Implement App-Ads.txt to Not Miss Out on Revenue

To ensure a transparent, safe and fraud-free app ecosystem, Chartboost now supports app-ads.txt, a standard released by the IAB to fight inventory fraud for apps. Advertisers are reinforcing app-ads.txt and many have stopped buying on inventory that has not applied app-ads.txt. For the publishers, this means missed revenue.As the industry is switching to programmatic, app-ads.txt will be a necessity for publishers who want to move over to a programmatic tech stack. We strongly encourage publishers to implement app-ads.txt as we all need to participate in building a trustworthy, transparent and fair in-app ecosystem.?

What is app-ads.txt?

App-ads.txt is a text file that mobile app developers add to their website which lists the ad sources authorized to sell that app?s inventory such as ad networks, SSPs and others.Demand partners crawl app-ads.txt files published on developers? website to verify that the bid requests are coming from developers? authorized sellers.?

What are the benefits of app-ads.txt?

• Avoid potential revenue loss from programmatic buyers who have stopped bidding on publishers? inventory missing app-ads.txt info or missed listing Chartboost.
• Identify and block instances of unauthorized developer impersonation.
• Help build publishers' trust and inventory reliability in the in-app ecosystem.
• Prepare yourself towards executing a programmatic tech stack.

How to implement app-ads.txt including Chartboost information??

1. Set up your app-ads.txt file according to the Authorized Sellers for Apps specification provided by the IAB Tech Lab.?
2. To add Chartboost information. Log in to your Chartboost dashboard.?
3. Go to ?Tools? on the menu navigation to the left.
4. Under ?Tools?, you will find the app-ads.txt section.
5. Copy the app-ads.txt info provided and paste it to your app-ads.txt file.?
6. Publish the app-ads.txt file to your website under i.e. https://example.com/app-ads.txt. You?re all set!

How to ensure you added app-ads.txt correctly??

• Double-check that the app-ads.txt file got correctly pasted without any misspellings.
• List your developer URL on all the app stores distributing your app.
• Make certain that the app-ads.txt file is implemented in the root domain as follow: https://example.com/app-ads.txt
• If you have implemented app-ads.txt info from Chartboost prior to this release, make sure to log in to your dashboard to verify that you have the most up-to-date version which is the one provided in your Chartboost dashboard.?
• The app-ads.txt file has a specific format: Ad Source Domain, Your Publisher ID, Type of Relationship, Ad Source ID, where the last mentioned Ad Source ID is optional. Chartboost don't have an Ad Source ID.
• Use this helpful website, https://adstxt.guru/validator/ to validate that app-ads.txt entries are correct and up-to-date!

What?s next??

Fraud will not be solved overnight and will be an evolving process as also fraudsters become more sophisticated. However, Chartboost is dedicated to taking a stance in anti-fraud initiatives like this to build a better ecosystem, and we hope you are too! Let's take this step towards the continued battle against mobile ad fraud.Find info about app-ads.txt on our help site. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to your account manager!