Your First Week
Build your ad inventory, configure demand, and prepare to go live.
3–4 hours spread across Days 2–3. Faster if you already know what slots and partners you want.
Overview
This week you'll build three things:
| Component | What it is | Why you need it |
|---|---|---|
| Ad slots | Individual ad placements | Defines where ads appear |
| Layouts | Collections of ad slots | Controls which slots load on which pages |
| Demand config | Prebid bidder configuration | Who can bid on your inventory |
Your site → Layout matches page → Ad slots initialize → Prebid bidders compete → Ads display
Day 2: Create your inventory
Task 1: Create ad slots
Switch to Main mode (click Ad Manager at the bottom of the account sidebar), then go to Inventory → Ad Slots.
You have two paths:
Starting from GAM inventory
If GAM is connected and synced (Day 1), you'll already have GAM ad units available under Inventory → GAM. Use those as the basis for your Anima ad slots — each Anima slot maps to one GAM ad unit.
Creating from scratch
Click Add Ad Slot and define each placement. Typical first-pass slots:
| Example slot | Sizes | Notes |
|---|---|---|
homepage_header | 728x90, 970x250 | Above the fold, high impact |
article_sidebar_top | 300x250, 300x600 | Primary sidebar position |
article_incontent_1 | 300x250, 336x280 | First in-content placement |
article_incontent_2 | 300x250 | Second in-content (consider lazy load) |
mobile_sticky_footer | 320x50 | Mobile only, sticky |
3–5 core slots is plenty for a first launch. It's easier to expand a working setup than to debug a complex one.
Task 2: Create your first layout
Go to Inventory → Layouts → Add Layout. A layout groups ad slots and targets them at specific page paths.
| Field | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Article Pages | Descriptive name |
| Scope → Page Paths | Starts with: /article/ | Page-path rules (Exact / Starts with / Contains / Ends with / Regex) — see Layout targeting |
| Ad Slots | Select slots to include | Only these will load on matched pages |
Common layout patterns:
| Layout | Page-path rules | Typical slots |
|---|---|---|
| Homepage | Exact: / | header, sidebar, below-fold |
| Articles | Starts with: /article/, Starts with: /blog/, Starts with: /news/ | header, sidebar, in-content × 2 |
| Category | Starts with: /category/, Starts with: /section/ | header, sidebar |
| Default | Regex: .* | minimal slots (fallback) |
Task 3: Confirm slot-to-layout coverage
For each layout you created:
- Open it.
- Review the selected ad slots.
- Set the order / priority if applicable.
- Enable lazy loading for below-fold slots (set on the slot, not the layout).
Day 3: Configure demand
Task 4: Configure Prebid bidders
Go to Demand → Prebid. This is where you manage the SSPs and exchanges that bid on your inventory. For each bidder:
- Confirm credentials / account IDs are populated
- Confirm the bidder is enabled
- Review which ad slots and sizes it's wired up for
Some bidders are ready to go with default settings. Others need account IDs or seat IDs from the SSP side. Check each bidder's configuration page for required fields.
Task 5: Wrapper-level settings
Bid timeouts and global floor settings live in Wrapper → Configs, not under Demand. Defaults are usually reasonable for a first launch — come back here once you have baseline data.
Common first-pass settings:
| Setting | Where | Starting point |
|---|---|---|
| Bid timeout | Wrapper → Configs | 1000–1500 ms |
| Currency / granularity | Wrapper → Configs | Keep defaults unless you have a reason |
| Per-slot floor | Ad slot edit page | Leave open on first launch; raise after you have fill-rate data |
High floors before you have data = missed revenue. Raise after you see fill rate stabilize above ~85%.
Task 6: Review your configuration
Before going live, verify:
Inventory
- All planned ad slots created
- Each slot has appropriate sizes
- Each slot is in at least one layout
Layouts
- Layouts cover all your page types
- Page paths match your actual URL structure
- Lazy loading enabled for below-fold slots
Demand
- At least 3–5 Prebid bidders enabled
- Bidder credentials populated
- Wrapper config bid timeout is set (1000–1500 ms recommended)
Quick reference: recommended setup by site type
News / media site
Layouts
- Homepage —
Exact: /— slots:header_billboard,sidebar_top,sidebar_bottom - Article —
Starts with: /article/,Starts with: /blog/— slots:header,sidebar,incontent_1,incontent_2,incontent_3 - Section —
Starts with: /section/— slots:header,sidebar
Demand
- 5–8 Prebid bidders enabled
- Wrapper timeout: 1500 ms
- Slot floors: $1.00 typical, $2.50 above the fold
Blog / content site
Layouts
- Homepage —
Exact: /— slots:header,sidebar - Post —
Starts with: /blog/,Starts with: /post/— slots:header,incontent_1,incontent_2 - Default —
Regex: .*— slots:header
Demand
- 3–5 Prebid bidders enabled
- Wrapper timeout: 1200 ms
- Slot floors: $0.50 typical
E-commerce site
Layouts
- Homepage —
Exact: /— slots:header_billboard - Category —
Starts with: /category/— slots:header,sidebar - Product —
Starts with: /product/— slots:sidebar(minimal; don't distract from the purchase) - Content —
Starts with: /blog/— slots:header,incontent_1
Demand
- 3–5 Prebid bidders enabled
- Wrapper timeout: 1000 ms (speed matters for conversion)
- Slot floors: $1.50 typical (premium audience)
End-of-week checklist
- Ad slots created for all planned placements
- Layouts configured for all page types
- Page paths tested against real URLs
- Prebid bidders reviewed and enabled
- Wrapper timeout set; per-slot floors set (or intentionally left open)
- Lazy loading enabled for appropriate slots
What's next
Time to test the configuration and go live.
Next: Go Live Checklist →
Test your setup, ship a release, and verify revenue is flowing.
Week 1 FAQ
How many ad slots is too many?
There's no hard limit. Consider:
- User experience. Too many ads frustrates users.
- Page speed. Each slot adds latency.
- Diminishing returns. The 10th ad earns far less than the 1st.
Most sites do well with 4–6 slots per page. Start conservative.
Should I use the same slots across all layouts?
Not necessarily. Different page types have different user intents and layouts — tailor slots to each.
What if I don't know my URL patterns?
Click through a few pages of your site and note the URL structure. Anima uses typed pattern matching (Exact / Starts with / Contains / Ends with / Regex — see Layout targeting):
- Exact:
/— homepage only - Starts with:
/blog/— any/blog/<whatever> - Regex:
^/[^/]+/[^/]+$— any two-segment path