Glossary
What is Key-value targeting?
Also called: key-values, custom targeting
Key-value targeting adds name-and-value labels, such as section=desserts, to an ad request so the ad server can target line items to them.
हिंदी में पढ़ेंA key-value is a label on the ad request: a name plus a value. Publishers set them in the Google Publisher Tag, for example section=desserts, to describe the page or the slot. In Google Ad Manager, line items can then target those values, so a campaign can run only on dessert recipes.
Header bidding depends on key-values. Prebid sets hb_pb (the price bucket), hb_bidder, hb_size and hb_adid, and for deals hb_deal_BIDDERCODE. Line items that target those exact values let the bids compete inside Ad Manager.
Key-values usually describe the page or slot, while other Ad Manager targeting, such as geography, device or audience segments, describes the reader. Keep key names consistent and short, because Ad Manager truncates key names longer than 20 characters. And check that the key-values in your page tag match what your line items target exactly; a small mismatch means those line items never see the request.
Example
A recipe page sends section=desserts and hb_pb=2.10. A direct line item targeting section=desserts and a Prebid line item targeting hb_pb=2.10 are both eligible, and the ad server picks between them by priority and price.
Why it matters to publishers
Key-values let you sell and report on content sections, and they are the bridge that lets header bids compete in your ad server.