Adserver.Online Platform Help
Step 1 — Gather context
If references/learnings.md exists, read it first for accumulated platform knowledge.
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What are you trying to do?
- A) Set up Adserver.Online to serve ads on my website
- B) Serve ads in my email newsletter
- C) Manage campaigns, ads, or zones via the API
- D) Set up programmatic RTB (OpenRTB / Prebid)
- E) Configure targeting (geo, device, retargeting, custom)
- F) Compare Adserver.Online to other ad servers
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Your role?
- A) Publisher (monetizing my own site/newsletter)
- B) Advertiser (placing ads on publisher sites)
- C) Ad network operator (managing publishers + advertisers)
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Current plan: Free trial, Starter ($49/mo), Premium ($199/mo), or Ultimate ($599/mo)?
Skip-ahead rule: if the user's prompt already contains enough context, skip to Step 2.
Step 2 — Route or answer directly
| If the question is about... | Route to... |
|---|
| Newsletter monetization strategy (subscriptions, pricing models) | /sales-newsletter [question] |
| Self-serve advertiser portal | /sales-adbutler [question] |
| Direct-sold ad management for local publishers | /sales-broadstreet [question] |
| Free self-hosted ad server | /sales-revive [question] |
| Email deliverability (SPF/DKIM/DMARC) | /sales-deliverability [question] |
| API-first custom ad platform | /sales-kevel [question] |
If the question is Adserver.Online-specific, continue to Step 3.
Step 3 — Adserver.Online platform reference
Read references/platform-guide.md for the full platform reference — capabilities, pricing, email ad setup, API overview, data model, integration recipes, code examples.
Answer the user's question using only the relevant section. Don't dump the full reference.
Step 4 — Actionable guidance
Focus on the user's specific situation:
- Publisher getting started: Create a site and zones (display/email/video), create campaigns with ads, assign ads to zones, generate ad code and paste into your site. Ads rotate automatically.
- Email newsletter ads: Requires Premium plan ($199/mo). On the zone page, select "Email" as the code type, choose your ESP, copy the generated
<a> + <img> tag into your template. Image banners only — no JavaScript in email. Each message needs a unique ID via ESP macro.
- API automation: Create a Bearer token in Account > API tokens. Make requests to
https://api.adsrv.net/v2/{endpoint}. Owner, publisher, and advertiser tokens access different endpoint sets. 100 req/min rate limit.
- Choosing Adserver.Online vs alternatives: Best for ad network operators and publishers wanting email + video + REST API in one platform at competitive pricing (Premium $199/mo for 10M). Note: programmatic OpenRTB, Prebid, Google RTB, and multicurrency bidding require the Ultimate plan ($599/mo) — not Premium. For self-serve portal, use AdButler. For API-first custom builds, use Kevel. For free self-hosted, use Revive.
If you discover a gotcha, workaround, or tip not covered in references/learnings.md, append it there.
Gotchas
Best-effort from research — review these, especially items about plan-gated features and integration gotchas that may be outdated.
- Email ads require Premium plan — Starter ($49/mo) does not include email banner support, video, or API access. You need Premium ($199/mo) minimum.
- Image banners only in email — no JavaScript, iframes, or HTML5 in email zones. Use JPG/GIF/PNG image banners.
- Unique message ID is mandatory — each email send must include a unique per-message identifier via your ESP's merge tag. Without it, impression/click tracking breaks.
- No webhooks — Adserver.Online has no webhook or push notification system. Poll the API for data changes.
- Free plan discontinued — previously offered a free tier, but it has been removed. New users get a 14-day free trial.
- No CORS support — API calls from browsers will fail. Use server-side proxying or backend integrations.
Related skills
/sales-newsletter — Newsletter monetization strategy (paid subscriptions, sponsorships, ad sales, pricing)/sales-adbutler — AdButler full-stack ad server (self-serve portal, email ad zones, REST API + MCP)/sales-epom — Epom hosted ad server + white-label DSP (API included, RTB free for publishers)/sales-revive — Revive Adserver free open-source self-hosted ad server (email zones, XML-RPC API)/sales-adspeed — AdSpeed affordable hosted ad server (email newsletter zones, REST API, from $9.95/mo)/sales-advertserve — AdvertServe hosted ad server (email IMG tags, video + display, header bidding, white-label, API)/sales-kevel — Kevel API-first ad server infrastructure (build custom ad platforms, Decision API)/sales-adglare — AdGlare cloud-based ad server (display/native/VAST video/CTV, REST API v2)/sales-deliverability — Email deliverability strategy (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, warmup)/sales-do — Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill. Install: npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-do
Examples
Example 1: Setting up email newsletter ads
User says: "I want to serve ads in my email newsletter using Adserver.Online. How do I set it up?"
Skill does: Confirms Premium plan is required, walks through creating a campaign with an image banner, creating a banner zone, selecting "Email" code type on the zone page, choosing the ESP, and pasting the generated <a> + <img> tag into the template. Explains the unique message ID requirement.
Result: User has newsletter ads serving with proper click and impression tracking via static tags
Example 2: Automating ad management via the API
User says: "How do I use the Adserver.Online API to create campaigns and pull stats?"
Skill does: Shows Bearer token creation in Account > API tokens, demonstrates POST /campaign and GET /stats endpoints with cURL examples, explains owner vs publisher vs advertiser token scopes, pagination headers, and rate limits
Result: User has working API integration for campaign management and reporting
Example 3: Choosing between ad servers
User says: "I'm building an ad network. Should I use Adserver.Online, AdButler, or Epom?"
Skill does: Compares all three: Adserver.Online (Premium $199/mo for 10M with email + video + API; RTB, multicurrency, and white-label gated to Ultimate $599/mo), AdButler ($682/mo for 10M, self-serve portal, MCP, programmatic SSP), Epom ($250/mo, white-label DSP, RTB included on all plans). Notes Adserver.Online's competitive pricing and ad network builder focus, and that programmatic on Adserver.Online is Ultimate-only.
Result: User picks the right ad server based on budget, self-serve needs, and RTB requirements
Troubleshooting
Email ad tags not rendering
Symptom: Newsletter ads show broken images or nothing
Cause: Used JavaScript or iframe zone code instead of Email code type, or missing unique message ID
Solution: On the zone page, select "Email" as the code type. Choose your ESP from the dropdown (or Custom). The generated code is a static <a> + <img> tag. Ensure the unique message ID macro from your ESP is included — without it, tracking won't work.
API authentication failing
Symptom: API requests return 401 Unauthorized
Cause: Missing or invalid Bearer token, or using the wrong token scope
Solution: Create a new API token in Account > API tokens. Include it as Authorization: Bearer <token> in the header. Owner tokens access /user, /campaign, /ad, etc. Publisher tokens only access /publish/* endpoints. Advertiser tokens only access /advert/* endpoints.
Campaigns not delivering
Symptom: Campaign is active but ads aren't showing
Cause: Budget exhausted, scheduling dates not started, no zones assigned, or throttling mode too aggressive
Solution: Check budget_daily and budget_total haven't been reached. Verify start_date/finish_date include today. Ensure ads are assigned to zones (POST /ad/assign). Check th_mode — mode 1 (spend evenly) may restrict delivery during low-traffic hours.
