger revenue for publishers.

Pro Tip from our experts:  Regularly assess the performance of your SSP partners to ensure you’re maximizing omnichannel demand, being agile and adaptive.

4. The AI Evolution: Tracking User Behavior to Inform Strategy

AI/ML continues to transform how publishers understand and predict user behavior. Predictive algorithms enable content teams to anticipate trends and tailor experiences in real time, while monetization teams use AI to fine-tune programmatic auction strategies. However, successful implementation requires a balance of automation and human oversight to maintain brand integrity and user trust.

Pro Tip from our experts: Use AI to enhance first-party data insights but ensure editorial teams retain control over content narratives, thus maintaining competitive advantage regarding content refresh and contextual targeting. 

5. SSP Consolidation: What It Means for Publishers

The ongoing consolidation of the SSP market is reshaping the adtech ecosystem. Publishers should proactively evaluate their SSP partnerships and diversify their demand sources to mitigate potential vulnerabilities.

Pro Tip from our experts: Look for SSP partners that align with your business model, offering transparency, innovation, and consistent support.

Connect with our Speakers:

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital advertising, publishers are constantly seeking ways to optimize their revenue streams. One of the most impactful strategies for increasing revenue is through higher CPM (Cost Per Thousand Impressions) rates, which directly tie to how effectively ad inventory is monetized. 

But first, what’s an Identity graph solution?

It denotes creating a unified view of a user behavior by connecting various data points across multiple devices, channels, and platforms. This holistic view is often referred as an “Identity Graph (ID)” solution 

Implementing an Identity (ID) Graph solution is key to achieving these higher CPMs, as it allows for more precise audience targeting and better ad personalization. Without leveraging an ID Graph, publishers aren’t just missing out on premium ad deals—they’re leaving significant revenue on the table. Here’s how:

1. Enhanced Audience Targeting

ID Graphs aggregate user data across various devices and platforms, creating a unified view of the user. This allows advertisers to target their desired audiences with precision, leading to more relevant ads being served since it becomes targeted. When advertisers can reach their ideal audience, they’re willing to pay a premium, resulting in higher CPMs for publishers, resulting in revenue uplift.

2. Improved Ad Personalization

With an ID Graph, personalization goes beyond basic demographics. Advertisers can tailor their messages based on user behavior, interests, and intent. Personalized ads tend to perform better, attracting higher bids and boosting CPM rates. ID graphs also support Dynamic Creative Optimization (DCO) by giving the right data to tailor ad creatives dynamically based on the user profile. 

3. Cross-Device Tracking

Users today interact with content across multiple devices and platforms ID graphs can recognize the same user across different devices, ensuring ads are delivered in a consistent and targeted approach which helps in providing a comprehensive view of the user journey. Advertisers value this cross-device consistency as it offers more targeted and premium ad placements, which can drive up demand and, consequently, CPMs.

4. Reduced Wasted Impressions

By accurately identifying and targeting users, ID Graphs minimize wasted impressions on non-relevant audiences. This efficiency makes your inventory more valuable to advertisers, who are willing to pay more for effective ad placements, thus not only increasing your CPM but also create a frequency cap to enable optimized ad delivery.

5. Strengthened Data Privacy Compliance

In a world increasingly focused on data privacy, ID Graphs help ensure compliance with regulations like GDPR and CCPA. When advertisers feel confident that their ads are served in a privacy-compliant environment, they’re more likely to invest.

6. Access to Premium Demand

ID Graphs open the door to premium demand partners who prioritize quality and precision in their ad buys. This access to high-caliber advertisers means higher bids for your optimized  ad inventory and dynamic pricing as it enables a more sophisticated programmatic strategy including dynamic pricing that adjust based on user profiles and demand.

7. Better Audience Segmentation

With the detailed insights provided by an ID Graph, you can create more granular audience segments. Advertisers are willing to pay more for specific, high-intent segments, as opposed to broad, less-targeted groups that align with the target demographics and behavioral patterns.

