What is Google Ad Exchange ?

Google Adx (formerly DoubleClick Ad Exchange) is an ad exchange integrated with Google Ad Manager 360.

It’s a programmatic advertising platform that connects sellers (website and/or mobile app publishers) and buyers (media agencies, advertisers, trading desks) to buy and sell their ad inventory.

Google Adx is invitation-only, but publishers who do not meet Google’s eligibility criteria can gain access by working with accredited partners like Hitopic.

Because it is associated with the Google brand, Adx has the largest network of active buyers and sellers in their tool, giving you direct access to premium demand from the largest advertisers in the global ad market.

Google Adx vs Google AdSense

Google Adsense is often the first step when you decide to monetize your content and it is an extremely powerful tool to monetize your audience. However, you need to understand how these tools work to get the most out of them.

Adsense works on a CPC basis while AdX works on a CPM basis. By nature, Adsense will tend to prioritize and favor the blocks that have high CTRs in order to get the best RPMs on these sites. Adx works on a CPM basis, so by nature it will tend to fill each location as well as possible to get the best average RPM according to the conversions observed on each placement. Depending on your current advertising system, the use of one or the other can therefore make a big difference in revenue!

Adsense is a proprietary and closed advertising network: it displays essentially Google Ads (ex Adwords) and Google partners. AdX is totally open to the global advertising market, it includes of course Adsense and Google’s partners, but also all the other vendors of the market who want or can connect to an ad exchange platform. So we have access to a much larger demand and therefore increased competition on each of your placements.

Yes, sometimes Adsense does better than Adx, it remains relatively rare and there are often good reasons, but in general Adx largely outperforms Adsense and allows to increase mechanically its daily earnings of about 30%.

How to get access to Google Ad Exchange ?

Adx is a built-in feature of Google Ad Manager (GAM). However, it must be activated by a Google representative and is only activated if you meet all the eligibility criteria.

In theory, you need to get tens of millions of monthly impressions to be eligible for Adx. However, other criteria of inventory quality also come into play and explain the refusal of some publishers who have largely the required volumes.

You have 2 methods to get access:

• If you already have a Google representative who directly manages your GAM and/or Adsense account, you can try to ask them directly for access and receive your invitation to join Adx.
• If you don’t have a Google representative, an alternative exists today and allows you to get access to Google Ad Exchange through authorized resellers, like Hitopic, who have been chosen by Google to provide Adx access through the Google MCM program.

This second option will allow you to work directly with a Google accredited expert in managed Adx mode and will give you the benefit of a GAM360 account and its included premium application, as well as many already active partnerships that you will not need to go looking for on your own and/or keep waiting for direct AdX access.