QA & Technical Support
QA & Technical Support means checking your work before a campaign goes live and staying on call for when something inevitably needs troubleshooting after it does. We validate campaign setups, ad tags, pixels, and platform configurations pre-launch, then keep monitoring once campaigns are running so a delivery discrepancy or a broken tag gets caught within your team's workflow instead of by an advertiser noticing first. Think of it as the layer of quality control that sits between 'this looks right in the platform' and 'this is actually delivering correctly in the real world' — the gap where most costly ad ops mistakes live.
This isn't meant to replace your ad ops team — it's meant to give them a second set of eyes and a dedicated queue for the technical issues that eat up their day. When a discrepancy shows up between your ad server and a DSP's reported numbers, we don't just flag it, we trace it back to the actual cause — a mistimed pixel fire, a mismatched frequency cap, a broken macro — so it gets fixed instead of just monitored. That root-cause step is usually the difference between a recurring headache and a problem that's actually solved.
Technical support and QA for ad platforms and live campaigns: tag checks, troubleshooting and fixes.
What the pre-launch checklist covers
We check that each tag fires on the right placement, that the click-through URL and macros resolve, that pixels fire once and not twice, that verification wrappers load, that every request uses HTTPS, and that targeting and frequency caps match the IO. For video we validate the VAST response, wrappers and media files. Where geography matters we test from the target market.
Results go into a pass or fail log. A fail names the failing item, so the fix is made once.
How a discrepancy is traced
First we agree what is being compared: ad server impressions, DSP impressions, viewable impressions or billable impressions, because these are different counts. We then check date range and time zone, filtering differences such as bot filtering, whether each system counts on request, load or render, and whether redirects and latency are losing impressions between systems.
The usual tolerance between systems is set in the contract with the buyer or seller, so we use that figure rather than inventing one. The output is a named cause and a fix, such as a mistimed pixel, a broken macro or a mismatched frequency cap. For video examples, see how blank and failing video ads in a streaming app were traced and fixed.
What you provide and what you receive
You provide access to the ad servers and DSPs, the tag and pixel specifications, the IO or campaign brief, and an agreed contact for urgent issues. Support tiers and response times are agreed before the engagement begins. You receive QA logs, written root-cause notes for each discrepancy and a list of recurring causes.
Next step: send one open discrepancy together with both reports. We will return the likely cause and the checks we would run.
How an engagement runs
Agree scope and tiers
We agree which campaigns get QA, and the support tiers and response times for live issues.
Pre-launch QA
We check tags, pixels, macros, targeting and frequency caps against the IO before launch.
Monitor delivery
We watch live delivery and reporting for gaps between systems.
Trace and fix
Each discrepancy gets a named cause, a fix and a note on how to prevent it.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly counts as a 'delivery discrepancy' and why does it happen?
It's when the numbers your ad server reports don't match what a DSP, SSP, or analytics platform reports for the same campaign — different counting methodologies, tag firing issues, or timing mismatches are usually the cause. We investigate which one it is rather than just noting that a gap exists.
Can you work alongside our existing ad ops team instead of replacing them?
Yes, that's the most common setup. We typically plug in as an extension of your team, handling QA and troubleshooting work that would otherwise pull your in-house ops staff away from campaign strategy and account management.
Do you QA every campaign or only flagged ones?
We scope this based on your volume and risk tolerance — some clients want every campaign checked pre-launch, others want QA focused on higher-value or more complex setups with lighter-touch monitoring elsewhere. We build the cadence around what actually matters to your business.
What platforms and tag types do you support?
We work across the major ad servers, DSPs, and tag/pixel implementations used in programmatic and direct campaign delivery. If you're running something unusual or custom, tell us your stack and we'll confirm before scoping the work.
How fast can you respond when something breaks mid-campaign?
Response time depends on the support tier we agree on upfront, since urgent live-campaign issues need a different SLA than a routine pre-launch QA pass. We set that expectation explicitly at the start of the engagement so there's no ambiguity about what 'fast' means for your account.