Deep Dive: GPID
GPID or Global Placement ID, is essential to maximizing monetization with third-party Demand Partners.
To begin increasing bid rates and CPMs with GPID, take the following steps:
Review the content below describing GPID generally, how to implement it, and best practices.
Using the integration guides linked in the "GPID Implementation by Integration Type" section, to identify the best way to begin passing GPID.
Make the required updates to your integration.
After making the required changes, return to the Yield Advisor [ADD LINK ONCE YA TOOL IS LIVE] tool in Commerce Grid to monitor success - the Yield Advisor tool will show progress based on correct implementation of GPID as we observe it being passed through bid requests.
If you've navigated here without having visited the Yield Advisor [ADD LINK ONCE TOOL IS LIVE] tool in Commerce Grid first, check it out now to support ongoing optimization.
If you need additional support, reach out to your Commerce Grid support team, or email us at support-cgrid@criteo.com.
GPID Overview
Purpose: Created in 2021 by The Trade Desk as part of their Supply Path Optimization (SPO) efforts, GPID acts like a Universal Product Code for ad slots, ensuring that even if a publisher uses the same ad slot name multiple times, each can be uniquely identified. Because it's consistent across all SSPs, GPID has immense value to both Publishers and Demand Partners as a persistent identifier, and overall helps to streamline the ecosystem
Adoption: GPID supports display, video, and native placements in both web and app environments.
Why Publishers Should Care
Self-Bidding Prevention: It allows DSPs to identify duplicate bid requests for the same inventory, ensuring they don't accidentally bid against themselves in "side-by-side" auctions.
DSP Efficiency & Cost Savings: Beyond deduplication, it enables third-party DSPs to filter out redundant traffic, significantly lowering infrastructure and processing costs by streamlining the bid funnel.
Across all cases, the data is very clear: publishers who use GPID correctly see significantly higher bid rates and increased CPMs due to improved transparency for buyers.
Implementing GPID
The GPID has evolved from several different experimental fields into a standardized OpenRTB extension.
Primary Field: GPIDs must be passed in the
imp[].ext.gpidfield.Object Structure:
gpidType:
stringDescription: A distinct, persistent ID for each ad unit on a page.
GPID Implementation by Integration Type
Click the links below to see implementation examples by specific integration type.
GPID Best Practices
While there is no single rigid format, following these principles ensures the ID is usable by DSPs for deduplication and targeting:
Placement Focus: The ID should represent the logical ad slot (e.g., "top_leaderboard"), not the transaction or the specific bid request.
Descriptive Naming: Use human-readable, named placements (e.g.,
homepage/sidebar_bottom) rather than purely numerical or random strings.Use Delimiters: Standard practice is to use forward slashes (
/) to create a hierarchy.Maintain Uniqueness: The ID must be unique to each ad slot on a page but persistent across different supply paths (SSPs).
Exclude Redundant Data: Do not include information already present in the bid request, such as:
Domain name
Ad format/size
Seller/Publisher name
Device type (mobile vs. desktop)
The "Uniquifier" Rule: If an ad server slot name (like a GAM Ad Unit) is used across multiple spots on a page, append a "uniquifier" (often the HTML Div ID) using a
#or/to keep them distinct.Example:
12345/news_article/mid_content/div-id-99
Monitoring & Troubleshooting
Once you've implemented GPID, you can measure successvia the Yield Advisor [ADD LINK ONCE YA TOOL IS LIVE] tool in Commerce Grid.
If you are having ongoing issues where a DSP confirms they aren't seeing GPID passed on your inventory, reach out to us at support-cgrid@criteo.com and we can provide more detailed log data to confirm.