All bid responses on Authorized Buyers are screened before they enter the auction. During the screening process, some bids are rejected from entering the auction. This is called bid response filtering. Filtered bids represent lost bid opportunities.
For an illustration of how bid response filtering works and detailed developer documentation related to bid response filters, see Bid Response Filtering.
When a bid response is rejected, it's because of
- an automatic Google filter, or
- a mismatch between your bid and a publisher configuration, or
- auction dynamics
The most common reasons are shown here, with corresponding troubleshooting steps and additional information.
Google filters
Google reviews bid responses to determine if both the creative and the bid are compliant with Google policies and standards. The following are some of the most common reasons a bid response may be filtered by Google.
Deal's buyer_network_id is invalid
The bid is filtered by Google because a billing ID has been provided for an account for which the deal has not been configured. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 116.
The bid is filtered by Google because a billing ID has been provided for an account for which the deal has not been configured. For example, a deal is associated with the parent only, the parent responds with a child billing ID in the bid response, but the child billing ID is not associated with that deal. Therefore, provide a billing ID for which the deal is configured.
Poor landing page quality
The bid is filtered by Google because of poor landing page quality from the click-through URL. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 5.
The bid is filtered by Google because of poor landing page quality from the click-through URL. You can review the landing page of the creative and make sure that the website provides a good user experience. Learn more about using Quality Score to guide optimization.
Malware detected
The bid is filtered because malware was detected in the landing page of the creative used in the bid response. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 6.
Contact the advertiser and recommend the Safe Browsing Site Status tool to diagnose malware.
Creative URL not yet been reviewed
Before an ad can be shown, the landing page URL needs to be crawled and reviewed by Google. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 7.
When a creative ID is labeled “Unknown”, Google has not logged the creative ID for the filtered bids yet. This process may take up to a few hours to complete, after which the corresponding creative ID will be displayed.
Contact the advertiser and recommend they test their robots.txt file, referencing the information on Google crawlers and the crawl errors report.
Creative was not approved
The bid is filtered because the creative is not approved. If your ad does not comply with Authorized Buyers policies, the ad will be disapproved and then filtered from the auction. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 10.
Before any ad can be shown, it must be reviewed and approved. When you create or make changes to an ad, it is automatically submitted for approval. During the approval process, your ad is checked to ensure compliance with buyer guidelines and Authorized Buyers policy.
If something does not comply with Authorized Buyers policies, we'll disapprove your ad. For example, if we find an ad that points to a website that's not working, we'll mark that ad as disapproved. If you've signed up for email notifications, we'll send you alerts about your disapprovals. Learn more about troubleshooting disapproved ads.
Declared size not present in request
The bid is filtered by Google because the declared width and height in the bid response do not match the bid request. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 25.
The declared width and height in your bid response must match that of the bid request. Most requests only allow a single size, but some allow more than one. Widths and heights must be at the same index. For example, if the width values are [728, 300, 468] and the height values are [90, 250, 60], then the allowed formats are 728x90, 300x250, and 468x60. Learn more about real-time bidding protocol buffers.
click_through_url is too short
The bid is filtered by Google because the click-through URL is less than the required 12 characters. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 56.
All click-through URLs (the final destination URL of the ad) associated with your Authorized Buyers ads must be between 12 and 2048 characters. Learn more about declaring click-through URLs in ads.
click_through_url could not be parsed
The bid is filtered by Google because the click-through URL contains errors or could not be verified. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 57.
All click-through URLs (in other words, the final destination URL of the ad) associated with your Authorized Buyers ads must be declared and tracked using the appropriate Google click macro. If a dynamic ad is associated with multiple customized landing pages, it is sufficient to declare the URL of the root site.
Click-through URLs must be between 12 and 2048 characters and cannot use a numeric IP address. Learn more about declaring click-through URLs in ads.
Expandable direction missing
The bid is filtered because an expandable ad was declared in your bid response, but an expandable direction is missing from the Ad.attribute field. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 63.
