---
title: "Configure optimization settings"
description: "The network-wide rotation algorithm on Admin → Ad serving → Optimization settings — Manual Weighting, eCPM Optimization and eCPM with Burn-up, their estimates, periods and thresholds, and the CTR and I2C optimized traffic shares — step by step, with the caveats and what each field does."
type: "howto"
audience: [admin]
keywords: [optimization settings, optimization algorithm, manual weighting, eCPM optimization, burn-up period, start-up period, optimized traffic share, estimated CTR, estimated conversion rate, minimal clicks, minimal conversions, CTR optimized traffic share, I2C optimized traffic share, exploration, network algorithm]
ui_path: "Admin → Ad serving → Optimization settings"
---

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://epom.com/ad-server/docs/llms.txt. Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. Append .md to any documentation page URL to get its markdown version.

# Configure optimization settings

## What it is and why

One network-wide setting decides how ad serving picks the **campaign** inside a delivery
priority tier — by weight, or by the eCPM each campaign earns — and two more decide how much of
an optimized campaign's traffic the **CTR** and **I2C** optimizers are allowed to steer. Nothing
here touches the priority tiers or the creative pick; those are set per campaign and creative
on [Optimize ad rotation](https://epom.com/ad-server/docs/guides/delivery/optimization.md).

**Example.** Under *eCPM Optimization with Burn-up Period* with *Optimized traffic share* at its
stock **95**, the optimized campaign with the best measured eCPM gets 95 % of the optimized
traffic and the other 5 % goes to a random losing campaign, so a campaign that is behind on
eCPM still collects data. With *CTR optimized traffic share* at **90**, a campaign with CTR
optimization on serves its best-clicking creative on 90 % of requests and rotates the rest by
plain weight; at **100** the other creatives get nothing once the model has ranked them.

## Typical scenarios

| You want | Set | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Campaigns share a tier by the **weights** managers set — the default, and what the Banners probability card models exactly | **Optimization algorithm** = Manual Weighting | Campaigns optimization |
| The campaign that **earns the most per thousand** wins its tier outright, weights ignored | eCPM Optimization (beta); **Estimated CTR** and **Estimated conversion rate** for CPC / CPA campaigns with no data yet | Campaigns optimization |
| Some campaigns compete on eCPM, the rest keep their weights | eCPM Optimization with Burn-up Period (Beta); **Optimized traffic share** 95; a 24-hour **Burn-Up period**; managers tick **eCPM Optimization** on the campaigns to optimize | Campaigns optimization; the campaign's Advanced settings |
| CTR-optimized campaigns keep **10 %** of traffic for the creatives that are not winning | **CTR optimized traffic share** 90 | CTR / I2C optimization |
| An optimized campaign serves its winner and nothing else | **CTR optimized traffic share** / **I2C optimized traffic share** 100 | CTR / I2C optimization |

## Step by step

1. Open **Admin → Ad serving → Optimization settings**. The page needs the administrator
   permission *Optimization Settings*.

   ![Optimization settings page with the Campaigns optimization and CTR / I2C optimization panels](https://epom.com/docs-images/ad-server/optimization-settings/optimization-settings-page.webp)

2. In **Campaigns optimization**, pick the **Optimization algorithm**: *Manual Weighting*,
   *eCPM Optimization (beta)* or *eCPM Optimization with Burn-up Period (Beta)*. The fields
   below appear for the algorithm that reads them — none under Manual Weighting, the two
   estimates under eCPM Optimization, all seven under Burn-up.

3. Fill in the fields the algorithm shows (table under Reference): the estimates seed a CPC or
   CPA campaign's eCPM before it has data; the Burn-Up and Start-Up periods are in hours; the
   minimal clicks and conversions let a campaign skip the start-up wait on a placement and
   country where it has already proved itself.

