5 Questions to Ask Before Changing Your Ad Server

Epom CMO Lina Lugova shares 5 essential factors to evaluate costs, growth strategy, and hidden risks before migrating your tech stack.

According to Statista, by 2030, 82.2% of total ad spending in the advertising market will come from digital sources, and 84.9% of revenue will come from programmatic advertising. Hence, a well-selected ad server is your VIP pass into the world of high profits. If your ad server doesn’t deliver the maximum value possible, it may be the right time to switch.

At the same time, a rushed decision can be too costly: you may lose time, money, and customers trying to earn more. We at Epom have been helping clients choose ad servers for over 10 years, and more than 800 companies put their trust in our software. We’ve summed up our expertise in the five most essential questions to ask before making a decision.

Stick or Switch: Quick Checklist

First, let’s evaluate the situation and find out if your current ad server is meeting all your needs. Based on our experience in the programmatic advertising market, we’ve crafted a specific list of criteria. Here’s the checklist:

• Setting up, optimizing, and generating reports are easy and transparent for your team.
• Your ad server supports all ad formats you may need — now or in the future.
• You have no issues integrating the ad server with the SSPs, DSPs, and APIs you may need.
• Your fill rates and CPMs align with industry trends.
• You don’t overspend on hidden fees, integration with new software, etc.
• You don’t experience any difficulties with resolving issues; customer support is always there when you need it.
• If you had to perform an ad server comparison today, you’d still choose your current platform.

Even 2-3 “no’s” are a signal that your ad server likely doesn’t cover all your needs. From Epom’s clients’ experience, there’s rarely a single red flag. Most often, the combination of several minor signs indicates your ad server may not be the best fit for you. If that’s your case, the following questions will help you decide whether you should switch soon.

Questions That Matter Most

According to Market Research Future, the size of the ad server market reached $33.41 billion in 2024. By 2034, it’s projected to grow up to $77.32 billion, with an annual growth rate of 8.75%. Such rapid growth means more options than ever, and choosing the best ad server for publishers (or switching from a not-so-perfect option) is now a key strategic decision that you don’t want to take lightly. Here’s a list of five questions we’ve come up with based on Epom’s observations.

1. What Is My Long-Term Growth Strategy — and How Does My Ad Server Fit Into It?

While some companies change ad servers to fix urgent problems like a lack of support for modern ad formats, we encourage you to consider long-term vision and goals. For example, according to Statista, programmatic CTV ad spending reached $6 billion in Q3 2024 (35% growth in just one year!). Does your strategy include being part of this trend?

Additionally, consider where your business is headed, the traffic volume you aim to attract in the next few years, and the ad formats you aspire to use. If you plan to expand to new markets, you need a platform that can support your move. Your ad server should make your growth as smooth as possible— not hold you back.

2. How Much Does It Cost to Switch Ad Servers?

The cost of changing your ad server consists of at least half a dozen elements, and some of them are hidden. Beyond the obvious subscription fees, there are also integration costs for rebuilding connections with SSPs, DSPs, analytics tools, and other platforms.

Moreover, you’ll need to pay for retraining your team and the developers’ time required to migrate to the new ad server. 

These hidden costs can add up to thousands of dollars, and the larger the business, the bigger the final bill may be. Don’t be discouraged from making a beneficial switch — but think first about how soon this investment will pay off.

3. What Do I Lose by Keeping the Current Ad Server for Another Year?

Besides the migration costs, there’s another type of cost worth considering — the cost of doing nothing. Are you losing profits due to low fill rates or a lack of support for new formats? How much more could you earn if you switched to another ad server? How will your market position change in one year if you keep the current ad server? After answering all these questions, you’ll understand whether you can actually afford not to switch.

4. Will the Switch Make Me More Independent?

This question is often overlooked — we rarely pay attention to dependency issues until it’s too late and costly to change an ad server. At the same time, being confined to a narrow ecosystem can become a massive obstacle to growth. Thus, think about the desired level of independence your ad server should provide. For example, if you need access to raw data (now or when scaling up your operations) or you’d like to integrate seamlessly with external tools, your target independence level is high. The right ad server should give you more freedom to bring your strategy to life.

5. What Are the Hidden Risks of Switching?

Finally, before making a decision, consider the most significant risks associated with changing an ad server. For instance, data loss, possible downtime during migration, or failure to integrate your APIs or external tools. To make the switch as smooth as possible, prepare a backup plan for all these scenarios. 

Wrapping Up

With programmatic advertising becoming a primary revenue source for publishers and ad networks, an ad server is no longer a nice-to-have — it’s a must-have. However, to achieve the exceptional results, you need a platform that best matches your business needs. If it’s not the case with your current ad server, switching to a better option may deliver you more value.

To avoid costly mistakes, before making a decision, ask yourself these five questions:

• What is my long-term growth strategy — and how does my ad server fit into it?
• How much does it cost to switch ad servers?
• What do I lose by keeping the current ad server for another year?
• Will the switch make me more independent?
• What are the hidden risks of switching?

Changing your ad server is not just another technical decision — it impacts the future of your business. Done right, it can make you more competitive, profitable, and independent. So, don’t limit yourself to the ad server comparison, but ask these five questions to identify potential risks, challenges, and opportunities that come with the switch.

Epom‘s CMO Lina Lugova is a strategic leader and team builder who is passionate about marketing and communications to drive business growth in the B2B segment. 

With 10+ years at the forefront of ad tech, she helps brands, agencies, and networks navigate the complex digital advertising landscape while maximizing their ROI.

For more expert articles and industry updates, follow Martech News