About Onsite Display Bidding
Onsite Display is priced on a cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM) basis: you pay for impressions, not clicks. How you set what you pay depends on your campaign's buy type.
Which Buy Types You Bid On
Auction. You set a CPM bid and compete in real time for each impression. This is the only buy type where you bid.
Preferred Deals. Priced on a CPM basis at a rate arranged with the retailer, not through bidding.
Sponsorship. Priced at a flat rate set by the retailer for taking over a page for a set period.
How the Auction Decides What You Pay
Onsite Display Auction runs a first-price auction. The highest bid wins the impression and pays exactly what it bid. Bids are evaluated in real time against the value of each opportunity, so a competitive bid wins more of the inventory you are targeting.
On an Auction line item you set a separate CPM bid for each page type that has a compatible creative, so you can pay more for the page types that perform better for you.
Read the Suggested CPM Range
Below each bid field, a suggested CPM range helps you bid competitively. The range is built from the compatible ad formats for that page type: the lowest value is the lowest CPM among those formats, and the highest value is the highest.
Use the range as a framework. It reflects the inventory actually available for your page type, rather than a single flat number.
Stay Above the Minimum Bid
Each bid field also shows a minimum bid floor, the lowest amount you can bid. Keep two things in mind:
Other brands may bid on the same inventory, so you often need to bid above the floor to win and serve.
Minimum bids vary by retailer. A bid that wins on one retailer may not win on another, so plan per retailer.
You can change a CPM bid after launch, and the change does not require retailer re-review. To plan available inventory and likely CPMs before you book, use the Onsite Display Forecaster.
Choose Between Standard Bidding and Adaptive CPM
Auction line items support two ways to bid. Standard bidding gives you control over each page type. Adaptive CPM automates the adjustments.
Setting | Standard bidding | Adaptive CPM |
|---|---|---|
What you set | A CPM bid for each page type | A single Max CPM for all page types |
How bids change | You change them yourself | The system adjusts bids throughout the day, based on pacing and auction signals |
Pacing options | Even, Ahead, As soon as possible, and Daily budget cap | Even, Ahead, and Daily budget cap |
Your Max CPM is a ceiling, not a guaranteed bid. The system never bids above it, and it bids lower when pacing, traffic, competition, and the minimum bid floor allow. Adaptive CPM requires an end date and is available on Auction line items only. You can switch a line item back to standard bidding at any time.
To learn more about eligibility, setting your Max CPM, and tuning, please see Adaptive CPM for Onsite Display Auction Campaigns.