4. In **CTR / I2C optimization**, set the **CTR optimized traffic share** and **I2C optimized
   traffic share** (0 – 100): the share of an optimized campaign's traffic each optimizer
   steers toward its best performer. The remainder is served by plain creative weight.

5. Click **Save**. The page confirms with *Auto-optimization settings are saved…*. Ad servers
   pick the change up with their next cache update.

## Caveats and exceptions

**The algorithm changes the campaign pick only.** Delivery priority tiers still run first, and
the creative inside the chosen campaign is still drawn by weight or by its CTR / I2C bandit.

| Algorithm | How the campaign inside a tier is chosen | Does campaign Weight matter? |
|---|---|---|
| **Manual Weighting** (default) | Weighted random draw on campaign weight | Yes — it *is* the mechanism |
| **eCPM Optimization (beta)** | The campaign with the highest eCPM for the request's country wins outright; ties broken at random | **No** — weight is not read at all |
| **eCPM Optimization with Burn-up Period (Beta)** | Non-optimized campaigns compete on weight first; if the draw lands on an eCPM-optimized campaign, only optimized campaigns continue and the one with the best measured eCPM over its burn-up window wins | Yes, for the first split |

Under **Burn-up**, *Optimized traffic share* splits the optimized campaigns between the winner
and the rest: the remainder (`100 −` the share) goes to a random non-winner, so a campaign that
is losing on eCPM still gets a trickle. The stock value is 95, i.e. 5 % to the losers.

**Only Burn-up puts an eCPM Optimization checkbox on the campaign.** The checkbox on the
campaign's Advanced settings is rendered only under *eCPM Optimization with Burn-up Period*, and
only for a role holding *Set "eCPM Optimization"*. Under Manual Weighting and plain eCPM the
checkbox is not rendered and a campaign's stored flag has no effect. The checkbox is disabled on
a *House ads* campaign.

**The per-campaign eCPM inputs are not the ones on this page.** `Burn-Up period`, `Start-Up
period`, `Minimal clicks`, `Minimal conversions`, `Estimated CTR` and `Estimated conversion
rate` all exist a second time on each campaign's **Pricing** card, and it is the *campaign's*
copy that ad serving reads. This page sets the network defaults. The campaign-level estimates
appear only under Burn-up, only on CPC / CPA campaigns, and only with the *Manage "eCPM
Optimization"* permission (enabled or read-only); the campaign card also carries *Subperiod (h)*
and *Subperiod weights*. See [Configure pricing](https://epom.com/ad-server/docs/guides/delivery/pricing.md).

**Minimal clicks and conversions are not CTR or I2C floors**, despite sitting on the same page.
They belong to the eCPM burn-up algorithm: once a CPC or CPA campaign has recorded that many
clicks or conversions on a given placement + country since its last reset, that combination may
use its measured eCPM even if the start-up window has not elapsed yet. They do nothing for a
CPM campaign, and nothing at all under Manual Weighting.

**A traffic share of 100 means no exploration.** The CTR and I2C optimizers serve a single
winner; the share is the only thing that keeps traffic flowing to the other creatives. A manager
whose optimized campaign "serves one creative only" is seeing this setting, not a bug — see
[Not working?](https://epom.com/ad-server/docs/guides/delivery/optimization.md#not-working) on the rotation guide.

**eCPM beta and the Banners probability card.** The card still divides by campaign weight under
*eCPM Optimization (beta)*, which ad serving does not read; under Burn-up the card shows the
burn-up split and is authoritative. The weight columns on the linked trees grey out a campaign
weight the draw does not read, with an ⓘ naming the reason.

**The eCPM Optimization Details window** — in the **Actions** menu of a campaign or a placement —
lists the learned per-country / per-placement eCPM records and lets a manager delete a selection
of them. It appears only under Burn-up and only with the matching permission. Clearing the records
after a landing-page overhaul stops stale learning from holding a campaign back.

**The SSP bidding thresholds are not on this page.** They open from the **SSP bidding
optimization** button on [Admin → DSP Partners](https://epom.com/ad-server/docs/guides/admin/dsp-partners.md#tune-ssp-bidding-optimization).

