AUDIT OVERVIEW
Audits differentiate quality digital publishers.
Digital advertising fraud is a multibillion-dollar global problem that affects everyone. In today’s programmatic environment, it's hard to differentiate quality publishers with human audiences from all others, making it challenging for media buyers to determine which sites are safe for their investment. Marketers waste money, and publishers lose revenue.
Digital Publisher Audits are part of a complementary set of industry assurance solutions supported by the Association of National Advertisers. The AAM Digital Publisher Audit addresses assurance at the publisher level by analyzing website traffic and the publisher’s adherence to best business practices. After the initial audit is complete, traffic is continuously monitored and baseline variances are mitigated if necessary.
Publisher transparency is key in gaining media buyers' trust. Third-party audits help quality publishers stand out and improve outcomes for marketers.
Estimated cost of global ad fraud in 2022
Source: Juniper Research
The amount of ad spend lost to fraud in the U.S. in 2020
Source: CHEQ
The percentage of money spent on programmatic ads that fall into an "unknown delta" and cannot be accounted for
Source: 2020 study by ISBA and PwC
DIGITAL PUBLISHER AUDIT PROCESS
How a Digital Publisher Audit works.
The audit is a holistic solution conducted at the publisher level and includes:
Onboarding
AAM works with the publisher to introduce the audit process, receive access to web analytics and help set up site tagging.
Business Process Review
Auditors collect general site information and perform an in-depth review of the publisher’s business practices to understand how the site is monetized and assess the level of risk. This process shapes the audit.
Quantity Verification
AAM verifies the accuracy of third-party metrics by checking proper implementation, monitoring traffic levels and filtered traffic, and continuously measuring website activity.
Quality Verification
AAM performs 14 multi-point audit analyses to validate that business practices are working properly to deliver a high-quality audience by monitoring human/bot audience composition and evaluating the quality of sourced traffic.
Audit Completion
Once the audit is complete, the publisher’s website is included on the AAM Audited Domain List, in AAM’s Media Intelligence Center and the IAB Tech Lab Compliance Registry. Publishers can promote the audit by including the AAM audited logo on their website, media kit and sales materials.
Ongoing Monitoring
After the initial audit is complete, AAM continues to monitor site traffic for baseline variances and mitigate issues, as necessary.
AUDIT ACTIVATION
Stand out as an audited publisher.
Audited domains are activated throughout the digital media buying ecosystem in several ways. Publishers that successfully complete the audit are:
- Included on the AAM Audited Domain List, which marketers use to build inclusion lists and prioritize publishers in DSPs.
- Featured in AAM’s Media Intelligence Center, a platform accessed by thousands of media professionals each year.
- Included in the IAB Tech Lab Compliance Registry, a free online resource listing companies that have successfully completed select industry compliance programs.
A SAMPLE OF AAM DIGITAL PUBLISHER AUDIT CLIENTS
The AAM Digital Publisher Audit is a major step toward providing assurances at the publisher level.
Through third-party audits, buyers can differentiate quality sites, analyze traffic and clearly see the difference between audited publishers and those who are running fraudulent sites.
AAM’s independent validation of our digital audience reinforces our commitment to transparency and integrity in everything we do.
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