Overview

Keyword targeting allows you to display ads only when specific keywords or key=values are passed in the ad request. You can build targeting phrases with multiple keywords and operators to have insertions/creatives only delivered if they match the targeting phrase.

Keywords vs. key=values

Equativ's keyword targeting supports both keywords (e. g. "male" or "green") and key=values (e. g. gender=male or color=green). Using key=values is recommended since they are more convenient and scalable to manage clusters of keywords.

Passing keywords in ad calls

There are two methods to pass keywords: using the according parameter in ad requests or stored/read in/from a cookie and passed with the ad request (see Set up cookie targeting for more details). The actual targeting process (in Equativ's UI) is the same for both methods. 

Read more about the targeting parameter in the documentation for each integration type:

• POST Ad API integration: parameter reference  ("Ad" object)
• GET Ad API integration ( tgt parameter) 
• Tagging guide: implementation and Tagging guide: advanced operations
• Header bidding integrations (prebid.js bid parameters) and Supply inventory with prebid.js header bidding
• Video plugin integrations (sas_target)
• In-app SDK integrations

Separating multiple keywords in ad calls

In case of multiple keywords or key=values, use a semicolon (;) to separate them (e.g. “color=green;color=red;sport;football“). 

Keyword targeting on insertion level

Targeting string values

String values are values that consist of a chain of characters.

To target an insertion to a string:

• go to the Targeting section of the insertion and switch to the Keywords  section
• enter the keyword in the Key field and click Add 
• repeat the process to add additional keywords
• click on the Exclude toggle switch, to exclude a keyword (negative targeting)
• click on the yellow OR operator to change it to AND
• click on the blue AND operator to change it to OR (the OR operator is not possible if the keyword is excluded)
• to target key=values, enter the key in the  Key  and the value in the  Value  field; you can use the same operators and workflows as for simple keywords

Targeting numeric key=values

You can target exact numeric values or numeric value ranges; for instance, you could pass an age value and target your insertion to all ages between 18 and 25.

• enter the keyword in the Key field
• select from the operators: ≤ (less than or equal to),  =  (exact value) or  ≥  (greater than or equal to)
• enter the numeric value in the Value  field and click Add 
• repeat the process to add additional criteria; numeric values can be combined with the AND operator only
• click on the Exclude toggle switch, to exclude a criterion (negative targeting)

Using the text mode

When targeting a large number of keywords, the text mode is more convenient than the form-based mode. 

Note that you can switch back and forth between the form-based mode and the text mode. However, if you have more than 100 keywords/key=values, the text mode is enforced automatically.

The table below explains which operators must be used in the text mode to express the relationships between keywords/key=values.

Targeting traffic without user consent

The European privacy legislation requires user consent to the processing of personal data. With keyword targeting, you can target traffic with negative or unknown consent — read section "Targeting insertions to traffic without consent" in Comply with Global Privacy Platform (GPP). 

Keyword targeting on creative level 

To define keyword targeting for individual creatives :

• go to the Creatives section of your insertion
• upload and configure your creatives
• click on the given creative for which you want to define the keyword targeting
• on the sidebar, under Targeting > Keywords , add one or multiple keywords/key=values in the text field
• If you are adding multiple keywords/key=values, use the operators explained in the table in chapter "Using the text mode" above.

Keyword targeting on creative level only works when passing the keyword as a parameter of the ad call (keywords stored in cookies cannot be used). 

Keyword groups

Keyword groups are convenient when certain keywords are targeted frequently. In case of keyword group targeting, a keyword always consists of a key=value (e. g. “name=bob”). Simple keywords (e. g. “bob”) are not supported. 
To set up keyword groups:

• go to Inventory > Keyword groups 
• click Add a group and define a Name (name displayed in the UI) and its Delivery name (name as passed in the ad request).
• to add values for the keyword group, select the keyword group, and click Add an item .
• enter a Name (name displayed in the UI) and a Delivery name (name as passed in the ad request)
• click the Save button

To get started with targeting keyword groups:

• go to the Targeting section
• expand the Keyword groups section
• click on + Add a keyword group
• from the Keyword groups tree, select the desired values
• click Apply 

Combiner mode

By default, the selected key=values are displayed in the combiner mode: each row contains a single key=value and each key=value is connected with the OR operator.

• Click on the yellow OR operator to change it to an AND operator.
• Disable the green toggle to exclude items (AND NOT operator)
• Drag and drop key=values to the desired location using the ⋮⋮ button

Grouped mode

The grouped mode is convenient when targeting many values, as it organizes them in a more structured format: one key per row with each of its values. 
The values within a keyword group are combined with the OR operator. Keyword groups themselves are combined with other keyword groups with the AND operator. 
In grouped mode, you can:

• add additional keyword groups using the + Add a keyword group button
• add additional values
• remove values

You cannot change operators between keyword groups in grouped mode. Switch to combiner mode to modify them. 

Combination limit

You can define a maximum of 50,000 targeting criteria combinations per insertion. This applies to keyword targeting and all other targeting types (e. g. browser targeting). 
OR-combinations may significantly increase the amount of combinations. The table below provides examples of targeting criteria combined with OR and the resulting combinations. 

If you need more than 50,000 combinations, you can

• duplicate the insertions
• define max. 50,000 criteria combinations in each insertion
• assign a shared impression volume (group volume) to all the insertions.