The root causes for line item under delivery in Google Ad Manager (GAM) can vary depending on the specific situation, below are some common factors that could contribute to under delivery:
| Targeting mismatch | When the line item targeting (such as: ad units, sizes, key-values etc) doesn't match the ad requests from the page. The line item will not deliver. Please make sure your line item targeting is correct and matching with the ad request. Especially when it comes to key-value targeting, please ensure that the key value targeted in the line item is also being passed in the ad request. You can use HAR or Charles session to identify the targetings passed in the ad call from the page.The targeting must align with the contract line item number and the specific ad serving technology being used. |
| Start date/time not reached yet | If the start date/time is not reached the line item will not serve. Also, ensure to check if you have added the correct start date for both line item and creative. |
| Line item overbooked | It's possible that the line item was overbooked when it was created and doesn't have enough available impressions. In this instance, the line item does not fully deliver. To avoid under delivering, please make sure to forecast the line item in advance and it has enough available inventory to deliver in full. For example: If a standard line item has a goal of 1 million impressions but only 600,000 impressions are available when we forecasted it, we may state that the line item is overbooked by 400,000 impressions and won't be able to deliver in full. To avoid this we need to ensure that we have enough available impressions available, so that the line item can reach its goal. |
| Roadblocks | Roadblocking serves multiple creatives from a line item together on the same page load. If the display creative setting is set to ‘ALL’, the line item will deliver only when there is available space/ad slots to display all the creatives from that particular line item. In some instances, we add multiple creatives in line items and we don’t have that many slots on the page. In this case the line item will not deliver. To avoid this, please ensure you have enough ad slots available on the page to display all the creatives or traffic the number of creatives according to the slots available on the page. |
| Frequent changes made to the line item | Any frequent changes towards the end of the campaign can also cause the line item to under deliver. It is suggested to not make frequent changes to the line items towards the end of the campaign. |
| Line item lost to higher priority line items | If there are any other high priority line items competing for the same inventory, there are high chances that the higher priority line item will serve most of the times and this is expected behavior. In order to check the competing line item, Navigate to ‘troubleshoot’ tab under line item and under ‘Non-delivery causes’ you will see the reason ‘Line item lost to higher priority line items’, click on ‘See winning line item info’ it will show a list of all the line items to which your line item lost. |
| Line item lost to similar priority line items | If there are more than one line item of similar priority competing for the same inventory, the delivery is based on the pacing/completion of the line item. If any line item is under pacing, GAM will serve that line item more often. This is expected behavior. However, you need to ensure that your line item has enough inventory to deliver in full when forecasted. |
| Ad creative issues | Verify that the creative associated with the line item is compatible with the ad slots where it's intended to serve. Issues like incorrect ad size, unsupported file format, or broken creative tags can prevent the line item from delivering. The contract line item number must also match the specified technology ads. |
| Ad quality and policy violations | If the ad creative violates any Google policies or fails ad quality checks, Google Ad Manager may block its delivery to protect the user experience. Ensure that the ad creative adheres to the platform's guidelines. |
| Line item not serving on all ads slots due to less creative copies | If you are expecting one specific creative to serve on multiple ad slots on the same page load, we need to make multiple copies of the creatives. This is because a single creative ID can serve only once for that correlator ID and this will cause line items to under deliver. |
| Creative contains unknown ad technology | If the line item is not delivering for this reason, it means that the GAM is unable to recognize or verify the technology used in the creative. This can occur when the creative contains tags, code snippets, or functionalities that are not recognized by the GAM or if a third-party ad technology provider is not registered on Google Ad serving technology/Google's Ad Tech Providers (ATP) list. And creatives with unknown ad technology won't serve to any ad request within the European Economic Area (EEA) or Brazil In order to avoid this, either you have to remove the unknown ad technology from the creative or you have to declare ad technology within GAM. |
| Frequency cap | When a line item has a restrictive frequency capping applied to it, it may not perform as expected and may end up underperforming. To avoid this, make sure you have enough available impressions in forecast to deliver this line item in full. |
To forecast a line item in GAM, follow these steps:
- Login to GAM and navigate to the Delivery section.
- Click on “Orders” or “Line items” and then select “Forecasting.”
- Choose the ad type (Display or Video) you wish to serve.
- Specify the line item type, priority, and priority value.
- Enter relevant details such as creative size, start date, end date, and inventory targeting.
- Click on “Check Inventory” to generate a forecast report.
- The forecast report will display available impressions and any non-available impressions.
- Optionally, export the report and examine a detailed breakdown by targeting.
You can also refer to this help center article which has a few more line items under delivery root cause
How DataBeat Can Help?
DataBeat excels in providing tailored solutions to enhance the performance of digital advertising campaigns, particularly within Google Ad Manager (GAM). Leveraging our expertise, DataBeat addresses issues such as targeting mismatches and campaign timing by offering advanced targeting solutions and strategic campaign planning. Additionally, our comprehensive services include inventory forecasting, creative management, and line item optimization, ensuring that line items meet their goals efficiently. With a focus on ad technology expertise, DataBeat assists in resolving unknown ad technology challenges, while also guiding companies in effectively utilizing Google inventory management for accurate forecasting. Through these strategic interventions, DataBeat empowers companies to overcome common root causes for line item under-delivery and achieve optimal results in their advertising endeavors.