## Not working?

- **Managers see no eCPM Optimization checkbox on campaigns.** Where: the **Optimization
  algorithm** here — it must be *eCPM Optimization with Burn-up Period* — and the role's
  *Set "eCPM Optimization"* permission on **Admin → Users & access → User roles & permissions**.
- **The estimates are missing on a campaign's Pricing card.** Where: the algorithm (Burn-up
  only), the campaign's pricing type (CPC or CPA only) and the role's *Manage "eCPM
  Optimization"* permission.
- **An optimized campaign serves one creative and nothing else.** Where: **CTR optimized
  traffic share** / **I2C optimized traffic share** — at 100 there is no exploratory slice.
- **Saving says you do not have permission.** Where: the administrator permission
  *Optimization Settings* on your admin role.
- **A change does not show in serving yet.** Ad servers read the setting on their next cache
  update, not on the next request.

## Reference

| Field | Section | Shown when | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Optimization algorithm** | Campaigns optimization | always | Manual Weighting / eCPM Optimization (beta) / eCPM Optimization with Burn-up Period (Beta). |
| **Optimized traffic share** | Campaigns optimization | Burn-up only | 0 – 100. Share of optimized traffic given to the eCPM winner; the rest goes to a random losing campaign. |
| **Estimated CTR** | Campaigns optimization | eCPM and Burn-up | 0 – 1. Turns a CPC price into an estimated eCPM (`1000 × CTR × price`) before real data exists. |
| **Estimated conversion rate** | Campaigns optimization | eCPM and Burn-up | 0 – 1. Same for CPA (`1000 × CR × price`). |
| **Burn-Up period (hours)** | Campaigns optimization | Burn-up only | The lookback window, **in hours**, that a campaign's measured eCPM is averaged over. A whole number, 0 or more. |
| **Start-Up period (hours)** | Campaigns optimization | Burn-up only | How many hours of history a campaign must have before its measured eCPM is trusted instead of the estimate. A whole number, 0 or more. |
| **Minimal clicks** | Campaigns optimization | Burn-up only | Clicks on a placement + country that let a CPC campaign skip the start-up wait. A whole number, 0 or more. |
| **Minimal conversions** | Campaigns optimization | Burn-up only | The same for a CPA campaign. |
| **CTR optimized traffic share** | CTR / I2C optimization | always | 0 – 100. Share of an optimized campaign's traffic the CTR bandit steers. The remainder is served by plain banner weight. **100 means no exploration at all.** |
| **I2C optimized traffic share** | CTR / I2C optimization | always | The same for the I2C bandit. |

| Permission | Lets you |
|---|---|
| **Optimization Settings** (administrator) | Open and save this page. |
| **Set "eCPM Optimization"** (account role) | See and tick the campaign's eCPM Optimization checkbox under Burn-up. |
| **Manage "eCPM Optimization"** (account role) | See (read-only) or edit the campaign's own eCPM estimates and periods on its Pricing card. |

How the algorithm sits inside the whole pick, the CTR and I2C internals and the Banners
probability card: [Optimization reference](https://epom.com/ad-server/docs/guides/delivery/optimization-reference.md).

Related pages:

- [Optimize ad rotation](https://epom.com/ad-server/docs/guides/delivery/optimization.md)
- [Optimization reference](https://epom.com/ad-server/docs/guides/delivery/optimization-reference.md)
- [Admin area map](https://epom.com/ad-server/docs/guides/admin.md)
- [DSP partners](https://epom.com/ad-server/docs/guides/admin/dsp-partners.md) — the SSP bidding thresholds
- [Configure pricing](https://epom.com/ad-server/docs/guides/delivery/pricing.md) — the campaign's own eCPM estimates
- [User roles](https://epom.com/ad-server/docs/guides/admin/users-and-roles.md)