SSP
What are supply-side platforms, or SSPs?
Supply-side platforms, or SSPs, are a platform for publishers to manage their inventory in order to facilitate the sale of ad space.
How do supply-side platforms work?
SSPs work similarly to demand-side platforms (DSPs), but on the developer (or supply) side rather than the advertiser side. DSPs use real-time bidding (RTB) to find the best ad placements at the best prices based on anonymized data. SSPs create a place for publishers to make this data about potential ad impressions available. In an RTB auction, SSPs are the auctioneer, and DSPs are the buyer.
What capabilities do SSPs have?
SSPs allow publishers to control minimum bids on their inventory and limit their inventory availability to certain parties. SSPs can also access multiple DSPs via ad exchanges, which make it easier for them to maximize visibility to all potential buyers.
Thousands of advertisers and publishers participate in these ongoing transactions, which take a small fraction of a second to fulfill. The result of each of these exchanges is that the optimal outcome is achieved for both parties given the parameters involved — advertisers receive the lowest cost possible for optimal ad space while bringing publishers the highest cost per thousand impressions (CPM) possible for their inventory.