Technology

Header bidding and SSP, explained clearly.

More bidders, fairer prices. Here’s how programmatic auctions work — and where MS ADS Network fits in.

Join Our Network

The auction, step by step

  • Request: a page loads and your ad tag calls the SSP.
  • Bid: DSPs evaluate the impression and bid via OpenRTB.
  • Decide: the highest eligible bid wins, respecting your floors.
  • Render & verify: the creative renders and the impression is validated.
Inside the auction

One impression, one competitive auction.

Every ad slot is sold in real time. Here is the sequence that happens in the moment a page loads.

  1. Step 1Impression available

    A page loads and the ad slot signals the SSP with context such as size, format and floor.

  2. Step 2Bid requests sent

    The SSP sends OpenRTB 2.5/2.6 bid requests to eligible demand.

  3. Step 3Bids returned

    Demand partners respond with a price and creative for the impression.

  4. Step 4Auction resolved

    The highest eligible bid wins, respecting your floors and quality rules.

  5. Step 5Served & verified

    The creative renders, the impression is checked, and it is logged for reporting.

Illustrative sequence — actual timing varies by page, device and demand; no latency figures are claimed.

How it works

See the money flow — both sides of the market.

Publisher path

How your inventory earns

From your page to your payout — every step runs through MS ADS Network.

  1. 01
    Your site / appApproved inventory with ad units you control
  2. 02
    Tag or header biddingMS ADS tag or Prebid-ready demand in your wrapper
  3. 03
    OpenRTB auctionDemand partners compete for the impression
  4. 04
    Verified impressionTraffic checks before it counts
  5. 05
    Payout70% publisher share on verified traffic

Conceptual diagram — illustrative, not live data

Advertiser path

How your budget buys reach

Launch on the self-serve DSP and bid only where your audience is.

  1. 01
    CampaignSet budget, format, geo and segments
  2. 02
    Bid requestMatching OpenRTB requests reach your campaign
  3. 03
    Auction winYour bid clears on eligible inventory
  4. 04
    Ad servedCreative renders in banner, native, video or AI units
  5. 05
    ReportSpend, impressions and status in one view

Conceptual diagram — illustrative, not live data

OpenRTB 2.5 / 2.6

The IAB protocol that standardizes how bid requests and responses are exchanged.

Prebid-ready

Compatible with header-bidding wrappers so MS ADS competes alongside your other partners.

ads.txt & sellers.json

Public files that declare authorized sellers, so buyers can trust the supply chain.

Header bidding FAQ

What is header bidding?

Header bidding lets multiple demand partners bid on an impression simultaneously before the ad server makes its decision, increasing competition and typically improving yield.

What is an SSP?

A supply-side platform (SSP) helps publishers sell ad inventory programmatically by running auctions where demand-side platforms (DSPs) bid for impressions.

Does MS ADS support Prebid?

MS ADS Network describes its SSP as Prebid-ready and OpenRTB 2.5/2.6 compliant.

Add a competitive bidder to your stack.

Join MS ADS Network and let it compete for your impressions.

Join Our Network Visit MS ADS Network