8. Enhanced Attribution Models

ID Graphs offer improved attribution capabilities, allowing advertisers to understand better the customer journey and the impact of their ads. Clear, accurate attribution increases the perceived value of ad placements, encouraging advertisers to invest more, as it allows them to understand the campaign effectiveness better and justify spends.

9. Increased Buyer Confidence

When advertisers know they’re getting accurate, reliable data from ID Graphs, their confidence in placing higher bids grows. They have better control over where and to whom the ads are being served which builds brand safety. This trust translates to higher demand for your inventory and, ultimately, better CPMs.

10. Future-Proofing Against Third-Party Cookie Deprecation

As the industry moves away from third-party cookies, ID Graphs are becoming essential for maintaining accurate targeting capabilities as reliance on first-party data increases Publishers who adopt ID Graph solutions now are better positioned to command high CPM rates in a cookie-less future, avoiding the revenue dips that come with outdated methods.

Don’t Miss Out: Get Ahead with ID Graph Solutions

The ad tech landscape is rapidly changing, and staying ahead of the curve is crucial for maximizing your revenue. By integrating an ID Graph solution, you can significantly boost your CPM rates, attracting premium advertisers who value precision, personalization, compliance, and a better return on investment.

At Freestar, we specialize in helping publishers navigate these complexities and optimize their monetization strategies. Don’t let the competition leave you behind—contact us today to learn how we can help you implement an ID Graph solution and unlock your full revenue potential.

 

As a publisher, staying ahead of Google’s algorithm updates can feel like an uphill battle. However, significant traffic drops, especially since the September 2023 Helpful Content Update, have made this more challenging than ever. At Freestar, we are committed to helping publishers avoid penalties and regain lost traffic—leading to more revenue opportunities.

While traffic declines across all sources have been a concern, the most painful drop has been in organic search traffic. Since September 2023, Google has released nine algorithm updates, and another just launched last week. These changes, combined with the rise of AI-generated search results, have caused 80% of publishers to report drops in search traffic in 2023. The key to recovery—and ultimately to driving revenue—lies in staying compliant with Google’s guidelines and optimizing your site for both users and search engines.

Despite these challenges, there is cautious optimism among publishers. According to a recent survey, just over 90% of publishers expect some rebound in traffic in the coming months, driven partly by major events like the Olympics and political elections. There’s also hope that Google will allow recovery for sites that have addressed the issues for which they were penalized.

However, unless the penalty is manual, Google typically provides no specific information as to why a site may have been penalized. That’s why it’s crucial to understand common reasons websites might be hit by an algorithm update, all of which relate to practices that violate Google’s Search Essentials. By focusing on high-quality content, strategic internal linking, and staying ahead of emerging trends, publishers can navigate these updates and position themselves for recovery.

Dive deeper into how websites might be penalized and how to avoid these pitfalls so you can focus on growing your audience and improving your revenue.

 

1. Low-Quality Content

One of the most common issues we see from publishers claiming a penalty is low-quality content. At Freestar, we spend more time working on content strategy than on traditional SEO or even technical SEO. The fastest site in the world won’t matter if the content is subpar. Low-quality content can manifest in several ways:

• Thin Content: This doesn’t just mean short content; it refers to content that’s unsubstantial or not helpful to users. Any article that doesn’t thoroughly deliver on the promise of the headline could be considered thin content. This includes low-quality auto-generated content, scraped content, or rephrased content that’s essentially copied.
• Duplicate Content: If your site has identical or very similar content across multiple pages or domains, this can lead to a thin content penalty.
• Affiliate Content: Google has released several algorithm updates targeting low-quality affiliate content and unsatisfactory product reviews. Make sure to follow best practices when writing review content.

Content length isn’t a definitive quality indicator, however, if you’re unsure, spot-check the top results in Google to see what users are expecting. If your website has thin or outdated low-quality content, consider doing a content audit and updating or noindexing that content.

