How to Set Up Open Bidding in Google Ad Manager: A Step-by-Step Guide

Open Bidding lets third-party exchanges compete for every impression in the same real-time auction as Google demand, server to server, without adding a single line of code to your site or app. If you already run Google Ad Manager with Ad Exchange, you can set it up in an afternoon.

This guide walks you through the whole process: accepting the Open Bidding terms, connecting bidders, building yield groups, updating ads.txt, and checking that everything works.

What is Open Bidding?

Open Bidding (formerly Exchange Bidding) allows publishers to invite third-party demand partners, called bidders, to compete for their inventory through a single unified auction. The auction runs server to server inside Ad Manager's dynamic allocation, so bidders compete alongside Ad Exchange, your line items, and other Google demand in real time.

Open Bidding was originally available only to Ad Manager 360, but it is now available to all publishers using Ad Exchange in Ad Manager. It works for web, app, and video inventory.

Why publishers use Open Bidding

1. One unified auction

Bidders submit real-time CPMs that compete directly with all your Ad Manager demand. More competition per impression means higher prices and better fill. Two dozen exchanges are available to onboard online, including Index Exchange, Magnite, PubMatic, OpenX, Media.net, Equativ, and Sovrn.

2. Simple setup

Open Bidding uses your existing Google Publisher Tag (GPT) and Google Mobile Ads SDK. There are no new tags or wrappers. The setup in Ad Manager comes down to two things: connect bidders, then add them to a yield group.

3. Faster pages

Because the auction happens on Google's servers rather than in the user's browser, Open Bidding adds far less page latency than client-side header bidding.

4. No discrepancies

What a bidder bids is what it pays. Reporting and billing are unified in Ad Manager, so you don't have to reconcile numbers across multiple dashboards.

Before you start

• A Google Ad Manager network with Ad Exchange enabled.
• An Ad Manager user role that can manage bidders and yield groups (Administrator is easiest).
• Access to your site's ads.txt file (or app-ads.txt for apps), since each bidder needs to be added after approval.
• For apps: the Google Mobile Ads SDK must be integrated. Some app bidders also require their own SDK and ad unit mapping, and if your app uses the IAB TCF framework, each new buyer must be in your consent setup.

Step-by-step setup

Step 1: Accept the Open Bidding terms

You only do this once per Ad Manager network.

1. Sign in to Google Ad Manager.
2. Click Delivery, then Bidders.
3. Click Go to Open Bidding, then Review Open Bidding terms.
4. Read the terms and click Accept.

Once accepted, you can start adding bidders.

Step 2: Add a new bidder

1. Go to Delivery, then Bidders.
2. Click Go to Open Bidding, then New bidder.
3. Search for the bidder and click its name.

Good to know: each bidder has its own partnership agreement. You need to accept it even if you already work with that company outside Ad Manager. The agreement is between you and the bidder only; Google isn't a party to it.

Step 3: Onboard the bidder online

1. Click Onboard online now. This shares your 16-digit Ad Exchange publisher ID with the bidder and takes you to the bidder's website.
2. Complete the bidder's partnership agreement on their site.
3. Return to Ad Manager and click Continue.
4. Confirm you have an active agreement with the bidder, then click Acknowledge and agree to send your Open Bidding request.

Tip: keep the Ad Manager tab open while you complete the bidder's agreement. That's how Ad Manager gets the signal that you finished, so your request can go through.

Your status will show as Pending while the bidder reviews it. You'll usually see Approved or Rejected within about 2 business days. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 for each bidder you want to add.

Step 4: Create a yield group

A yield group tells Ad Manager which inventory your bidders can compete for. Think of it like a line item for Open Bidding.

1. Go to Delivery, then Yield groups, and click New yield group.
2. Give it a clear name that describes the inventory, for example Open Bidding – Web.
3. Choose the Ad format (for example Banner) and Inventory type (for example Web).

