DV360 Campaign Setup & QA Checklist
DV360 Campaign Setup & QA Checklist
Display & Video 360 (DV360) is Google's demand-side platform (DSP) for planning, managing, and optimizing programmatic advertising campaigns. A successful DV360 campaign requires accurate insertion order and line item configuration, audience targeting, creative validation, bidding, budget management, tracking, and quality assurance.
This DV360 Campaign Setup & QA Checklist provides a step-by-step workflow for programmatic traders, campaign managers, and ad operations specialists preparing campaigns for launch or troubleshooting existing campaigns.
Use it before activation, during campaign audits, and whenever delivery or performance issues arise.
1. Review the Campaign Brief
Read the approved campaign brief and media plan.
Confirm the advertiser and campaign names.
Identify the campaign objective: awareness, consideration, traffic, or conversions.
Confirm the target audience and geographic requirements.
Review the approved campaign start and end dates.
Confirm the total budget and budget allocation.
Verify the agreed KPIs, such as impressions, CPM, CTR, conversions, or CPA.
Identify required inventory types, such as display, online video, or connected TV.
Confirm creative specifications and approval requirements.
Document any special targeting, brand-safety, or reporting requirements.
Verification: Ensure the brief and media plan provide enough information to configure the campaign without assumptions.
2. Validate Advertiser and Campaign Settings
Open the correct DV360 partner and advertiser.
Confirm that the advertiser matches the approved campaign.
Create or select the correct campaign.
Follow the approved naming convention.
Verify campaign dates and time zone.
Review campaign-level settings that affect delivery.
Confirm the appropriate billing and account configuration.
Check user permissions and required approvals.
Verify the relevant conversion measurement configuration.
Save a record of important campaign settings.
Verification: Confirm that the campaign is configured under the correct advertiser and uses the approved settings.
3. Configure the Insertion Order (IO)
The insertion order establishes the campaign's budget and delivery framework.
Create or select the correct insertion order.
Verify the IO name and naming convention.
Set the correct flight dates.
Confirm the approved budget.
Select the appropriate budget type and pacing settings.
Review the planned delivery strategy.
Check whether the IO contains the intended line items.
Confirm that budget allocations are consistent with the media plan.
Review any applicable frequency or delivery controls.
Verify the IO's status and readiness for activation.
Verification: Confirm that the insertion order's budget, dates, and delivery settings align with the approved plan.
4. Set Up Line Items
Create the required line items under the correct IO.
Use consistent names that identify the tactic, audience, or format.
Select the correct line item type.
Confirm the start and end dates.
Set the approved budget or budget allocation.
Configure the correct bidding strategy.
Verify the inventory and environment settings.
Review device and geographic targeting.
Confirm that the intended creatives can be assigned.
Check line item status and any setup warnings.
Verification: Compare every line item with the media plan to confirm its purpose, configuration, and allocation.
5. Configure Targeting
Apply the approved geographic targeting.
Select the required audience segments.
Verify first-party and third-party audience selections where applicable.
Configure contextual or content-based targeting if required.
Review device and environment targeting.
Apply approved inclusion and exclusion lists.
Check brand-safety and suitability settings.
Confirm the intended targeting logic.
Review audience size and potential reach.
Identify unnecessary restrictions that may limit delivery.
Check targeting compatibility with the selected inventory.
Verification: Inspect the final targeting configuration to confirm that eligible impressions can reach the intended audience.
6. Validate Inventory and Deal Settings
Confirm the intended inventory type.
Review the enabled exchanges and inventory sources.
Verify private marketplace deal IDs where applicable.
Confirm that the correct deal is associated with the intended line item.
Check deal dates, eligibility, and buying conditions.
Review publisher, website, and app exclusions.
Confirm any inventory quality requirements.
Verify that inventory settings match the media plan.
Investigate potential supply limitations.
Document any inventory restrictions that could affect delivery.
Verification: Confirm that the line item can access the intended inventory and that deal-specific requirements are satisfied.
7. Upload and Assign Creatives
Confirm that all creative assets have the required approvals.
Check creative dimensions and supported formats.
Verify destination URLs and click-through links.
Review tracking parameters.
Preview each creative.
Confirm that text, images, and video assets render correctly.
Check landing-page functionality.
Review creative approval and serving status.
Assign the correct creatives to the appropriate line items.
Confirm compatibility between the creative and selected inventory.
Verify that any required third-party tags are implemented correctly.
Check whether creative rotation or assignment settings match the plan.
Verification: Ensure that the correct approved creatives are eligible to serve on each intended line item.
8. Configure Bidding and Optimization
Confirm the approved bidding strategy.
Set the initial bid or target according to campaign requirements.