 

2. Unnatural Links

Natural backlinks are one of the most heavily weighted ranking signals used by Google today, but acquiring links through manipulative practices can get you penalized as they pose a threat to the website’s visibility.

• Buying Links: Buying or selling links to manipulate rankings can lead to penalties. Google may identify purchased links when they appear on unrelated websites, although not all paid backlinks fall into this category. For example, links in press releases or guest posts on other websites might not be penalized.
• Low-Quality Backlinks: Having too many links from low-quality or spammy sites can harm your website’s ranking. If you’ve been hit with an unnatural link penalty, finding the source of the bad links can be tedious. Google offers the disavow tool within your Google Search Console (GSC)to request certain links be ignored, though it doesn’t recommend using it in most cases.

 

3. User Experience (UX) Issues

User experience plays a crucial role in SEO rankings, search, and visibility Here are some common UX-related issues that can negatively impact your site:

• Slow Page Load Times: Slow-loading pages provide a poor user experience, causing visitors to bounce even before the page loads.. As an ad tech company, we understand how ad code can affect load times, but publishers should focus on optimizations that don’t sacrifice revenue, such as optimizing images or improving server performance and measuring key metrics such as the exit and the drop-off rates through GA4
• Poor Mobile Usability: Most Google searches occur on mobile devices, so optimizing your site for mobile is essential. Websites that aren’t mobile-friendly may suffer in rankings, especially after Google’s switch to mobile-first indexing in 2020.
• User-Generated Spam: While user-generated content can be valuable, as we’ve seen with the rise of Reddit, spammy content from users can result in a loss of traffic. It’s essential to understand, monitor, and moderate user contributions to maintain quality.

 

4. Technical Issues

Most technical penalties are related to malicious practices. Although they’re less common today, here are some key issues to watch for:

• Cloaking: Cloaking involves showing one version of a page to search engines while showing a different version to users. This practice violates Google’s guidelines.
• Hidden Text or Links: Examples include keyword-stuffed text hidden in a white background or excessive optimized links in a footer.
• Hacking: If your site is hacked and starts distributing malware or spam, contact your hosting company immediately. Google targets these issues in spam-related algorithm updates.
• Sneaky Redirects: When users click a link and are redirected to a different URL without their knowledge, this is known as a sneaky redirect and should be avoided.
• Copyrighted Material: Publishing unauthorized content that infringes on someone else’s intellectual property not only breaks copyright laws but also violates Google’s search guidelines and ad policies. Ensure all content on your site is original or properly licensed.

 

5. Over-Optimization

Similar to spam signals, over-optimization can trigger penalties. Here’s how to avoid common pitfalls:

• Exact Match Anchor Text: Overusing exact match keywords in anchor text can be seen as manipulative. Strive for natural phrasing in links, prioritizing user experience over keyword stuffing.
• Excessive Internal Linking: Internal linking is important for site structure, but overdoing it with too many links, especially to the same keywords or pages, can be seen as an attempt to manipulate search rankings.
• Overuse of Structured Data Markup: While implementing structured data is valuable, abusing schema markup to create misleading rich snippets can result in penalties.
• Heavily Optimized Navigation: Keep your main navigation simple and focused on your most important or pillar pages. Avoid adding extra keywords to target SEO phrases.

Consequences of over-optimization can lead to both manual and algorithmic penalties which ultimately lead to loss of trust in users thus damaging brand identity.

 

Looking Ahead

The August 2024 core update aims to address feedback from publishers regarding the significant changes in search engine results pages (SERPs) over the past year. Staying compliant with Google’s guidelines, focusing on valuable content, and delivering a positive user experience is crucial to avoiding penalties and safeguarding your revenue stream.

At Freestar, we’ve witnessed a significant rise in the number of publishers struggling with the effects of Google’s algorithm changes over the past year. We understand how these penalties and traffic declines can hit your bottom line hard. That’s why we’re dedicated to helping you navigate these challenges, recover lost traffic, and unlock your full revenue potential.

Don’t let Google Algorithm updates hold you back. Contact us today!