Programmatic advertising courses

Mastering programmatic advertising

Publishers who want to effectively earn money from advertising can start by delving into the basics on their own. This is a great way to gain a deeper understanding of how monetization mechanisms work and how to effectively manage ads on your site. Still, it’s important to note that even the most comprehensive course can’t fully replace years of hands-on experience. To reach a truly professional level of monetization, it’s often best to partner with trusted experts like optAd360. We understand the ins and outs of what drives success, and more importantly, how to use that knowledge to your advantage. However, we also believe knowledge should be shared. That’s why we love providing valuable insight on our blog and pointing publishers to the right sources. A good course offers a well structured approach and is able to equip current publishers with up-to-date knowledge. That’s why, in the following paragraphs, we’ll briefly explain how the programmatic advertising system works and suggest a few beginner-friendly courses that can help you understand more about programmatic solutions at your own pace.

Programmatic ecosystem

In the majority of articles introducing the subject of the programmatic ecosystem, you will read that key players include advertisers, publishers, and ad platforms. It’s a true statement, but here’s an in-depth explanation of each of them:

• Publishers are the individuals or companies that own websites or apps with space available for ads. Usually, they want to fund or partially fund their content by monetizing ad space;
• Advertisers‘ main goal is to promote their products or services, for example, with the use of programmatic platforms. With the help of advanced technology, they hope to reach a specific audience type;
• SSPs (Supply-Side Platforms) are adtech platforms whose main aim is to help publishers in managing, optimizing, and selling their ad inventory;
• DSPs (Demand-Side Platforms), on the other hand, are also adtech platforms, but they aid advertisers in buying ad space;
• Ad exchanges are digital marketplaces where publishers and advertisers are connected through SSPs and DSPs, respectively. This ecosystem enables the automated, real-time buying and selling of ad inventory.

What’s worth noting is that ads sold in an old-school way, meaning directly between a buyer and a seller, are not programmatic. In contrast, programmatic advertising automates the buying and selling process, often utilizing real-time bidding (RTB), except in the case of Programmatic Direct deals. For the past several years, this approach has been a key and integral part of the digital advertising landscape. Interestingly, programmatic advertising can support both behavioral and contextual advertising. While the first one focuses on the individual who sees it, contextual advertising focuses more on the environment in which it appears.

Programmatic advertising courses

Thanks to specialized programmatic advertising courses, publishers can develop the necessary skill sets to have a strong start in the monetization world. Importantly, mastering programmatic advertising at the basic level doesn’t require a lot of funds, but rather a little bit of patience. We prepared a list of courses that won’t require listening to live training sessions, just e-learning sources:

Google Skilshop

Back in the day, Publisher University, which Google launched in 2014, was the company’s go-to training site, helping publishers gain monetization knowledge. Currently, Publisher University is part of Skillshop, which offers free-of-charge training across various Google tools, dedicated not only to publishers but also to future marketers. There, you can find courses that aid in understanding more about Google Analytics, Google Marketing Platform, Google Ads, Authorized Buyers, and Waze Ads. However, publishers can benefit most from dedicated courses for GAM and AdMob:

• As of June 2025, three courses delving into the intricacies of GAM are available on the platform. Users can choose from ones titled:
  • “Drive Advertising Revenue with Google Ad Manager” – a course designed for beginners, whose primary aim is, among others, to demonstrate how to set up a GAM network, create and manage inventory, and apply rules and protections. Most probably, you will get to the end of this course in five hours;
  • “Optimize Google Ad Manager to Meet Objectives” – the second option for users at an intermediate level. On average, users complete this course within approximately four hours and learn basic information about Programmatic Guaranteed, reporting features, configuration of video solutions, and analyzing and updating in-app GAM settings;
  • “Grow Your Monetization with Google Ad Manager” – the last available GAM course. It’s dedicated to advanced users, and most people typically finish the course in one hour and twenty-five minutes. It helps with understanding Ad Manager’s ad regulatory tools and ways to gain insight from users’ behavior through Audience solutions.
• Currently, there is one AdMob course on Skillshop. It’s suitable for beginners, where you’ll learn how to set up an account, run and monitor ads, and maximize revenue. You’ll also learn how to maintain ad quality. Unfortunately, some course material links might not support certain languages. It’s worth noting that you should be able to finish this course in about two and a half hours.

Udemy courses AdSense

Since Skillshop doesn’t offer any courses related to AdSense, it’s worth looking elsewhere. One popular platform, where you can find a wide range of AdSense-related courses, is Udemy. However, it’s important to note that it mostly offers paid learning opportunities. When searching for a course that best suits your needs, it’s a good idea to carefully read the description before making a purchase. Additionally, checking the star rating and the total number of reviews and users can help you asses the material quality and popularity.

YouTube course by Ovais Ahmad

Another option worth considering when it comes to Google Ad Manager is the YouTube course by Ovais Ahmad, a performance marketing professional with several years of experience in the adtech field, including as a Google Support trainer. The course is available on a YouTube channel called Senator We Run Ads, where the author shares videos dedicated to digital marketing specialists, current and future marketers, and publishers. The course consists of six videos, each ranging from 10 to 22 minutes in length. It covers the basics of the Google Ad Manager environment, making it suitable for beginners. The material includes instructions on how to create an account, navigate the dashboard, and provides foundational knowledge about ad tags and ad units.

Top publishers trust the pros

Understanding the fundamentals of the advertising ecosystem is essential, but you don’t need to master every detail. Your primary focus should be on leveraging your expertise and ensuring your website or app stands out; this can be easily achieved with a solid understanding of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) or ASO (App Store Optimization). We are well aware that creating valuable content and simultaneously promoting it is a significant challenge. That’s why you can safely entrust us, a monetization partner that gets the ins and outs of what drives success and uses machine learning technology to help you earn more!