| In May, Google Ads announced that on October 31, 2023, they intend to move primarily to real-time bidding auctions and will no longer respond to multiple calls in mediation. On September 7th Google Ads provided additional details about their shift to real-time bidding on October 31, 2023. Here are the key updates from their post: |
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| 1. | Google Ads will continue to bid on "hybrid setups" after 10/31 (bidding & waterfall ad units present) for a temporary period of time to make the transition as smooth as possible | |
| a. | Clarification statement from the post: Google Ads will still respond to multiple calls within hybrid waterfalls on supported partner platforms, as well as AdMob and Ad Manager. Hybrid waterfalls should be set up by adding a bidding ad unit to your existing waterfall mediations. | |
| b. | The update added that "Google Ads plans to gradually transition away from responding to waterfall requests in hybrid, and we expect to complete this transition by early 2024." | |
| 2. | Google Ads will stop buying on multicall waterfall requests without bidding ad units present | |
| a. | Clarification statement from post: "Google Ads will begin to reduce spending on multicall requests in waterfalls that do not contain a bidding ad unit. On Oct. 31, Google Ads will stop buying on multicall waterfall requests that do not contain a bidding ad unit." | |
| 3. | Google Ads may still bid on requests from a single waterfall call ad unit | |
| a. | "Google Ads may still buy on mediation waterfalls that only make a single call to Google Ads demand." | |
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| What this means for you as a publisher |
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| Before this date, you should consider using a real-time bidding solution to access Google Ads demand. You can use Ad Exchange in bidding with Ad Manager yield groups. Ad Exchange includes demand from Google (Google Ads, Display & Video 360) and third-party ad sources. |
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| If you are calling Google Ads in bidding, there is no action for you to take. Other third-party demand sources may have their own bidding behavior. Here's how to get started with real-time bidding. |
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| Will Google Ads still respond to a single call from waterfall after 10/31? |
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| Google Ads may still buy on mediation waterfalls that only make a single call to Google Ads demand. |
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| What action do I need to take if I am calling Google Ads in both bidding and waterfall? |
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| If you are calling Google Ads in both bidding and waterfall mediation across all of your inventory, you do not need to take any action. |
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| What publisher platforms support Google Ads in real-time bidding for apps inventory? |
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| This change covers all publishers who serve Google Ads campaigns in app inventory, excluding instream video. In order to continue serving Google Ads campaigns, we recommend you to use a platform which supports real-time bidding for Google Ads. |
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| Until next time, |
| The Google Ad Manager Team |
