Ad Tech Glossary

Definition & Explanation User engagement is the measurement of how users interact with content, including actions like clicks, shares, comments, and time spent on page. In ad tech, it is used to differentiate real human traffic from fake bot-driven activity. Active engagement refers to deliberate, measurable actions that require conscious effort from the user and...h

Definition & Explanation Viewability is an ad tech metric that measures whether an ad was actually seen by a human user. The MRC and IAB standard defines a display ad as viewable when at least 50% of its pixels are visible in the browser viewport for one or more continuous seconds (two seconds for video...h

Definition & Explanation A walled garden is a closed ad ecosystem where the technology provider controls the entire ad tech stack, including content, user data, and advertising options. Major examples include Meta, Google, Amazon, and Apple, which collectively capture over half of all digital ad spend. Within a walled garden, all advertising activities -- from...h

Definition & Explanation A bid request is the information — including device type, location, and user data — sent from a publisher's ad server or SSP to demand-side bidders when an ad impression becomes available. It is generated automatically the moment a user loads a web page or opens an app, and the entire real-time...h

Definition & Explanation A PMP (Private Marketplace) is a premium programmatic environment where only select, pre-approved advertisers are allowed to bid on a publisher's inventory through invite-only auctions. PMPs are powered by a Deal ID — a unique code that connects specific advertisers and publishers in the programmatic ecosystem. Compared to open exchanges, PMPs offer...h

Definition & Explanation Bot traffic is automated, non-human traffic generated by software rather than real users, often designed to mimic human behavior and commit ad fraud. Malicious bots simulate activities such as clicking ads, browsing pages, and submitting forms without any intent to convert, causing advertisers to pay for fake impressions and clicks. This distorts...h

Definition & Explanation An impression is a single instance of an ad being served to a user's device, whether on desktop, mobile, or connected TV. Each time an ad loads and is delivered, one impression is counted—though this does not guarantee the user actually saw or engaged with the ad. Viewable impressions and verified impressions...h

Definition & Explanation Click spamming is a fraud technique where clicks are faked or attributed to the wrong source to steal credit for installs or conversions. Also known as click flooding, it involves generating large volumes of illegitimate clicks so the fraudster can claim last-click attribution for organic installs they never influenced. This results in...h

Definition & Explanation An open exchange is a public programmatic marketplace where ad inventory is made available to any buyer through real-time bidding (RTB) without requiring a direct relationship with the publisher. When a user visits a connected site, a live auction is triggered instantly, and pricing is determined in milliseconds while the page loads....h

Definition & Explanation First-party data is user data collected directly by a brand through its own channels, such as site behavior, email addresses, CRM records, and app interactions. Because it comes from users who have already engaged with the brand, it is considered more accurate, privacy-compliant, and cost-effective than second- or third-party data. First-party data...h