Without properly configured mediation, your app loses up to 60% of ad revenue. Each impression is sold to a single network at its price — no competition, no auction. Ad mediation solves this: it automatically selects the network with the highest bid for each impression, increasing eCPM by 30–60% through competition between AdMob, Meta, AppLovin, IronSource, and others.
We configure mediation for your stack: iOS (Swift, SwiftUI, Combine), Android (Kotlin, Jetpack Compose), or cross-platform (Flutter, React Native). Our experience shows that proper waterfall and bidding configuration increases revenue by an average of 1.5–2 times compared to working with a single network.
Why Ad Mediation Increases Revenue
In a waterfall auction, the SDK polls networks sequentially by descending floor price. AdMob with floor $3 → Meta with floor $2 → myTarget with floor $1. The first to respond with a filled ad wins. If no one responds within the timeout (usually 3–5 sec), a house ad or empty slot is shown.
Bidding works differently: all networks bid simultaneously, the SDK collects tokens, sends them to the auction server, and receives a winner in ~200 ms. As stated in the AppLovin MAX documentation, bidding boosts eCPM by 20–40% compared to waterfall. Bidding outperforms waterfall in revenue by an average of 1.5 times.
How to Choose a Mediation Platform
| Platform | Auction Type | Number of Partners | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google AdMob Mediation | Waterfall + Bidding | 30+ | Simple integration, good support |
| AppLovin MAX | Bidding | 20+ | Maximum eCPM, active development |
| IronSource LevelPlay | Waterfall + Bidding | 25+ | Games, solid documentation |
For apps with a Russian audience, we also consider Yandex Adfox as a source of direct campaigns on top of mediation.
Common Mistakes in Self-Setup
Too many networks in the waterfall. 8–10 networks with low floor prices create high total timeout and degrade UX. Optimal is 3–5 networks with proper floor prices.
No geo-segmentation. Yandex works great in RU/BY/KZ but yields $0 in USA. AdMob in USA gives $2–5 eCPM, while in Russia it's $0.3. Mediation without geo-segmentation is useless.
Lack of A/B testing. Mediation platforms support split tests for different waterfall configurations. Without tests, you are working blind.
How We Configure Mediation
Step 1 — audit your current stack. We check which networks are already integrated, their SDK versions, and any conflicts. Common issues: AdMob connected via an old tutorial with a major version lag; adapters incompatible with new GMA SDK.
Step 2 — choose the mediation platform. Three main options: Google AdMob Mediation, AppLovin MAX, IronSource LevelPlay. Each has its strengths, and we help you pick the best one for your traffic.
Step 3 — set up ad units and waterfall. For each format (banner, interstitial, rewarded), we create a separate ad unit. Waterfall strategy: start with eCPM data from the last 30 days, set floor prices, configure order. First two weeks after launch — active manual optimization.
Step 4 — transition to bidding. Once enough data is collected (~10k–50k daily impressions), we move networks that support bidding to open auction. Waterfall remains as a fallback.
Step 5 — analytics and monitoring. We integrate ImpressionDataListener (AdMob) or ISImpressionDataDelegate (IronSource) to receive impression-level revenue. This data is sent to Firebase or Amplitude for monetization attribution by user segments.
What's Included in Our Work (Deliverables)
- Monetization audit: check integrations, SDK versions, dependency conflicts.
- Ad unit setup for all formats with geo-segmentation.
- Adapter integration with Gradle conflict resolution.
- A/B testing of waterfall configurations.
- Documentation of the mediation architecture.
- 30-day support after handover.
Our experience shows that properly configured mediation pays for itself within a week. For traffic of 100,000 daily impressions, switching to bidding brings substantial additional revenue. Mediation setup is a key element of eCPM optimization.
eCPM Comparison Before and After Mediation
| Format | Without Mediation (eCPM) | With Mediation (eCPM) |
|---|---|---|
| Banner | $0.50 | $0.80 |
| Interstitial | $2.00 | $3.50 |
| Rewarded | $4.00 | $6.00 |
Timeline
Basic mediation (2–3 networks, one format) — 3–4 days including testing. Full setup with multiple formats, bidding, analytics, and geo-segmentation — 5–7 days. Pricing is individual. Contact us to discuss your project and get a consultation and preliminary audit.