Ad Servers can have a lot of moving parts and sometimes it’s difficult to understand why an ad might or might not be appearing. Below are the first steps to take to troubleshoot why an ad might not be appearing on your site when using the MediaOS Ad Server.

Is it Booked?

Go to Delivery – Line Items. Click on the Magnifying Glass to run a search and use the filter “Running Between” and select “Today”.

This will pull a list of line items that are currently running today and should include all Line Items for your Ad Server. If the ad you’re expecting doesn’t show up in this list, then it is not scheduled to run.

Is the Right Creative Assigned?

When assigning ad creative to your line items, it’s imperative that you have the correct file format, sizing and a URL attached in order for the Ad to appear on your site. Go to the line item in question and click on the art to pull up the Ad Library. Hover over the assigned artwork and click the “i” icon in order to see information about the assigned creative.

The Size listed is the actual size of the file – ensure that you have multiple pieces of creative assigned to the line item to account for mobile and desktop sizing. Ads cannot be served if they are assigned to a space they will not fit. NOTE: Ads with less than 3200 pixels that are on pages with more than 500 pixels wide will NOT display.

Keep in mind, you can assign multiple ads to a line item in the Ad Library by clicking multiple ads. Note: After you make changes, it can take 15-30 minutes to start serving your site, it is not instant.

You must have a URL listed in order for the ad to appear, should one not be listed, click Edit to add the URL. PDF files are not allowed for use on the Ad Server, please use a digital friendly format for the Ad Server.

Is the Product Assigned to Your Site?

Ensure that the MediaOS Plugin is installed, up-to-date and activated on your website – go to “Websites” on the left hand menu and click “Settings” on the corresponding site. Then click on the tab for “Ad Server”.

Make sure you have the correct product assigned to your site or your ads will not serve.

Did You Try #debug?

MediaOS has a Debug Feature that allows you to pinpoint exactly why your ads are (or aren’t) appearing. To use this feature, simply add #debug to the end of your URL: