Google Ad Manager is an ad management platform for large publishers who have significant direct sales. Ad Manager provides granular controls and supports multiple ad exchanges and networks, including AdSense, Ad Exchange, third-party networks, and third-party exchanges.
Ad Manager is for you if you need:
- A central place to monetize all of your inventory types (websites, mobile apps, videos, or games)
- To manage a significant amount of ad revenue that comes through direct deals from buyers
- To use third-party networks to compete for ad inventory
- More complex reports to gain granular insights
AdSense or AdMob might be a better fit for you depending on the advertising business you need to manage. Learn more by comparing Google Ad Manager, AdSense, and AdMob.
Google Ad Manager versus Google Ad Manager 360
It's important to note that there are two different types of Google Ad Manager accounts:
- A "Google Ad Manager" account only requires you to enter into a paid contract when you reach a specific impression threshold. You can learn more in the Google Ad Manager billing setup.
- A "Google Ad Manager 360" account requires you to sign up for a paid account and gives you direct access to Google support. You can learn more in the Google Ad Manager 360 billing setup.
Some features are available only for Google Ad Manager 360 accounts, including Audience Solutions, data transfer reporting, Open Bidding, publisher provided identifiers, special ad units, access to teams, and more. Contact your account manager if you're interested in a Google Ad Manager 360 account.
How Google Ad Manager works
Most publishers use a single Google Ad Manager network to manage all their advertising.
Using your Google Ad Manager network, define your ad inventory and create, manage, and get reports on your advertising campaigns:
- Define your ad inventory—called ad units. This is the location on your webpage or app where you want to show ads. Google Ad Manager generates a tag (a snippet of code) for each ad unit.
- Insert the tag in your webpage or app. When a user visits the webpage or app, the ad tag makes a request for an ad from Google Ad Manager.
- Create orders and line items—These represent your transaction with an advertiser or buyer of your ad inventory. Campaigns that reference or "target" the ad unit are then eligible to serve an ad to that request. Google Ad Manager chooses the best ad to serve at the time of the request.
- Generate customizable reports—You learn what ads will serve to specific inventory, how much revenue you're likely to earn, and much more.
