How to automate proof-of-placement screenshots in Google Ad Manager
A step-by-step workflow for publishers using Google Ad Manager
Landon Bennett
Advertisers and agencies expect proof that their creative ran where they paid for it to run. For a publisher, that means a screenshot of each line item’s creative on the right site section and device, often for every flight.
Done by hand, it’s slow and error-prone. Key/value and section targeting mean hunting for a page where the ad will actually serve, and ad blockers, frequency caps and rotating creatives make the right ad hard to catch. Multiply that by every order in a month and screenshots quietly eat days of ad ops time.
1. Connect Google Ad Manager
Connect your GAM account to Ad Reform. Every day, new advertisers, orders and creatives sync over as clients, campaigns and ads. The first sync runs the next day and picks up creatives added to line items in the previous 24 hours. Supported creatives include images, video, VAST, custom and third-party HTML, CM360 tags and overlays.
2. Map your targeting to your sites
Ad Reform needs to know how you target ads, such as custom key/values, so it can place each creative on a page that matches the line item. The fastest way is an implementation call: we collect your sites and targeting attributes and map them in the platform.
3. Turn your rules into tactics
Your team already knows which line items need screenshots, on which pages and devices, and how clients want them delivered. We turn that knowledge into tactics: rules the GAM agent follows for each set of line items.
4. Set up a Screenshot Workflow
With targeting mapped, a Screenshot Workflow puts screenshots on autopilot. New line items get screenshots as they launch, and our team reviews each set before it’s delivered.
5. Deliver screenshots by order
Open the GAM view to find any order, then download its screenshots or create a branded PowerPoint or PDF deck from your own template. Add the page URL and timestamp or a device frame if your advertisers ask for them.
Tips for a smooth rollout
A few things help teams get value from the GAM agent faster:
Start with the advertisers or order types that create the most screenshot requests, then expand.
Write down your current screenshot rules (which pages, devices and deadlines) before the implementation call. They become your tactics.
Set organization-wide default instructions, like always including the URL bar, so every set follows client requirements.
Use webhooks to push finished screenshots to Slack or Google Drive, where account managers already work.
Want to see it on your own GAM setup? Learn how the GAM agent works or see the GAM integration.
