app ads txt support - Unity-Technologies/unity-ads GitHub Wiki

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Title: app-ads.txt support
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The app-ads.txt file consists of a list of authorized digital sellers. This file was created by IAB, to combat fraud and to create transparency in the advertising ecosystem. The file verifies the legitimacy of sellers, protecting against fraud and misrepresented domains.

Developers must host this file in the root of the developer website. Brand advertisers and demand-side platforms (DSPs) scrape this file and cross-reference it when they buy ad inventory programmatically via exchanges, supply-side platforms (SSPs), and ad networks.

While implementing app-ads.txt is not mandatory in most cases, failing to do so will cause developers to lose significant ad revenue for the following reasons:

• DSPs use this file to understand the supply chain of inventory they are buying.
• Some DSPs will only buy from developers that have correctly implemented this file.
• Developers that properly declare their authorized sellers help advertisers greatly reduce the risk of counterfeit inventory, which over time funnels more advertising dollars to quality developers.

Important: Implementing app-ads.txt is required if you wish to display banner ads. Not doing so will result in significantly decreased banner demand.

For more information, read the IAB Teach Lab spec and Unity's blog on elevating inventory quality.

1. Click Monetize from the unity Dashboard.
2. From the Monetize menu, select Setup, then choose Organization.
3. Find Developer Website in Organization info.
4. Enter the URL of the website where your game is listed on the App Store. This is usually simple, for example, https://www.unity3d.com. This field should contain only the root of the Publisher/Developers website. For example, you can find this website on the Developer page of Google Play, and in settings on the Apple store.
5. Scroll to the next panel, App-ads.txt.
6. The App-Ads URL should have been automatically populated. For example, https://www.unity3d.com/app-ads.txt. If it is not filled in, see this document about website roots for details.
7. You'll see a list of authorized digital sellers, presented in the format that the file requires.
8. Open a text editor, then use the copy icon to copy the list to your clipboard.
9. Create an app-ads.txt file from this list.
10. Copy the app-ads.txt file to the root of the developer website so that it's findable in the location listed in the app-ads URL field.

If everything worked correctly, you'll see a message informing you that no action is needed at this time.

Important: This list may change over time. Please check the settings page monthly, or whenever you are notified.

It's important to visit the app-ads.txt setting regularly to see if anything has changed, or to respond to error messages or notifications that you receive.

Here are some issues that can happen, and how to fix them.

Issue: Missing/Incorrect Website/Not implemented app-ads.txt

We could not find your app-ads.txt at the given App-Ads URL. Review your Developer Website field in the Organization Info section above. If you haven't already, please create your app-ads.txt file.

**Solution: ** Check that the developer website field in the *Monetization\Organization Info section is accurate. Ensure that the correct root is listed as well.

Issue: Missing some app-ads.txt entries

You are missing some app-ads.txt entries. Please include the missing strings below in your app-ads.txt file.

Solution:

1. Navigate to Monetize\Setup\Organization Info\App-ads.txt.
2. Find your app-ads.txt file and open it.
3. Use the copy icon to copy, then add, the authorized digital sellers to your app-ads.txt file.
4. If you'd rather recreate the entire app-ads.txt file, click Show Full List, then copy that into the app-ads.txt.

app-ads.txt is specifically for mobile apps. It provides the same functionality as ads.txt, but resides on the developer's website.

app-ads.txt protects advertisers from buying invalid or fraudulent traffic, and protects publishers from losing revenue to malicious sources intercepting their demand.

Moving forward, a number of major Brand advertisers and DSPs will only buy inventory from authorized inventories, creating a strong incentive for publishers to adopt app-ads.txt. To stay ahead of this shift in the industry and avoid missing out on revenue, Unity recommends implementing this as early as possible.

Unity strongly supports this initiative because it combats fraud and creates more transparency for mobile advertising. App developers who implement this will, in turn, see more premium advertisers and incremental revenue.

As with ads.txt for web, this file gives advertisers greater assurance that they are buying legitimate impressions from authorized resellers.