Best Ad Server Features for Each of Us: Advertisers, Ad Networks, and Publishers

The first ad servers only had one feature — connecting publishers and advertisers directly via ad networks. Today, ad servers (e.g., Epom ad server) offer up to 800+ features. It feels like if we wait a little longer, ad servers might as well start vacuuming and ordering presents for Mother's Day on Amazon instead of us.

Naturally, each player in the online advertising requires their own set of unique features. There aren’t many publishers who would be interested in omnichannel attribution, while ad agencies couldn’t care less about 100% uptime.

The web has plenty of articles covering the need for each, but what about an ultimate manual for publishers, advertisers, and ad networks in one? That’s what this article is. Without further chit-chat, let’s roll!

Best Ad Server Features for Ad Networks

Ad networks sit at the core of the modern ad tech, connecting advertiser demand with publisher supply.

Their main pains are a lack of scalability, automation, and platform ownership. Ideally, an ad network needs an ad management system that scales easily, optimizes automatically, and shows clients that they run it, not just another third-party ad server.

1. White-Labeling & Multi-Account Access

Owning your platform means owning your margins. The proof of ownership is what separates independent ad networks from resellers using hosted ad servers or open-source ad server clones.

Thing is, building your own ad server is expensive, tiring, and has too many risks involved. A smarter choice is white-labeling – branding someone else's product as your own, with all the benefits.

For instance, Epom gives ad networks the option to fully rebrand the interface, color, and domain, building their own identity.

That includes creating custom roles for advertisers and publishers, handling billing, and managing ad placements across dozens of clients from one dashboard. The best part? Support and maintenance are on the provider; the user simply harvests the fruit of margins.

2. Real-Time Optimization & Reporting

In the age of automation, no one wants to manually adjust bids or weights, especially when you're dealing with dozens of clients on each side. Even writing about that is quite boring.

Modern ad servers (like Epom) automate the ad serving process: analyzing ad impressions, click-through rates, and conversion data in real time to optimize delivery.

Epom’s algorithms reallocate traffic to higher-performing ad creatives, manage frequency capping, and even pause underperforming campaigns automatically.

The result? Ad networks report 15–20% higher ad revenue within the first month after switching from static rules to real-time optimization.

3. Programmatic Demand Integration (Direct + Programmatic)

Every ad slot should make money. Your digital advertising ecosystem shouldn't be limited to direct deals. That’s why modern ad networks rely on hybrid setups, mixing direct advertising with ad exchange integrations through real-time bidding auctions.

Epom’s self-hosted ad server includes a built-in SSP module that connects directly to external DSPs, giving you the best of both worlds: predictable income from direct campaigns and dynamic pricing from programmatic ad serving.

More competition. Higher eCPMs. Better yield.

Best Ad Server Features for Advertisers & Ad Agencies

An outsider to the game would only see one interest of brand advertising – paying less for advertising more.

That's not how it is, once you dig a bit deeper. Modern advertisers and ad agencies can't do business successfully without precision and measurable results.

The right ad server lets them manage cross-channel ad campaigns, track conversions, and use real-time data to optimize spend, all from one clean, transparent interface.

1. Unified Ad Campaign Management

A 10-tab chaos has become the norm for the industry, but it shouldn't be like that.

A good ad server for advertisers centralizes display, mobile, native, and video ads, all inside one ad serving platform.

It lets agencies and advertisers build, schedule, and track every ad request across hundreds of publishers. Compared to juggling multiple third-party ad servers, you launch campaigns up to 40% faster, with unified data for every placement and creative. That's simply more convenient.

2. Conversion Tracking & CPA Optimization

Clicks are vanity; conversions are sanity.

Ad servers like Epom track post-click behavior via pixels or server-to-server (S2S) integrations, giving advertisers the power to see exactly which ad placements or ad formats drive real actions.

Set CPA or ROAS goals, and the system automatically shifts delivery toward high-performing traffic sources.

In short: you only pay for what converts, not what loads.

3. First-Party Data Targeting & Ad Serving

Good targeting in 2025 means privacy-first precision.

For instance, at Epom, we've managed to create an ecosystem that works almost exclusively with a first-party data strategy.

A client may simply upload their IFA-formatted data into our platform without any hassle.

