Logo
KeywordMiner
Self Beta
Back to Blog
SEO Guide

Google Ad Manager Setup Guide: A Step-by-Step Tutorial for Publishers

Master your ad inventory. Learn how to set up Google Ad Manager (GAM) to maximize your ad revenue.

Google Ad Manager Setup Guide: A Step-by-Step Tutorial for Publishers

If you are a publisher with significant traffic, Google AdSense usually isn’t enough. You need Google Ad Manager (GAM) to manage direct deals, programmatic sales, and house ads all in one place.

What is Google Ad Manager?

GAM is a comprehensive ad management platform that combines the features of DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP) and DoubleClick Ad Exchange (AdX). It allows you to:

  • Manage Inventory: Define where ads can appear on your site (Ad Units).
  • Traffic Ads: Schedule and delivery creative assets.
  • Yield Management: Compete AdSense against other networks to get the highest price.

Step 1: Define Your Inventory (Ad Units)

The first step is to create the “containers” for your ads.

  1. Log in to Google Ad Manager.
  2. Go to Inventory > Ad Units.
  3. Click New Ad Unit.
  4. Code: Give it a unique ID (e.g., homepage_top_banner).
  5. Sizes: Select standard sizes like 728x90 (Desktop) or 300x250 (Mobile).

Pro Tip: Use a hierarchical naming convention (e.g., Section_Page_Position) to keep things organized.

Step 2: Trafficking a Campaign (Orders & Line Items)

In GAM, an “Order” represents the advertiser, and a “Line Item” represents the specific ad run.

  1. Go to Delivery > Orders.
  2. Create a new Order for your advertiser.
  3. Create a Line Item:
    • Type: Choose Sponsorship (Time-based, highest priority) or Standard (Impression-based).
    • Rate: Set your CPM (Cost Per Mille).
    • Targeting: Select the Ad Units you created in Step 1.

Step 3: Upload Creatives

Once the Line Item is saved, you need to upload the actual ad visuals.

  1. Click into your Line Item.
  2. Click Add Creatives.
  3. Upload an image file (.jpg, .png) or paste third-party ad tags (HTML/JS).

Step 4: Generating Tags (GPT)

To make the ads appear, you need to put code on your website.

  1. Go to Inventory > Ad Units.
  2. Select the desired unit and click Generate Tags.
  3. Select Google Publisher Tag (GPT).
  4. Copy the Header code to your site’s <head> and the Body code to where the ad should show.

Need High-Value Keywords for Your Niche Site?

Building a niche site to monetize with GAM? You need traffic first. Use NewKeyword to find low-competition keywords that drive organic search traffic.

Ready to find your own keywords?

Don't waste time manual searching. Use our AI tool to find high-opportunity keywords in seconds.

Start Keyword Research Free