What is an SSP?
An SSP, or supply-side platform, is software that lets publishers sell their ad space automatically to many advertisers at once. It offers impressions to buyers through ad exchanges and aims to earn the best price for each one.
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How an SSP works
A publisher connects its sites or apps to the SSP and sets rules, such as minimum prices and which advertisers can bid. When a visitor arrives, the SSP offers the ad space to buyers and passes the winning ad back to the page.
This all occurs in a fraction of a second, and the SSP reports back on what sold and for how much.
How an SSP differs from a DSP
An SSP works for the seller, and a demand-side platform works for the buyer. The two meet at ad exchanges, where publishers' inventory is matched with advertisers' bids.
Why advertisers should care
The SSPs a publisher uses affect what inventory you can buy and how clean the supply path is. Knowing the chain helps you judge quality, fees, and transparency in programmatic buying.
Common questions
What is the difference between an SSP and a DSP?
An SSP serves publishers who sell ad space, and a DSP serves advertisers who buy it.
Who uses an SSP?
Publishers, app developers, and other owners of ad space use them to sell inventory and manage revenue.
What is an ad exchange?
It's a marketplace where publishers' impressions are offered to advertisers' buying platforms, usually through auctions. SSPs and DSPs connect to exchanges.
Do advertisers choose which SSPs they buy from?
Often indirectly. Advertisers pick DSPs and deals, and those determine which SSPs and publishers they can reach. Some advertisers prefer a short list of trusted supply paths.
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