Glossary/Adtech & Programmatic/Open Bidding
Adtech & Programmatic
Open Bidding
Google Ad Manager's server-side unified auction that lets third-party exchanges bid for publisher inventory alongside Google's demand.
By Brandon Mina·CEO, BrandPilot AI·Updated November 2026
Appears in Lesson 4 of Programmatic 101
Short answer
Open Bidding is Google Ad Manager's server-side unified auction that lets third-party exchanges and networks compete for publisher inventory alongside Google's own demand. Because bidding happens on Google's servers rather than in the browser, it can reduce page latency. Participating exchanges pay Google a fee on winning impressions.