Nexx360 launches AdImpact: a chrome extension for Header Bidding bandwidth analysis

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Nexx360, the cloud-based programmatic solution, announces the launch of AdImpact, a Chrome extension available for free. AdImpact provides publishers with various metrics related to header bidding, including the SSPs called, the requests made, and the identified bandwidth passing through the visitor’s browser. Additionally, it includes a carbon calculator to estimate the CO2 impact of this bandwidth, based on the user’s chosen reference. Lastly, AdImpact compares client and server-side setups.

Measuring the impact of Header Bidding for informed decision-making

To empower publishers with better insights regarding the impact of header bidding on their web pages, Nexx360 has developed an extension called AdImpact now available on Chrome. This tool scans the advertising calls of a user-selected web page, providing real-time metrics:

The number of programmatic partners called and identified in the header bidding competition.
The bandwidth passing for each of these calls (volume of bytes).
A calculator to estimate the potential carbon impact generated by the consumed bandwidth during exchanges on the user’s device. The publisher can adopt their chosen reference by providing a gCO2e per gigabyte figure.
A detailed analysis can be downloaded, offering users an aggregated view of these various metrics.

Tips for conducting a test on a URL:

Prefer article pages over homepages, which typically integrate fewer advertisements.
Analyze multiple pages on various devices at different times of the day and week. Results are time-specific and may vary among users.

Tool limitations to consider:

AdImpact’s data is generic and provided for informational purposes. Several parameters and events can impact their reliability.
The results only consider traffic on the Chrome browser within the specific context of the extension user.
In some cases, an SSP’s bandwidth may include not only its own activities but also those of bidders operating under aliases.
AdImpact reloads the page before auditing, reducing the number of visible ads. The measurement is, therefore, slightly under-weighted.

“Measuring allows for better understanding and control of a situation before taking concrete initiatives. Initially, we developed AdImpact to easily demonstrate the value of the server-side to our stakeholders. Today, we open it to the public to provide a solution for publishers looking to identify optimization areas for better business and technical performance. We add a carbon calculator that can contribute to understanding the puzzle of this complex programmatic chain, although this question is not limited to bandwidth passing through the browser.”

André Baden-Semper, CEO & Co-founder of Nexx360

Balancing Client-Side and Server-Side Integrations

Header bidding emerged when browsing was primarily done via fixed internet (cable or Wi-Fi). Publishers quickly embraced this solution, connecting to numerous SSPs to increase buying pressure on their inventory. This marketing mode is traditionally client-side integrated, meaning bid processing occurs in the user’s device browser. However, this process can significantly contribute to slowing down webpage loading speeds due to the numerous requests sent to various partners, consuming substantial computing resources on the user’s device. This slowdown can result in decreased SEO positions (core web vitals), leading to reduced traffic and diminished advertising efficiency due to a degraded experience (lower visibility, click-through rates, etc.).

To preserve their websites’ performance, publishers can opt for two solutions. The first is reducing the number of integrated Sell-Side Platforms (SSP) in the competition.
However, this strategy restricts competition and, therefore, opportunities to sell at the best price. The second is to offload programmatic requests on the cloud, on specific servers, avoiding overloading users’ devices with advertising requests.

Nexx360 Programmatic Cloud relies on this second solution. Its server-side integration allows publishers to maximize connections with their SSP partners to increase yield without slowing down webpage loading. To complement this approach, Nexx360 transparently offers publishers the option to reduce the number of requests sent to various partners through throttling logic decided and controlled by the publisher on low-performing inventories. This maximizes yield while maintaining a certain frugality.