Digital marketing term
Run of Network
Ads that run across a network’s inventory without locking to a specific page: you skip site picks and the network fills what it can. CPM usually drops, and so does topical fit.
Detailed explanation
Plans use it for cheap reach and to burn remnant inventory. ROS stays on one site; RON spreads across many publishers. Programmatic network-wide packages behave the same way.
Brand safety and topical fit stay weak: the message can land on irrelevant or risky URLs. Frequency control also fragments. A bargain CPM can become an expensive CPA.
Decide with placement breakouts, viewability, safety scores, and CPA. For performance, a site list or topic target beats RON. Keep RON for fill and broad tests.
Frequently asked questions
- How is RON different from ROS?
- ROS runs across one site. RON runs across many sites in a network, without choosing the page.
- When is it the right buy?
- Cheap reach, remnant fill, or a wide test. If you need tight intent or brand safety, pick sites or topics instead.
Related terms
Internal links for the topic cluster — read these concepts together.
- Run of SiteAds that rotate across one site’s inventory without locking to a section or URL. The buy is wider than a homepage sponsorship and tighter than a network-wide run.
- Display AdvertisingBanners, native units, and other visual formats on sites and apps. Unlike search text ads, they show up before someone has typed a query into the box.
- PublisherThe party that owns the content and the ad inventory: a site, app, or show. Advertisers buy the impressions; this side sells the space and the audience.
- Ad SpaceThe placement where an ad sits, plus the inventory that slot can sell. A fixed unit, run of site, and run of network are not the same product.
- CPMCPM (Cost Per Mille) is the cost of 1,000 ad impressions; it is one of the most common media buying units.
- Real-Time BiddingSelling a single impression in an auction that finishes in milliseconds as the page loads. The price is not a preprinted package; the bid follows that user and context.