About publisher provided signals (Beta)

This article explains publisher provided signals (Beta), and how you can share them.

Publisher provided signals (PPS) let publishers scale their first-party audience and contextual data to improve programmatic monetization. This helps publishers make the most of their first-party data for ads personalization in programmatic transactions, and helps buyers understand the inventory they're bidding into. 

Beta publishers can use publisher provided signals with existing first-party audiences or detailed contextual signals, such as key-values.

Note: Publishers are expected to map their first-party data to the standardized industry segments that Google Ad Manager supports. Some sensitive categories aren't supported. 

Some key benefits for publishers include:

• A way to use unique first-party data directly in the auction
• Ability to make first-party audience and attributes and content information more discoverable to buyers by mapping standardized audience attributes and content segments with industry taxonomies that can be directly communicated in bid requests
• Enhanced privacy for ads personalization
• Sharing first-party audience attributes and contextual data with buyers without data leakage concerns
• Valuable for inventory across apps and OTT/CTV environments where limited contextual signals are available
• PPS can be sent to Google demand (including Open Auction, Private Auction, Preferred Deals, and Programmatic Guaranteed), Authorized Buyers, Open Bidding, and SDK Bidding.

Note: To view or edit PPS, you must have the "View publisher provided signals" or "Edit publisher provided signals" permissions added to your role.

Share publisher provided signals

Publisher provided signals are enabled by default for all Ad Manager 360 publishers. You control sharing of the signals through your demand channel settings. 

To share publisher provided signals with a demand channel:  

1. Sign in to Google Ad Manager.

2. Click Delivery and then Demand channel settings. 

3. Under "Default settings," scroll down to "Publisher data sharing."

4. On a type of publisher provided signal, such as IAB audience taxonomy, click . 
   

   1. To enable the signal for a demand channel, such as Authorized Buyers, turn on the switch . 

   2. To enable a specific option, such as which signals can be shared on the same request, check the box . 

5. Click Save.

Note: You can create exceptions for certain bidders by setting up override groups. Make sure your demand channel settings account for any override groups you create. For example, let’s say sharing a signal is off by default for a demand channel, and off for an override group you created. If you enable the signal for the demand channel under "Default settings," it’s still off for all existing override groups. 

How signals are passed

The taxonomy segment IDs are passed in eligible bid requests to Google demand, and to eligible Authorized Buyers, Open Bidding, and SDK Bidding partners when configured in demand channel settings. Publishers can send PPS in two ways:

1. Map audiences, custom key-values, or CMS key-values to standardized industry segments that Google Ad Manager supports. 
2. Send signals at the time of the ad request to standardized industry segments that Google Ad Manager supports.

Related articles

• Map key-values and audience segments to taxonomies
• Send publisher provided signals at time of ad request 
• View supported video and audio for publisher provided signals
• Report on publisher provided signals