Ads.txt is a text file created by IAB Tech Lab to improve publisher’s transparency and prevent ad fraud. This file contains the names of digital sellers authorized by publishers to sell their inventory. The reason for this file is for potential media buyers to verify who the ad seller is so that they can be sure that they’re putting their money in the right hands. This will help advertisers avoid fraud and improve transparency for buyers.
Since publishers use different sales channel to sell their inventory, ads.txt also supports various types of supplier relationships:
- Domain owners that are selling through their accounts on exchanges.
- Sales houses and networks that are selling programmatically on the domain owner’s behalf.
- Content syndication partnerships with multiple sellers authorized to represent or sell the same inventory.
Why Does Ads.txt Matter?
Ad fraud and unauthorized reselling have been a big problem in programmatic advertising. Buyers could not be sure of the SSPs that have the right to sell a publisher’s inventory unless they contact the publisher directly. With ads.txt being a list of authorized sellers, buyers can determine the programmatic firms or sellers with legitimate access and are authorized to sell the inventory they’re seeking.