As a result, they can use clean, consented data to create audience segments and serve ads that actually align with user intent, staying fully compliant with GDPR, CCPA, and every new acronym privacy law that comes next.

“We've noticed significant improvements in performance with brands that define first-party data strategy as the cornerstone of their advertising. We're talking achieving up to a 2.9X revenue uplift and a 1.5X increase in cost savings. As for the reputational gains, they can't be measured in numbers, but we've certainly seen how promoting user privacy on social media has helped these companies with the brand image.”

Andrew Liulko

Head of Sales at Epom

Best Ad Server Features for Publishers

What publisher features should an ad server offer? Publishers depend on their publisher’s ad server to turn traffic into money, while keeping users happy and pages fast.

We’ve already covered what makes the best ad server for publishers, but here’s a quick recap under a new sauce.

1. Uptime and Reliability

No uptime — no revenue.

Even the best ad placements mean nothing if your ads don’t load. That’s why uptime is one of the most critical performance metrics for any publisher’s ad server.

Uptime shows how long the system operates without interruption; ideally, that should be close to 100%, but even Google Ad Manager can't help you with that.

As for us, Epom Ad Server maintains 99.99% uptime, ensuring your ad display is uninterrupted even during maintenance or high-traffic hours. In practice, it means stable income, steady user experience, and confidence that your monetization engine never sleeps.

2. IP Whitelisting and Security Controls

When your ad revenue depends on sensitive performance data, brand safety starts with who can access the data.

IP Whitelisting lets publishers allow only trusted IP addresses to access their ad server accounts. This feature blocks unauthorized logins, protects credentials, and prevents former employees from enacting revenge on your company.

3. Banner Prioritization and Frequency Control

When you’re serving multiple advertisers across dozens of placements, you can't just serve ads at random.

Banner Prioritization helps determine which banner ads should appear first based on campaign rules, weight values, or performance data. Instead of random ad rotation, the system intelligently sequences creatives, giving higher-priority or better-performing campaigns more visibility.

Epom’s ad serving process supports several prioritization methods, from frequency capping and weighting to automatic linking based on category labels. This way, every impression delivers maximum value, increasing total ad inventory efficiency.

How Epom Delivers on Every Front

Every part of the ad serving ecosystem has its own priorities, but all of them rely on the same foundation: a fast, flexible, transparent ad serving process.

• For ad networks, Epom provides a white-label, self-hosted ad server with built-in programmatic advertising tools, cross-format support, and real-time optimization — everything needed to scale revenue and manage partners independently.
• For advertisers & ad agencies, Epom offers a unified ad management suite with advanced targeting, conversion tracking, and CPA-driven automation in a clean and easy-to-use UI.
• For publishers, Epom turns your traffic into a sustainable business with first-party audience targeting, automated yield optimization, and easy ad exchange integrations — ensuring every ad impression adds up to real profit.

Still having doubts? Apply for a free 14-day demo and see if our product matches your needs.

FAQ

• What are the most important ad server features for ad networks?

  The top ad server features for ad networks in 2025 include white-labeling, real-time optimization, and programmatic demand integrations. These let networks operate under their own brand, manage multiple ad placements, and connect to ad exchanges or DSPs for higher fill rates. Epom’s self-hosted ad server combines all three, helping networks scale their business while owning every step of the ad serving process.

• What are the best ad server features for advertisers and agencies?

  For advertisers and ad agencies, the best ad server features focus on campaign efficiency and transparency. Look for a platform that offers unified ad management, conversion tracking, and first-party data targeting. These tools make it easier to serve ads across multiple ad formats, track real conversions, and optimize future ad campaigns, all while keeping user data compliant and private.

• What publisher features should an ad server offer?

  A good publisher’s ad server should support yield optimization, first-party audience targeting, and programmatic access. These features allow publishers to automatically select the highest-value ad creatives, use consent-based audience data for better ad placements, and sell remaining ad inventory through ad exchanges or demand partners. The goal is simple: higher ad revenue with full transparency.

• How do ad server features impact online advertising performance?

  Every key feature, from advanced targeting to cross-format delivery, directly affects how efficiently you serve ads and track engagement. A strong ad serving platform shortens the path between impression and conversion by optimizing which ad creatives appear, how often, and to whom. The result? Higher CTRs, better ROI, and a more profitable position in the digital advertising ecosystem.