Ad tech foundations

Start here if words like CPM, SSP or programmatic sound like noise. Five lessons walk you from "why is this website free?" to a clear map of every company that touches an ad, and where the money leaks along the way.

beginner · 5 lessons · 33 minutes

1. 01

   How the internet gets paid

   Why most websites, apps and streaming channels are free, who actually pays for them, and what "ad tech" does in the middle.

   6 min
2. 02

   Impressions, CPM and how ads are priced

   CPM, CPC, CPA, CTR, eCPM and ROAS decoded with simple maths, so you can read any media plan or ad invoice with confidence.

   6 min
3. 03

   Publishers, advertisers and everyone in the middle

   Meet the cast: publishers, advertisers, agencies, DSPs, SSPs, exchanges, ad servers and verifiers, and what each one is paid to do.

   7 min
4. 04

   Direct deals vs programmatic

   How ads are sold by handshake versus by software, why programmatic took over, and the spectrum of deal types in between.

   7 min
5. 05

   The LUMAscape: a map of the whole industry

   Read the famous LUMAscape map of ad tech, see the major categories of companies, and follow where an advertiser's dollar actually goes.

   7 min

Test yourself: Ad tech foundations quiz