Include the correct expandable direction in the Ad.attribute in your bid response.
max_cpm_micros not greater than 0
The bid is filtered because the maximum CPM in the bid response is either 0 or negative. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 67.
When you bid on Authorized Buyers, you are required to set the minimum CPM you want to be charged if you win the auction for an ad slot. The minimum CPM must be at or above the required minimum CPM for your local currency. Learn more about how to find the minimum allowed CPM.
Awaiting review by publisher
The bid is filtered because it's awaiting review by the publisher. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 77.
There is no further action you can take for this type of filter.
Agency disallowed by publisher
The bid is filtered because the publisher disallows ads from this agency. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 84.
You can either contact the publisher to remove the agency restriction or avoid bidding for inventory from this publisher with creatives from this agency.
Creative requires additional review
The bid was filtered because the creative requires additional review before it's allowed to serve. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 85.
You can learn about the ad approval process, including details on approval status and review timelines.
Invalid advertiser in deal
The bid is filtered because it doesn't match the advertiser mentioned in the deal terms. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 117.
Review your deal settings or change the advertiser mentioned in the deal.
Creative language could not be detected
The bid is filtered by Google because the language could not be detected and the publisher has language restrictions. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 120.
You can change the language for the creative.
Ineligible to serve on Android
The bid is filtered because it contains Flash and is not allowed to serve on the Android platform. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 123.
Use a non-flash or HTML5 version of the creative.
Ineligible to serve on iOS
The bid is filtered because it contains Flash and is not allowed to serve on the iOS platform. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 124.
Use a non-flash or HTML5 version of the creative.
Unapproved for serving to China
The bid is filtered because it is ineligible or unapproved for serving to a user in China or property (based on browsing IP or billing address of the publisher account).
Creatives attempting to serve to a web property or user in China are held for full geographic policy review before they are allowed to serve on Authorized Buyers. There may be a delay before your ad is reviewed and approved to run. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 129.
You can use REST API to check if the snippet status is CONDITIONALLY_APPROVED. If it is, you should avoid bidding until the status is APPROVED. For further details, see the REST API.
Unapproved for serving to Russia
The bid was filtered because it is ineligible or unapproved for serving to a user in Russia or property (based on browsing IP or billing address of the publisher account).
Creatives attempting to serve to a web property or user in Russia are held for full geographic policy review before they are allowed to serve on Authorized Buyers. There may be a delay before your ad is reviewed and approved to run. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 130.
You can use REST API to check if the snippet status is CONDITIONALLY_APPROVED. If it is, you should avoid bidding until the status is APPROVED. For further details, see the REST API.
Too many active snippets
The bid is filtered from the auction because your account has too many active creatives IDs with creatives that have not yet been reviewed or creatives that are not currently active. The limit is set on an account-level basis. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 131.
Contact your account team for more information.
Width not in permitted range
The bid is filtered by Google because the width of the image in a native ad bid response is not within the permitted range. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 132.
Adjust the image size to be no less than 400 px and no more than 2,400 px. The recommended image size is 1,200 x 627 px.
Aspect ratio not in permitted range
The bid is filtered by Google because the aspect ratio of the image in a native ad bid response is not within the permitted range. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 132.
Adjust the image so that the aspect ratio of the image_width and image_height is not greater than than 20%.
No bid reason
Bidders can respond to a bid request with an optional no bid reason if they decide not to bid.
Select a standard no bid reason code from the following list. Bidders can also use custom no bid reasons outside of the standard codes below.
