What a bid request is: how ad exchanges put each ad impression up for auction
· 3h ago · Originally reported by PPC Land
A trade publication has published an explainer on bid requests, the messages an ad exchange sends to buyers when offering a single ad impression for auction. Each request describes the ad placement, the device, the user and the auction rules, giving buyers what they need to decide whether to bid and how much.
Why it matters
Bid requests are the starting point of real-time bidding, the machinery behind most digital ads. Knowing what data they carry helps beginners follow how ad auctions work and why concerns about data and traffic quality arise.
Explain it like I’m new here
It's like an auctioneer describing one item to a room of buyers — what it is, who's watching — so everyone can shout their best price before the gavel falls.
Terms in this story
Bid request
A bid request is the message an SSP or exchange sends to potential buyers describing an available ad impression, inviting them to bid on it in a real-time auction.
Ad exchange
An ad exchange is a digital marketplace where buyers and sellers of ad impressions meet and trade through automated auctions, usually in real time.
Advertiser
An advertiser is the company, organisation or person that pays to place ads in order to sell products, build a brand, recruit, or spread a message.
Impression
An impression is one instance of an ad being served and counted as displayed to a user; it is the basic unit that most online advertising is bought and sold by.
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