Benchmarks

Benchmarks can help publishers evaluate their performance in the context of the industry or their peers and inform their monetization decisions. They can help give context on how a publisher defines “good” performance for their network. Benchmarks provide greater insight into why there are, for example, changes in performance, and they help explain to a publisher if these changes are relevant to them only, or to the industry as a whole.

Benchmarks availability

To view benchmarks, publishers must be opted in to this feature. Publishers are opted in by default. When opted in, publishers can compare their network’s performance to that of the industry. These insights compare a publisher's impressions to similar impressions across various inventory slices. For example, a publisher can review a comparison of their US impressions against all US impressions across all publishers. 

When you opt in to Benchmarks, you agree to let Google include your data in the total benchmark calculation. Benchmark calculations are subject to thresholds to protect publisher confidentiality. For example, no publisher can contribute more than 1% to the overall benchmark.

Publishers can opt out of sharing their data for benchmarks. If a publisher chooses to opt out of sharing their data to calculate benchmarks, their access to the card, and data used, will remain until the next benchmark calculation. Benchmarks are recalculated every few days.

If the publisher opts out, they won't see the card and their data won't be used. Data removal happens within a few days, and the card is removed at the beginning of the following month.

Admin roles have permission to opt in or out of using benchmark cards. 

Enable or disable benchmarks

Enabling Benchmarks can only be done by users with the Administrator user role.

1. Sign in to Google Ad Manager.
2. Click Admin  Global settings.
3. Under "Network settings," scroll down to "Report Settings."
4. Next to "Benchmark insights," make your selection:
   • To opt in to Benchmarks, turn the switch on .
     Note: Your data is used in the calculations within a few days.   
   • To opt out of Benchmarks, turn the switch off .
     Note: Benchmarks data may continue to show for a few days. Thereafter, your data won’t be used in the calculations. 
5. Click Confirm.

To learn more about the Industry benchmarks data card, visit Using your Overview Home dashboard.