How to Integrate Prebid.js with Smart Ad Server: A Practical Guide for Publishers

Header bidding has become an essential tool for publishers seeking to maximize ad revenue and gain transparency over their inventory. However, integrating popular solutions like Prebid.js with complex ad servers such as Smart Ad Server can appear daunting, especially for teams juggling time constraints and technical details.

This guide cuts through the noise, focusing on what publishers, ad ops managers, and revenue teams need to know to implement Prebid.js with Smart Ad Server smoothly. We cover each step, highlight common pitfalls, and show how to optimize your setup for control and revenue.

Understanding the Smart Ad Server and Prebid.js Workflow

At its core, integrating Prebid.js with Smart Ad Server brings auction-based header bidding directly into your ad server’s decisioning process. Here’s what the workflow typically looks like for a publisher:

Auction Flow Example

1. Prebid.js runs an auction on the page, collecting bids from various SSPs and demand partners.
2. When the Prebid auction completes or times out, the highest bid and relevant details (bidder name, CPM, currency) are packaged and attached to the Smart Ad Server ad tag.
3. The Smart Ad Server tag then runs, making the final decision between:
– The header bidding winner from Prebid.js
– Competing RTB+ bids from DSPs connected to Smart
– Any direct or guaranteed campaigns
4. The impression is ultimately awarded to the highest net revenue opportunity, considering all sources.

This workflow allows publishers to introduce competition across all demand channels, not just header bidding, driving up yield while using a single, streamlined setup.

Step-by-Step Setup: From Prebid.js to Smart Ad Server

Implementing this integration requires attention to both Prebid.js configuration and Smart Ad Server tagging. Here’s how to approach this setup, focusing on practical details:

Prebid.js Implementation Essentials

– Go to the Prebid.js download page and choose only the bidders, analytics, and modules your site requires (bloat slows auctions).
– Consult bidder documentation carefully—parameters must be accurate to ensure bids are valid.
– Set a realistic auction timeout (e.g., 800–1200ms). A tight timeout favors user experience but may exclude slower partners.
– Deploy the Prebid.js library on your site before your ad tags load.

Smart Ad Server’s OneCall Tag: Best Practices

– Always use Smart’s OneCall tagging method. It enables you to pass header bidding data by tagId, aligning bids to specific placements.
– Check your tag structure: modern/OneCall tags send a ‘formats’ array in the request body. Tags using only ‘formatId’ are outdated—switch to the new format for proper integration.
– Your tagId (e.g., sas_1234) must match the div container for each ad slot on the page.

Configuring Smart Ad Server for Holistic Yield

Optimizing the server-side settings is critical to allow Prebid.js and RTB+ demand to compete fairly with direct deals. Here’s what to look for:

Key UI Settings for Publishers

– In the Smart UI, create an RTB+ insertion and enable ‘Holistic yield mode’ to activate competition among all demand sources.
– Confirm that RTB+ is turned on in your network’s global settings.
– Only the Holistic+ feature—activated for your network—ensures header bidding and RTB+ demand are evaluated together.
– Use only official, up-to-date RTB+ and Holistic script templates to avoid silent delivery or reporting problems.

Monitoring and Reporting: Staying in Control

A robust integration is only as good as your ability to measure and optimize it. Smart Ad Server’s reporting tools provide necessary visibility, but configuration is key:

Reporting Example and Use Cases

– Access Big Data Reports from Smart’s dashboard to view metrics like bid depth, win rates, and revenue by bidder.
– Monitor timeouts and see how often specific bidders are being excluded, allowing you to tune your timeout settings and bidder list.
– Segment data by placement, device, and demand source to identify underperforming partners or placements.

What this means for publishers

Integrating Prebid.js with Smart Ad Server using the holistic RTB+ setup fundamentally changes how publishers control and monetize their inventory. You can now ensure that every impression is exposed to true competition—not just between header bidding partners, but also with programmatic direct, PMP, and direct-sold deals, all without manual line item management. This approach reduces operational complexity, increases transparency, and helps maximize overall yield.

Practical takeaway

For publishers, a successful Prebid.js and Smart Ad Server integration starts with technical discipline—use only necessary modules, validate all bidder parameters, and opt for the newest tag format. Your ad ops team should regularly review both Prebid timeout settings and Smart Ad Server’s holistic configuration to avoid unintentional revenue leaks.

Once implemented, continually track performance via Smart’s reporting to identify opportunities and troubleshoot issues. Don’t let legacy tags or outdated scripts linger: they undermine auction fairness and reporting accuracy. The payoff is a more transparent, flexible, and competitive monetization stack that’s easier to manage and optimize over time.