Google DoubleClick Ad Exchange (AdX) Seller Program Guidelines

Last updated on January 9, 2017

This product is governed by the terms set forth in your Google DoubleClick AdX Service ("Google DoubleClick AdX Seller Terms") contract.

The Google DoubleClick Ad Exchange Service is a service for managing multiple monetization sources of online display advertising inventory. In the Ad Exchange Service, advertisers and ad networks are considered "Buyers", and publishers and publisher networks are considered "Sellers".

Sellers participating in any transaction on AdX, including but not limited to Programmatic Direct, Preferred Deals, Private Auction, or Open Auction must adhere, and ensure that any third party to whom they provide access to the AdX service under their account also adheres, to the following policies: (i) the Platforms program policies; and (ii) the AdX Seller Program-specific policies stated below on this page. Please note that any restatements of the Platforms program policies in these AdX Seller Program Guidelines are for clarification purposes only and do not limit the application of the Platforms program policies to Sellers. Sellers previously suspended or terminated for violating the applicable terms and/or policies of any other Google syndication products may not use Ad Exchange.

Sellers are not permitted to misrepresent to Buyers information relating to their Sites’ content such that Buyers mistarget ads to such Sites. Please refer to the webmaster quality guidelines for guidance on best practices.

Seller Partner Policies

Seller Partner Registration. If any Site for which Seller sells advertising inventory through the Ad Exchange, including without limitation, an Embedded Site (i.e., a Site with an embedded video player that contains advertising inventory offered for sale on the Ad Exchange), is owned by a Seller Partner (i.e., the owner of any Site that a Seller does not own, but for which the Seller sells advertising inventory through the Ad Exchange, including without limitation, the owner of an Embedded Site), the Seller must ensure the Seller Partner accurately registers such Site through the Network Partner Management functionality.

Seller must have a direct contractual relationship with each Seller Partner granting Seller all necessary rights to make available and manage the applicable Site's inventory through the Ad Exchange. Only Sites for which the Seller Partners own the root domain and that were not previously disapproved by Google may be registered through the Network Partner Management functionality.

Inventory coming from a Seller Partner to the Ad Exchange is subject to the same policies and rules set within the Ad Exchange (including, but not limited to, auction rules). Google has no obligation to provide technical support to any Seller Partner or to any Site owned by a Seller Partner.

Sellers must not use DoubleClick Ad Exchange for selling inventory owned by a Seller Partner (e.g., sub-syndicated inventory) for which they directly or indirectly pay or receive a share of revenues to or from an entity that would otherwise prevent the inventory from being monetized.

Video Inventory (Beta). Video inventory (i.e., in-stream ad calls from both linear video content and online games) coming from a Seller Partner to the Ad Exchange is allowed only when the Seller either (i) owns the video player, (ii) owns the video content, or (iii) holds exclusive sales rights to the video content. Seller is responsible for ensuring that all Embedded Sites comply with the DoubleClick Ad Exchange Seller Program Guidelines.

Ad Call Requirements

Advertising Inventory Domain Information. Seller must provide accurate domain information in its calls to the Ad Exchange. Ad requests with inaccurate domain information will not be processed, and may result in a blank ad. Seller may only make calls to the Ad Exchange from domains that Seller has registered with Google as specified in Seller's contract for the Google DoubleClick AdX Service.

Restrictions on Passing and Redirecting Inventory. Once a Seller has made an ad call to AdX for a given impression, Seller is not permitted to pass that impression through any other system (including without limitation, Seller’s own system) that dynamically or programmatically allocates ad calls based on actual or estimated real-time pricing information.

Ad Caching. Ads served to mobile applications ("In-App Ads") or sites accessed through a mobile browser must be requested dynamically and, on sites designed for viewing on mobile devices, be refreshed when the page is refreshed.

Ad Code Requirements

Ad code must be implemented pursuant to the Ad Exchange Ad Code Implementation Requirements and any other instructions from Google.

Site Content

Sites that display Ad Exchange ads must not contain any content that (i) is prohibited by the Platforms program policies or (ii) contains any of the following:

Interest-Based Advertising

Seller's use of a remarketing list ("User List") of any DoubleClick advertising cookies associated with a User ("User Cookie") must comply with both the Interest-based advertising provisions in the Platforms program policies, and the following policies:

Advertising Cookies Policy. Seller's use of the User Cookie via a User List is also subject to the Google Advertising Cookies Policy.

User List Transparency. Seller grants to Google the right to display to any User whose associated cookie ID is part of Seller's User Lists (i) that the User's associated cookie ID is on at least one of Seller's User Lists and (ii) the applicable Seller's domain or display name. Seller grants this right regardless of whether or not Seller has opted to make its inventory available by anonymous id.

In-App Ad Remarketing. To enable remarketing of In-App Ads using mobile device identifiers designated for advertising (“advertising-specific device identifier”), Seller must disclose in its privacy policy (i) that Seller will collect and pass to third parties advertising-specific device identifiers unless the user has opted-out of ad tracking for the device, and (ii) how a user who has opted-out of ad tracking may reset such identifier to disassociate the device from remarketing data that was collected and passed before the opt-out.

Location Data

In addition to the Location data provisions in the Platforms program policies, if a Seller (i) collects (whether through direct or indirect means); (ii) processes, or (iii) discloses to Google any information that is derived from an end user’s GPS, wifi or cell tower data, then that Seller must (A) obtain express (i.e., opt-in) consent from its end users to all uses of such data, and (B) disclose in its privacy policy all such uses of such data (including without limitation, for example, any sharing of such data with third parties).