| No bid reason codes | Description |
|---|---|
|
0 |
Unknown |
|
1 |
Technical |
|
2 |
Invalid Request |
|
3 |
Known Web Spider |
|
4 |
Suspected Non-human Traffic |
|
5 |
Cloud, Datacenter, Proxy IP |
|
6 |
Unsupported Device |
|
7 |
Blocked Pub/Site |
|
8 |
Unmatched User |
|
9 |
Daily Reader Cap |
|
10 |
Daily Domain Cap |
|
11 |
Ads.txt Authorization Unavailable |
|
12 |
Ads.txt Authorization Violation |
|
13 |
Ads.cert Authentication Unavailable |
|
14 |
Ads.cert Authentication Violation |
|
15 |
Insufficient Auction Time |
|
16 |
Incomplete SupplyChain |
|
17 |
Blocked SupplyChain Node |
| 5000 |
Missing Secure Signal |
| 5001 |
Invalid Secure Signal |
| 5010 |
Missing Ad Unit Mapping |
| 5011 |
Invalid Ad Unit Mapping |
| 5020 |
Unsupported GMA SDK Version |
| 5021 |
Unsupported 3P SDK Version |
| 5022 |
Unsupported 3P Adapter Version |
| 5030 |
NPA Mode Enabled |
| 5040 |
No known Deal ID |
Missing SKAdNetwork response fields
The bid is filtered because SKAdNetwork response was included in your bid response, but some required fields are missing from the SKAdNetwork response. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 211.
Make sure your bid response has these fields included as they are required:
- Version, network, itunesitem, sourceapp
- For SKAdNetwork version >= 4.0, source_identifier is required; for lower versions, campaign is required.
- For SKAdNetwork version >= 2.2, make sure you have at least one element in the fidelities field, where the fidelity has to contain type, nonce, signature and timestamp. For lower versions, the nonce, signature and timestamp fields under skadn are all required.
Google video filters
Google reviews bid responses for video inventory to determine if the creative is compliant with Google policies and standards. You can find more information in the Video Best Practices section of the Real-time Bidding Protocol. These are some of the common reasons a bid response for video may be filtered by Google.
Video creative throttled
The video was filtered because it has historically had a high error rate or very low view rate. Video ad throttling prevents problematic video ads from competing in the auction. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 74.
Video ad throttling prevents problematic video ads with low view rates and high error rates from competing in the auction. Authorized Buyers uses view rate and error rate to determine how well a video ad is being served. Authorized Buyers throttles a video ad by limiting the total number of auctions it can win per hour to twelve.
To ensure that a video ad is not throttled, make sure the video tag is functional and is not returning errors.
You can learn more about key performance metrics for video or see video best practices.
Video ad contains invalid VAST XML
The bid is filtered by Google because of incorrect technical specifications or compliance. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 76.
Video ads must meet the video ad slot requirements passed in the bid request. When a buyer responds to a video bid request with a video tag that does not meet those requirements, the buyer's response is filtered. For example, if a bid request requires a skippable video and a buyer responds with a non-skippable video ad, that response is filtered from the auction because the video ad is ineligible to serve in the publisher player. Learn more about video best practices and video ad filtering.
Publisher filters
Once the bid makes it through a Google review, it is reviewed again to ensure it complies with publisher requirements. For every piece of ad inventory, the publisher can add exclusions. These are some of the most common reasons a bid response may be filtered by a publisher.
Ad format was excluded by deals
The bid is filtered because it doesn't match the format of the chosen deal. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 206.
All ads on Authorized Buyers should return creatives whose formats match the targeted deal.
If your ad is filtered because the creative format doesn’t match the targeted deal, correct it by using a creative with the right format, and resubmit the ad.
Filtered manually by publisher
The bid is filtered due to manual publisher ad review and disapproval. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 12.
You can avoid bidding with this creative or similar creatives for this advertiser with this publisher.
Excluded sensitive category detected
The bid is filtered because one or more sensitive categories were excluded by publisher settings or Google policy. Authorized Buyers detected the same sensitive category based on the click-through URL. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 14.
Authorized Buyers assigns sensitive categories to a creative based on the declared click_through_url. Publishers or Google policy may exclude these categories. To determine the sensitive categories prohibited by each request, review the excluded_sensitive_category field in the bid request.
The REST API shows the sensitive category with which your creative's click_through_url is classified by Google.
Publishers or Google policy can exclude many different kinds of sensitive categories. See the full list of sensitive categories in ad-sensitive-categories.txt. Learn more about publisher restrictions.