Less is more: use one yield group per inventory type (web, app, video). You don't need separate yield groups for reporting, because bidders have their own pretargeting. Only add more yield groups for non-banner formats such as interstitial, native, or rewarded.

Step 5: Set the inventory sizes

Under Targeting, you'll see Inventory size (available for the banner format).

Tip: leave Inventory size blank. This allows multi-size ad requests and lets similar-sized creatives from your bidders compete, which increases bid density.

Step 6: Target your inventory

1. Choose the inventory the yield group should reach.
2. We recommend Run of network, so bidders can compete on all eligible inventory. Then exclude anything you don't want included.

Tip: don't limit by geography unless you have a business reason. Bidders already filter by the countries they want through their own pretargeting. Your unified pricing rules (floors) still apply to Open Bidding.

Step 7: Add your bidders to the yield group

Add each fully onboarded bidder to the yield group and save. That's it: once a bidder approves your request, it starts receiving bid requests.

Don't skip ads.txt

Bidders won't spend on inventory that isn't authorized in your ads.txt or app-ads.txt file. This is one of the most common reasons for low Open Bidding revenue.

• After approval, each bidder shares its seller line, which looks like this: abc-exchange.com, 1234, DIRECT
• Add each bidder's line to ads.txt (and app-ads.txt) on every domain and app you monetize. Keep your existing lines as they are.
• If a bidder hasn't sent you its line, contact the bidder's Open Bidding team.
• Use the ads.txt management page in Ad Manager to see which bidders are still missing from your files.

Best practices

Keep yield groups simple

• Use as few yield groups as possible.
• Target run of network.
• Allow multi-size requests.
• Add all eligible bidders, even if you also run header bidding.

Keep blocking consistent

Apply the same advertiser and category blocks across Ad Exchange, Open Bidding, and third-party line items. Review them in the Protections section of Ad Manager. Inconsistent blocks can quietly suppress bids.

Track performance in reporting

Run a report in Ad Manager with these settings:

• Pick your date range.
• Filter Demand channel = Open Bidding.
• Add the dimension Yield partner (and optionally Yield group).
• Add metrics such as revenue, eCPM, callouts, bids, and impressions.

Troubleshoot with Open Bidding health

If a bidder isn't bidding, check the bid health tools on the bidder's page in Ad Manager. They break down eligible queries, pretargeting matches, and issues (pretargeting, configuration, or regulatory), along with the bidder's bid rate. Many issues can be fixed right there.

Quick checklist

• ☐ Open Bidding terms accepted
• ☐ Bidders added and onboarded online (status: Approved)
• ☐ One yield group per inventory type, run of network, inventory size left blank
• ☐ All approved bidders added to the yield group
• ☐ Every bidder's line added to ads.txt / app-ads.txt on all domains and apps
• ☐ Blocking consistent across all demand
• ☐ Report saved: Demand channel = Open Bidding, by Yield partner

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to add any code?

No. Open Bidding uses your existing GPT tags and Google Mobile Ads SDK. A few app bidders require their own SDK.

How long does bidder approval take?

Usually about 2 business days after you send the request.

I finished onboarding, but my status didn't update. What now?

Make sure you returned to Ad Manager, clicked Continue, and acknowledged the agreement. If it's still stuck, contact the bidder directly.

Can I run Open Bidding and header bidding together?

Yes. Many publishers do. Add all eligible bidders to Open Bidding even if some also run in your header bidding setup.

Why can't I find a specific bidder?

Not every exchange supports onboarding online. Google keeps the current list of available bidders in its Help Center.

Need a hand?

If you get stuck on any step, reply to our email or contact your Ad.Plus account manager. We're happy to walk you through it.

Further reading (Google Ad Manager Help): 

. Onboard online with Open Bidding (support.google.com/admanager/answer/10078134)

· Open Bidding FAQ (support.google.com/admanager/answer/9189594)

· Troubleshoot Open Bidding health issues (support.google.com/admanager/answer/11189725)