App-ads.txt and Sellers.json

To increase the transparency in the ads ecosystem and helps to combat fraud, IAB Tech Lab has introduced several technical specifications, including sellers.json file, Open RTB SupplyChain object (both were finalized in 2019) and Ads.txt file (finalized in 2017).

For getting a better evaluation of the traffic by advertisers, improving the revenue on Taku ADX, we strongly suggest our publishers provide the domain and company name, and allow us to present them in Taku's sellers.json file. Meanwhile, publishers are encouraged to deploy the ads.txt file to the root directory of their site.

1. App-ads.txt

1.1 What is App-ads.txt

Authorized Digital Sellers, or ads.txt is an IAB Tech Lab initiative that helps ensure that the publishers' ad inventory is only sold through sellers (such as Taku ADX) who they've identified as authorized.

It's a txt file uploaded to the root directory of the publishers' site, which is the domain provided in sellers.json file. Taku provides necessary info for publishers' ads.txt file on our publisher platform.

For more information of Ads.txt, please refer to IAB's specifications.

1.2 Why the publishers need App-ads.txt

Creating your own ads.txt file gives you more control over who's allowed to sell ads in your APP and helps prevent counterfeit inventory from being presented to advertisers.

We strongly recommend that you use an ads.txt file. It can help buyers identify counterfeit inventory and help you receive more advertiser spend that might have otherwise gone toward that counterfeit inventory.

1.3 How to deploy the App-ads.txt

1. Ensure Your Website is Registered on Google Play and App Store Pages

DSPs and Ad platforms will verify the app-ads.txt file through the website registered on the app stores.

2. Provide Your Domain Name to Taku

In the Taku Developer Dashboard -> ADX Settings -> app-ads.txt page, fill in your primary domain name and company name, and obtain the corresponding app-ads.txt content that needs to be deployed.

• The domain of the app must match the website domain registered on the app store. (After entering the store URL when creating an app in the developer dashboard, clicking "search" will automatically match the domain.)
• If the app is not listed on any store or you wish to register a different domain, you can manually add/change the domain in the app-ads.txt application editor.
• Note : Do not include the protocol (e.g., https://) or "www." prefix; only enter the domain part.

Examples:

• [✓] Correct file path: https://example.com/app-ads.txt
• [✗] Incorrect file path: https://example.com/ads/app-ads.txt

1. Deploy app-ads.txt on Your Developer Website

   • First, retrieve the app-ads.txt content for your domain in the Taku Developer Dashboard -> ADX Settings -> app-ads.txt page. Note that each domain has a unique app-ads.txt file, so handle them separately.

• • Next, create an app-ads.txt file in Notepad, click "Copy All," and paste the Taku ADX app-ads.txt content into your app-ads.txt file. This file lists all authorized digital sellers provided by the monetization platforms. The format is as follows:

    toponad.com, XXXXXXX, DIRECT, XXXXXXX
    smaato.com, XXXXXXX, RESELLER, XXXXXXX
    inmobi.com, XXXXXXX, RESELLER, XXXXXXX
    ironsrc.com, XXXXXXX, RESELLER, XXXXXXX
    

  • Finally, upload the app-ads.txt file to the root directory of the domain provided in Step 2 above, and ensure the file is accessible via the root domain path.

• Example：

  • If the domain provided in Step 2 is publisher.com, the app-ads.txt file should be accessible at https://publisher.com/app-ads.txt
  • Ensure the file is accessible via the root domain path because platform crawlers will redirect from https://www.publisherc.om/app-ads.txt to https://publisher.com/app-ads.txt .
  • Subdirectories like https://publisher.com/dir/app-ads.txt will not be crawled.

   Note : If your developer website uses multiple domains registered in app stores, you need to add Taku's app-ads.txt file to the root directory of each domain.

2. Sellers.json

2.1 What is sellers.json

Sellers.json is an accessible json file that is published under the root directory of Taku's site. It provides a mechanism to enable buyers to discover who the entities are that are either direct sellers of or intermediaries in the selling of digital advertising.

It allows the identity of the final seller of a bid request to be discovered (assuming that they are ads.txt authorized). It also allows the identities of all nodes (entities that participated in the bid request) in the SupplyChain object to also be discovered.

For more information, please refer to IAB's specifications.

2.2 How should we take actions

Taku's sellers.json file is deployed in the root directory of our official website domain. We recommend that developers provide their own domain and name information here, which helps buyers verify your ad resources.

You can go to Taku's publisher platform -> ADX settings -> app-ads.txt page to fill in your official website domain and developer name information. Please use the domain that includes the ads.txt file. Also, please use the root domain and do not include "www", "https://", "http://", or "ftp://". The developer name should be in English or pinyin..

If you successfully deploy app-ads.txt, your domain and company name will appear in our sellers.json file. Sellers.json updates at 00:00 UTC+8 daily, and you can check it yourself.