Excluded product category detected
The bid is filtered because one or more detected product categories were excluded by the publisher through the bid request. Authorized Buyers detects product categories based on both declared and detected click-through URLs. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 15.
Authorized Buyers assigns product categories to creatives based on the declared click_through_url. Publishers may exclude these categories. In order to determine the product categories prohibited by each publisher, review the excluded_product_category field in the bid request.
Publishers can exclude many different kinds of product categories. See the full list of product categories in ad-product-categories.txt. For example, if your advertiser's landing page is categorized by our system as "Game" and the publisher excludes "Game" ads, this bid will be filtered.
The REST API shows the product category with which your creative's click_through_url is classified by Google.
You can change your bidding strategy to avoid bidding disallowed product category on the publisher by looking at the excluded product category field in the bid request. Learn more about publisher restrictions.
Excluded vendor_type declared
The bid is filtered because the bid response declared a vendor or creative attribute that is excluded in the bid request by the publisher. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 17.
The bid response contains vendor or creative attribute, which were excluded by the publisher's ad slot in the bid request.
To determine which vendors are not allowed, review the allowed_vendor_type field in the bid request. Publishers can exclude many different vendors. Download the full vendors' list.
You can also use RTB Breakout to find a sample bid request and response to debug. Learn more about publisher restrictions.
Excluded sensitive category declared
The bid is filtered because one or more sensitive categories were excluded by the publisher and declared in the bid response. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 19.
Publishers can exclude many different kinds of sensitive categories. In order to determine the sensitive categories prohibited by each publisher, review the excluded_sensitive_category field in the bid request.
See the full list of sensitive categories in ad-sensitive-categories.txt.
Learn more about publisher restrictions.
App ID excluded by publisher
The bid is filtered because the app to be downloaded (from a click-to-download ad) is blocked by the publisher. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 188.
URL excluded by publisher
The bid is filtered because the publisher does not allow this creative's URL (click-through URL in the bid response). You can change your bidding strategy to avoid bidding on behalf of this advertiser on this publisher. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 71.
Check the click_through_url in your bid response. You can change your bidding strategy to avoid bidding with a URL excluded by the publisher. The Publisher Setting File and PSF ID in the bid request can provide details.
Learn more about publisher settings, publisher restrictions, or see the publisher settings proto.
Advertiser excluded by publisher
The bid is filtered because the publisher has excluded the advertiser. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 72.
Avoid bidding for this publisher with this advertiser.
Ad language disallowed by publisher
The bid is filtered because the ad language is not allowed by the publisher. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 82.
Update the creative language or adjust your targeting.
Creative attribute: Native Not Eligible
The bid was filtered because the ad slot requires a non-native ad, but a native ad was submitted in the bid response. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 103.
Return an acceptable type of ad for the ad slot.
Filtered by publisher rules
The bid is filtered because of the publisher's exclusion rules. Publishers are allowed create rules to determine the type of ads that are allowed to run on their inventory. The rules include, but are not limited to
- targeting rules (such as tags, URLs, geography, inventory sizes, Google Tag Manager key values, operating systems, and device categories), and
- pricing and blocking rules (such as branded or semi-transparent price).
This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 119.
Change your bidding strategy to either avoid bidding with this publisher excluded ad type on this type of inventory, or avoid bidding for this publisher.
Creative attribute: NonSSL
The bid is filtered because it was not SSL compliant, but attempted to serve to secure inventory. This filtering reason corresponds either to creative status code 142 or creative status code 18 and excluded attribute 48.
Submit an SSL-compliant creative for inventory that requires SSL-compliance.
To determine exclusions, check the exclude_attribute field in the bid request and reference the excluded attributes dictionary file. If excluded_attribute : 48 is present, the publisher only allows SSL-compliant creatives.
Creative attribute: RichMediaCapabilityHTML5
The bid is filtered because the publisher doesn't allow HTML5. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 18 and excluded attribute 39.
Submit a creative format that is allowed for this publisher inventory.
