Programmatic advertising
Stage: Be bookedProgrammatic advertising
Programmatic display, video and connected TV on clean inventory, with first-party audiences and reporting tied to outcomes.
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Campaigns · last 12 weeks
Cost per qualified lead$34
High-intent search46%
Meta prospecting26%Retargeting14%Broad and wasted14%Qualified leads a month162Wasted spend14%Return on ad spend3.8x
Illustration. Share of monthly spend by campaign type.Trusted by partner brands
Why it matters now
Most display is bought by machines
Almost all display advertising is now bought programmatically. The difference between waste and results is the inventory you buy, the audiences you bring and how you measure it.
Then
Open exchangeCheap impressionsMade-for-ads sitesWasted spend
Low prices hid low-quality placements and fake attention.Now
Curated inventoryFirst-party audiencesAttention and outcomesLift
Fewer, better placements, measured on visits, leads and sales.What’s included
Everything a campaign needs to scale
Six parts of every programmatic program.
How we do it
Five steps, one owner
Part of your first 90 days. Every step has a date, an owner and something you can see.
Week 1Account and tracking auditReview structure, spend, search terms and conversion tracking, and agree targets.You get an audit with quick wins
Week 1 to 2Fix measurementSet up or repair conversion tracking, offline conversions and CRM links.You get numbers you can trust
Week 2 to 4Rebuild campaigns and audiencesRebuild what is wasting budget and launch the new structure.You get a cleaner account
Week 3 to 12Creative testsTest creative, audiences and landing pages, and move budget to what wins.You get tested winners
Every weekOptimize and reportAdjust bids, budgets and tests, and report cost per lead and revenue.You get a Monday report
Where display budgets go wrong
Cheap impressions are rarely cheap
A large share of open-exchange spend can end up on low-quality sites built only to show ads. We buy fewer, better placements and measure what they deliver.
- Step 1: CurateQuality publishers and private deals
- Step 2: TargetFirst-party and contextual audiences
- Step 3: VerifyBrand safety and fraud checks
- Step 4: MeasureVisits, search lift and conversions
How we measure it
Every week, tied to revenue
Spend, leads, pipeline and revenue by campaign, from programmatic and your CRM and your CRM, in one weekly report, next to your organic search results in Surface.
Weeklybudget and bid reviews1report with paid and organicCRMleads tracked to revenue
- Cost per lead and cost per qualified lead
- Return on ad spend and revenue
- Conversion rate by landing page
- Spend by campaign against target
Your options
Four ways to run programmatic ads
Run it in-house, use a freelancer, hire a channel specialist, or run it with your search partner.
One team, no handoffs
Programmatic Buying works best with the rest of search
The same team runs every service that feeds AI answers, so nothing waits on another vendor.
Programmatic Buyingyou are hereYouTube and programmaticVideo and display that builds demandDigital Advertising ServicesGoogle Ads and PPCSearch campaigns that pay backAnalytics and trackingGA4, Search Console and tag setupLinkedIn and Meta adsReach buying committees and audiencesFacebook Advertising
Guides
Go deeper on Programmatic Buying
Questions
What people ask about Programmatic Buying
What is programmatic advertising?
Buying display, video and connected TV ads through automated platforms, using data to choose placements and audiences.
Which platforms do you use?
Leading demand-side platforms, chosen per campaign, plus Google Display & Video 360 where it fits.
How do you avoid wasted spend?
Curated inventory, private deals, verification tools and blocking made-for-ads sites.
Can you run connected TV?
Yes, CTV campaigns with the same audience and measurement approach as online video.
How do you measure programmatic?
Site visits, branded search lift, leads and sales, with view-through results kept separate.
What is the minimum engagement?
We work in 90-day blocks with a 6-month minimum.
The full guide · 7 min readProgrammatic advertising without the waste
How to buy quality inventory, use your own data and measure what display really delivers.
- 01How programmatic works
- 02Choosing inventory
- 03Audiences and data
- 04Measuring outcomes
Get more from programmatic
Talk to a partner about a review of your programmatic campaigns and tracking.