Google Ad Manager (formerly DoubleClick for Publishers) is a free ad management platform that allows publishers to sell, schedule, deliver, and measure all types of digital ad inventory. MediaOS offers a direct integration with Google Ad Manager, making it possible to book inventory on proposals, automatically push artwork placement, and manage invoicing seamlessly between the two systems.
Important: Google Ad Manager must have API access enabled for the integration to function correctly. An administrator on your Google Ad Manager account will need to activate API access. For guidance, refer to the Google API documentation.
Setting Up the Google Ad Manager Integration #
To begin setting up the integration, click your Profile Avatar in the bottom-left corner of the MediaOS dashboard. Select Integrations from the dropdown menu, locate Google Ad Manager, and click Configure. When the configuration window opens, click Connect to launch the Google Ad Manager screen. You will be prompted to enter your Network Code, which can be found in the URL of your Ad Manager account. For example, in the URL https://www.google.com/dfp/2032576#delivery, your network code is 2032576. Enter your code to complete the connection.
Configuring Your Products with Google Ad Manager #
Once connected, you will need to set up your products. In MediaOS, your products represent the packages that your sales team is authorized to sell. Return to Integrations, click Configure next to Google Ad Manager, and then click Manage Products. Select + New Product/Website to create a new product. Input the name of your website or product, select the appropriate Network, and click Create to save it.
Creating Your Ad Units #
After setting up your product, configure your ad units to match how your website ads are sold. From the Google Ad Manager Products page, click Manage Units next to your product and then select + Unit to create a new ad unit. Use the ad unit form to set the Ad Size Name, Type (standard or sponsorship), Priority, and whether the ad is based on Impressions or Clicks. Once configured, click Create to save your ad unit.
It is important to double-check your configuration before saving because these settings become permanent once submitted. After setting up the general unit parameters, navigate to the Ad Sizes & Pacing tab to select which sizes are offered. Locking selections can prevent accidental changes by your sales or production staff.
Choosing How Ads Are Distributed #
Within the unit setup, use the Display Creatives dropdown menu to determine how creatives are rotated during delivery. You can choose from options like Evenly, Optimized, Weighted, or Sequential. Similarly, use the Rotate Creatives menu to control how creatives are distributed across a single page. Add frequency caps in the Impression Capping section to limit how often users see the same ad over a set period.
Setting Up the Ad’s Targeting #
Under the Targeting tab, you can include or exclude placements for your ad units. Use the left-hand checkbox to include and the right-hand checkbox to exclude placements provided by Google Ad Manager. The Geography tab allows you to specify targeting by city, state, or country. The Technology tab lets you target users by browser, device type, operating system, and mobile carrier. Enable or disable options by clicking the checkmark icon. In the Rates tab, configure the CPM rate for each ad unit by adding a name and setting the rate before saving.
You will need to repeat this configuration process for each additional ad unit you want to set up within the same product.
Adding a Google Ad Manager Insertion to a Contract #
Once your products and ad units are configured, you can add Google Ad Manager products directly to your MediaOS contracts and proposals. Start by clicking Sales from the navigation menu and select +Contract to create a new proposal. Complete the required contract information and then select your Google Ad Manager product from the product selector.
Choose the Date Range that you want the ad to run, keeping in mind that the dates must be set in the future. Select the appropriate Ad Unit from the Unit/Size dropdown menu. Choose your Billing Method, either Per Contract for fixed pricing or As Delivered for usage-based billing tied to delivery performance. In the Quantity field, specify the number of impressions, and select your Ad Rate. Use the Ad Rates & Pricing menu to configure specific ad sizes, pacing, and capping.
Set targeting parameters for the ad by using the Targeting, Geography, and Technology tabs, following the same selection logic outlined earlier. Once all fields are configured, click + Add Line Item to save your insertion.
Billing Your "As Delivered" Google Ad Manager Products #
If you selected Per Contract as the billing method, you can invoice the product through the standard MediaOS invoicing workflow. However, if you configured the product as As Delivered, you will need to import delivery data directly from Google Ad Manager to bill accurately.
To import delivery data, navigate to Accounting from the left-hand menu and select the Billable Line Items tab. Click Import Delivered to pull in the delivery information from Google. Please note that importing data can take up to ten minutes depending on server response times. Once the data is imported, you can invoice the product following the usual billing instructions.