To determine exclusions, check the exclude_attribute field in the bid request and reference the excluded attributes dictionary file. If excluded_attribute : 39 is present, the publisher does not allow HTML5.
Creative attribute: RichMediaCapabilityFlash
The bid is filtered from the auction because it uses Flash, but Flash is not available or not allowed for this request. This filtering reason corresponds either to creative status code 143 or creative status code 18 and excluded attribute 34.
Submit a non-Flash or HTML5 creative for inventory that does not allow Flash.
To determine exclusions, check the exclude_attribute field in the bid request and reference the excluded attributes dictionary file. If excluded_attribute : 34 is present, the publisher only allows non-Flash creatives.
Creative attribute: In-Banner Video
The bid is filtered because the publisher does not allow in-banner videos. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 18 and excluded attribute 95.
Submit a creative format that is allowed for this publisher inventory.
To determine exclusions, check the exclude_attribute field in the bid request and reference the excluded attributes dictionary file. If excluded_attribute : 95 is present, the publisher does not allow in-banner videos.
Creative attribute: IsCookieTargeted
The bid is filtered because the publisher does not allow cookie targeting. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 18 and excluded attribute 8.
Submit a creative that is allowed for this publisher inventory.
To determine exclusions, check the exclude_attribute field in the bid request and reference the excluded attributes dictionary file. If excluded_attribute : 8 is present, the publisher does not allow cookie targeting.
Creative attribute: VPAID Flash
The bid is filtered because the publisher does not allow VPAID Flash. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 18 and excluded attribute 30.
Submit a creative format that is allowed for this publisher inventory.
To determine exclusions, check the exclude_attribute field in the bid request and reference the excluded attributes dictionary file. If excluded_attribute : 30 is present, the publisher does not allow VPAID Flash.
Creative attribute: IsUserInterestTargeted
The bid is filtered because the publisher does not allow user interest targeting. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 18 and excluded attribute 9.
Submit a creative that is allowed for this publisher inventory.
To determine exclusions, check the exclude_attribute field in the bid request and reference the excluded attributes dictionary file. If excluded_attribute : 9 is present, the publisher does not allow user interest targeting.
Creative text filtered by publisher
The bid is filtered by publisher's creative text filter rules. Publishers can set blocking rules against certain text phrases. Bids with creatives detected to contain these phrases are filtered from the auction. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 144.
You can either modify the text in your creative, or adjust your targeting to avoid this publisher.
Publisher blocked open auction bids
The bid is filtered because it was not associated with a deal, the publisher is only allowing deals in the request. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 198.
Don't bid on this publisher except for deals. Note that the inventory block will eventually set a signal in the bid request: only_deal_bids_accepted. Use this to determine whether or not to send open auction bids.
Auction filters
After the bid response passes both a Google and publisher review, it makes its way to the auction. These are the reasons a bid response may be filtered by the auction.
Creative was outbid
The bid successfully entered the auction but was outbid. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 79.
The bid is reviewed and passed all Google and publisher filters, but lost the auction because it is outbid.
Publisher ad servers may provide ad prices that compete with your bids in the auction. The creative status code 79 Creative was outbid includes cases where your bid is lower than such a price.
For more information, review the Ad Manager auction model or see the Real-time Bidding Protocol.
Below minimum threshold
The bid is filtered because the maximum CPM in the bid response is below the applicable auction floor price. This filtering reason corresponds to creative status code 80.
Note that a bid above the minimum CPM (min_cpm_micros) in the bid request may still be filtered as the minimum CPM in the bid request does not include floor prices applicable to specific attributes of a creative, such as advertiser specific floor prices.
Private Auction (PA) bids must be above the respective PA floor and any applicable publisher floor prices to be eligible to transact.
Make sure that your bidder reviews the min_cpm_micros value listed in the AdSlot section of the bid request. Learn more about Real-time Bidding Protocol.
However, as noted above a bid above the min_cpm_micros value may still be filtered due to creative specific publisher floor prices.
Learn how to troubleshoot callout filtering.