Beta Features

Services may include beta features, which can be enabled at Seller’s discretion. Beta features may have unforeseen issues and are provided "as is." Any use of beta features will be solely at Seller's own risk and may be subject to additional requirements as specified by Google. Google is not obligated to provide support for beta features. Google may cease providing beta features as part of any services.

Technical Support

Prior to making any support request to Google, Sellers will first use reasonable efforts to fix any error, bug, malfunction, or network connectivity defect without any escalation to Google. Thereafter, a written request for technical support can be submitted via the Google DoubleClick Ad Exchange Help Center at https://support.google.com/adxseller or by writing to the applicable email address. Sellers will provide support services to end users at their own expense. From time to time, Google will consult with Seller with the objective of optimizing the performance of their ad units on the Ad Exchange.

Payment Threshold

Sellers must have a minimum balance of $100 in their Ad Exchange account at the end of a given month to receive payment from Google. Account balances under $100 will roll-over into the following month.

Data Use

Google uses a cookie to serve ads to sites participating in the Ad Exchange as described in the Google Advertising privacy FAQ. Certain third parties may also use cookies to serve ads to site participating in the Ad Exchange as described in the Ad Exchange training guide Buyers' use of technology vendors. Sellers who elect to use the Pixel Analysis tool on their owned and operated sites authorize Google to scan and disclose all pixel activity, including pixels from third parties, on such sites. Google may use and disclose any data derived from Seller's use of Ad Exchange, subject to the terms of Google's privacy policy, the Google DoubleClick AdX Seller Terms, and any applicable laws.

Invalid Activity

In addition to the Invalid activity provisions in the Platforms program policies, Sellers must also comply with the Site Behavior and Traffic Sources provisions in the Ad Exchange Ad Code Technical Requirements.

Video (Beta)

Video Content and Site Content Requirements. Video inventory must be implemented pursuant to the AdX Video Implementation Guide and any other instructions from Google. Sellers must provide and maintain accurate metadata and description URLs for all video and game content.

Sellers using the Google Interactive Media Ads (IMA) SDK to display ads from the Ad Exchange in video inventory are responsible for ensuring that both the video content and Embedded Sites comply with the site content requirements in these Google DoubleClick AdX Seller Guidelines. Such Sellers must disclose in their privacy policies that third parties may collect certain types of information about a user's visit to their Sites, including whether the user interacted with content on such sites.

YouTube-hosted content may only be monetized through the YouTube partner program, and not through the IMA SDK.

Seller Restrictions. Sellers can choose to block advertisers, buyer networks, rich media vendors, and ads that use tagging as a means to create or use remarketing lists, or that use cookies based on interest-based categories. These restrictions can be set on an inventory segment basis or separately at the account-level. While Google does not guarantee these restrictions, Google does provide validation of sites and creatives.

Open Auction Policies

In addition to the above policies, Sellers participating in the Open Auction must also comply with all the below policies.

Ad Placement in the Open Auction. Ad code must not be: (i) displayed in expanding buttons or animation; (ii) integrated into a non-web-based desktop application except as expressly approved by Google; or (iii) placed in email programs or in emails, including but not limited to email newsletters, except as expressly permitted by Google.

Sellers monetizing Sites must ensure that at any given time, in-page Ads (i.e., ads that stay within the the set dimensions of the ad slot), In-app Ads (ads served within mobile applications), and other paid promotional materials do not exceed the amount of Site content.

In-App Ads Placement in the Open Auction. In-App Ads must not be placed: (i) underneath or adjacent to buttons or any other object such that it interferes with a user's typical interaction with the App; (ii) in a manner that otherwise obstructs the user from viewing the content in an App; or (iii) on a "dead end" screen where the user is not able to exit the screen without clicking the ad and the user is not notified that the home button will exit the App.

Additional Content Restrictions for the Open Auction. Sites that display Ad Exchange ads must not contain: (i) pornographic, adult, or mature content; (ii) violent content; (iii) excessive profanity; (iv) illicit drugs and drug paraphernalia content; (v) sale of tobacco or tobacco-related products; and (vi) sale of weapons or ammunition (e.g., firearms, firearm components, fighting knives, stun guns).

Seller Restrictions in the Open Auction. Sellers can choose to block advertisers, buyer networks, rich media vendors, and ads that use tagging as a means to create or use remarketing lists, or that use cookies based on interest-based categories. These restrictions can be set on an inventory segment basis or separately at the account-level. While Google does not guarantee these restrictions, Google does provide validation of sites and creatives.

Video Inventory (Beta) in the Open Auction. Video inventory, including but not limited to in-stream ads inventory in online games, must be implemented pursuant to instructions from Google. Sellers are not permitted to: (i) traffic monetized video players using ad placements for conventional display ads such as in-banner units, or (ii) use ad banners and images as template backgrounds for video and gaming content. Ads must be placed such that users can clearly distinguish them from video and gaming content.

AdWords Ads in the Open Auction. When displaying AdWords ads on their Sites, Seller must also comply with the AdSense Program Policies, wherein "seller" is referred to as "publisher." When displaying AdWords ads within an App, Seller must also comply with the AdMob Program Policies.