There are countless small tweaks in Prebid that can make a big difference to your monetisation setup. We’re calling them “tips and tricks”, but in reality, everything here is based on accepted techniques and often-overlooked configurations that have a measurable impact. Responsible ad tech leads know that chasing short-term wins can hurt buyer trust and long-term yield. The goal is sustainable optimisation, not risky hacks.
Here’s what to look out for.
In Prebid, price buckets are configured in the pbjs.setConfig() function under the priceGranularity or customPriceBucket setting. We’ve seen quite many setups sticking to default buckets like medium or high, which cap at €20 CPM and use increments that are far too coarse for premium inventory.
For better precision, define custom buckets that extend beyond €50 with smaller steps (for instance, €0.01 to €10, €0.05 to €25 and €0.50 to €75). This ensures bids are not rounded down too aggressively and lets high-value advertisers compete more accurately.
You can verify rounding in the Prebid debug console by checking the hb_pb key in bid responses. If you notice rounding gaps between SSPs, your bucket setup is leaving money behind.
In Prebid.js, timeouts are controlled through the pbjs.setConfig({ bidderTimeout: X }) parameter, which defines how long the wrapper waits for bidders before sending the winning bids to the ad server. Setting this value too low means late bids never compete; too high, and your ads load sluggishly, hurting viewability and user experience.
Issues with too short Timeout:
Issues with too long Timeout:
The optimal timeout varies per site, geography, and bidder mix. Most publishers find success between 1000 - 2500 ms, but the best approach is to run controlled tests and closely monitor the performance, in real-time if possible.
Some advanced setups now implement dynamic timeouts, adjusting the value in real time based on each bidder’s historical latency data via auctionOptions.timeoutBuffer. This ensures slower bidders get a fair chance without compromising user experience.
If you have not implemented Prebid’s User ID module, yesterday is the time.
The uplift may not be massive, but it is measurable, and it helps future-proof your identity setup. Now that Google has decided to abandon Privacy Sandbox, publishers who test creatively and adapt early will have a clear advantage.
Unfamiliar with User ID? These are its functions:
Video continues to dominate, and Prebid.js supports all major formats: in-stream, out-stream, and long-form.
Why it matters:
Prebid Video works across many players and adapters, keeping you in control of your monetisation strategy. Read more here.
Prebid Server isn’t new. In fact, Relevant Yield has supported it for five years now, but adoption is still catching up.
By moving auction logic from the user’s browser to a backend server, Prebid Server improves load speed, reduces latency, and lets publishers connect to more SSPs without hurting user experience. It’s also essential for formats that can’t run client-side, like mobile apps, DOOH, and CTV.
This would be “too good to be true” if it weren’t for the maintenance challenge. Hosting your own servers means constant updates, monitoring, and expertise that many publisher teams simply don’t have time for. And even then, “server-side” doesn’t always mean “higher yield.” Some SSPs perform better client-side, where they can access richer browser data, while others thrive server-side with lower latency.
So… the smart approach is to take advantage of an Ad Tech vendor like Relevant Yield, who supports Prebid Server out-of-the-box, has expertise in the topic, and takes care of the servers for you. More than a server service provider, Relevant Yield is a comprehensive platform that publishers can use to effectively test their monetisation approaches, which is essential in finding the sweet spot between client-side and server-side.
App usage has been growing for a while, but some web publishers still hesitate to bring their programmatic setups into their apps. If Prebid works so well for web, why not use it for mobile apps too? Novelty can feel risky, but this is one of those cases where doing it right pays off fast.
Why publishers should use Prebid Mobile:
We acknowledge that implementing Prebid Mobile does require some technical work. It relies on Prebid Server to handle auctions and the Prebid SDK for in-app integration. As mentioned above, Relevant Yield can be a helping hand here by handling the Prebid Server layer, SDK configuration, and real-time analytics in one place. That way, your teams stay focused on optimisation rather than server management. Whatever your approach, make sure your wrapper and SDK remain neutral so you keep full control of your data and demand sources.