How Do I Create and Serve Ads in Google Ad Manager?

Who is this for?
This guide is for anyone looking to set up and serve ads using Google Ad Manager. Please note that these instructions are specific to Google Ad Manager. For any issues with your Ad Manager account, please contact the Google Help Center directly.

Section One: Creating the Ad Unit in Google Ad Manager

This section outlines the steps to create an ad unit in Google Ad Manager. This only needs to be set up once.

1. Log in to your Google Ad Manager account.
2. Click the Inventory tab to expand it.
3. Select Ad Units.
4. The Ad Units page will load. If this is your first ad unit, the page will be empty.
5. Click New Ad Unit.
6. For Parent Ad Unit, keep this as Top Level.
7. Enter a descriptive name for your ad unit (e.g., WYXB_Leaderboard_728x90). We recommend including your station's call letters.
8. Copy and paste the ad unit name into the Code and Description fields.
9. Set Size Mode to Fixed Size.
10. Enter the ad unit size (e.g., 728x90 for a leaderboard). For video preroll ads, add the video dimensions in the Video or Audio (VAST) Sizes field below.
11. Set Target Window to _top.
12. Ignore Placements.
13. Keep AdSense checked if you want to serve AdSense ads after your direct order ends.
14. Ignore Frequency Caps.
15. Set Refresh Rate to No refresh rate.
16. Click Save.
17. On the left navigation, click Ad Units again to reload your list.
18. Click the ad unit you just created.
19. Within the ad unit, you will see three tabs: Settings, Line Items, and Tags.
20. Select the Tags tab.
21. Select the tag type:
    • For websites, choose Google Publisher Tag.
    • For mobile apps, select Application Mobile Tag from the dropdown.
    Click Continue after selecting the correct tag.
22. Keep Passback Tag as is.
23. Leave Single Request as is.
24. Leave Collapse Empty Divs as is.
25. Ensure the correct ad sizes are shown. These should match what you selected when building the ad unit.
26. Click Continue.
27. Open a Notepad document. Copy and paste the Document Header Tag and Document Body Tag from Google Ad Manager into the Notepad document for later use.

Section Two: Setting Up Ads in SoCast

This section explains how to set up the ad units you created in Google Ad Manager within the SoCast platform. This only needs to be set up once.

1. Open your document with the Google tags for your ad unit.
2. Log in to the SoCast platform.
3. Navigate to Website > Website Settings > Advertising.
4. Copy and paste the Document Header Tag into the Ad Setup Code field.
5. In the SoCast platform, select the ad unit type by clicking the pencil icon next to the relevant option. For a leaderboard, click the Header Ad pencil. In the new window, paste the Document Body Tag from your ad unit.
6. To test your ads, go to your website and add ?google_console=1 to the end of the URL (e.g., www.socastdigital.com/?google_console=1).

Section Three: Creating the Order in Google Ad Manager

This section covers how to set up an order in Google Ad Manager. This must be done every time you sell a new sponsorship.

1. In Google Ad Manager, select the Delivery tab from the left navigation.
2. Select Orders.
3. You will see the list of all orders. If this is your first order, the page will be empty.
4. Click New Order.
5. Enter the order name (e.g., SoCast_Digital_Growth_Easy_Leaderboard). Include the company name, campaign promotion, and ad type.
6. Enter the advertiser's name. If it's a new advertiser, click Add a New Advertiser, enter the name, and click Save.
7. Scroll down and click Add Line Item.

Section Four: Setting Up the Line Item

This section walks you through creating a line item. This must be done every time you sell a new sponsorship.

1. After clicking Add Line Item from the Orders tab, select the appropriate ad type (e.g., Display).
2. Name your line item descriptively (e.g., SoCast_Leaderboard_728x90).
3. For Line Item Type, select Sponsorship (4). This guarantees delivery for this line item and ad.
4. Add the expected creative sizes (should match the ad unit size).
5. Leave Additional Settings as is.
6. Set up your delivery settings based on your agreement with the advertiser. Enter the campaign start and end dates, keep the goal at 100%, and enter the agreed-upon rate.
7. Leave Adjust Delivery as is.
8. Set up targeting:
   • Expand the Inventory section in the targeting grid.
   • Remove Run of Network targeting by clicking the X.
   • Expand the ad unit section and select the ad unit you created for this order.
   • Expand Show More in the targeting grid.
   • Under Device Category, expand and select the devices you want to target (we recommend Desktop, Feature Phone, and Smartphone).
   • Add any additional targeting as needed.
9. Click Save once targeting and setup are complete.
10. Google will confirm that your line item was successfully created.
11. At the top of the page, you will see tabs for Settings, Creatives, Forecast, and Troubleshoot.
12. Select the Creatives tab.
13. Click Add Creatives > New Creative and select the expected creative sizes.
14. Choose the appropriate creative type:
    • If your client provided an HTML5 zip file, select HTML5 and upload the zip file.
    • If your client provided an image (GIF, JPG, PNG), select Image.
15. Give your creative a name.
16. Leave Upload an Image File and 1x Density as is.
17. Upload your creative by clicking Browse or dragging the file to the upload area.
18. Enter the click-through URL for your ad.
19. Click Save.

Note: For additional details on creating a responsive ad unit, please refer to the appropriate resources or contact support.