Verify the optimization objective.
Review any automated bidding configuration.
Confirm that the selected strategy has the required measurement signals.
Check bid limits or other applicable controls.
Verify that bidding settings are suitable for the inventory type.
Review the expected relationship between the bidding strategy and campaign KPI.
Document any manual bid adjustments.
Establish a process for reviewing bidding performance after launch.
Verification: Ensure that bidding settings support the campaign objective and do not conflict with budget or delivery requirements.
9. Review Budget, Pacing, and Frequency Caps
Confirm the insertion order budget.
Check the budget assigned to each line item.
Verify the campaign flight dates.
Select the approved pacing strategy.
Review daily or total spend limits where configured.
Set frequency caps according to campaign requirements.
Verify the frequency cap's scope and time period.
Check whether multiple line items could compete for the same audience or budget.
Review forecasts or delivery estimates where available.
Confirm that the remaining campaign duration supports the planned spend.
Verification: Ensure that the campaign can deliver within the approved budget and schedule without violating frequency requirements.
10. Validate Tracking and Measurement
Confirm the required impression and click tracking.
Verify the conversion tracking setup.
Check that the correct conversion actions are used for optimization and reporting.
Confirm the relevant Campaign Manager 360 (CM360) integration if required.
Review Floodlight activity configuration where applicable.
Confirm that the correct Floodlight activities or conversion events are associated with the campaign.
Test the tracking setup using an approved testing process.
Check for duplicate tags or conversion implementations.
Verify the required third-party verification integrations.
Confirm that reporting definitions and time zones are documented.
Verification: Ensure that measurement is configured correctly and that the required data can be collected and reported.
11. Complete Pre-Launch QA
Use this section as the final review before activating the campaign.
Correct partner and advertiser selected.
Campaign name and dates verified.
Insertion order budget and pacing validated.
Line item names, dates, budgets, and bidding reviewed.
Audience and geographic targeting checked.
Inventory and deal settings validated.
Brand-safety controls confirmed.
Creative assignments and approval status checked.
Destination URLs tested.
Frequency caps reviewed.
Conversion tracking and measurement validated.
Delivery warnings and approval issues investigated.
Final media plan comparison completed.
Required internal or client approvals obtained.
Verification: Record the QA outcome and resolve all material launch-blocking issues before activation.
12. Launch and Monitor Delivery
Activate the campaign or relevant line items at the approved time.
Confirm that the intended components are eligible to serve.
Check for approval, policy, or configuration warnings.
Verify that impressions begin delivering.
Monitor spend and pacing.
Review bid competitiveness and inventory availability.
Check creative serving and landing-page functionality.
Confirm that tracking signals are being collected.
Review early delivery against expectations.
Escalate unexpected delivery or measurement issues.
Verification: Confirm that the campaign is live, delivering, and collecting the expected measurement signals.
13. Troubleshoot Common DV360 Delivery Issues
If a campaign or line item is not delivering as expected, investigate systematically.
Status: Check campaign, IO, and line item statuses.
Dates: Confirm that the flight has started and has not ended.
Budget: Verify that sufficient budget remains available.
Bidding: Review bid settings and competitiveness.
Targeting: Check whether audience, geographic, device, or contextual restrictions are too narrow.
Inventory: Confirm that eligible supply is available.
Creatives: Check approval, assignment, compatibility, and serving status.
Deals: Verify deal IDs, eligibility, and associated line items where applicable.
Frequency: Review frequency caps and their scope.
Pacing: Check whether delivery settings limit spend.
Tracking: Investigate missing or unexpected measurement signals.
Change history: Review recent configuration changes where available.
After identifying the likely cause, make a controlled correction, verify the change, and monitor the effect before making additional adjustments.
14. Reporting and Documentation
Confirm that the reporting dates match the campaign flight.
Reconcile spend against the approved plan.
Review impressions, clicks, CPM, and CTR.
Include viewability, video, or conversion metrics where relevant.
Compare actual delivery with planned delivery.
Identify underperforming line items and potential causes.
Document optimization actions and their outcomes.
Investigate data discrepancies between DV360 and connected reporting platforms.
Explain material changes in spend or performance.
Archive QA records, change notes, and final reports.
Verification: Ensure that reporting is consistent, accurate, and clearly explains delivery and performance.
Common DV360 Setup Mistakes to Avoid
Incorrect advertiser selection: Always confirm the partner and advertiser before creating campaign components.
IO and line item mismatches: Compare budgets, dates, and objectives against the media plan.
Overly restrictive targeting: Review audience size, exclusions, and eligible inventory.
Creative approval issues: Confirm both approval and serving eligibility.
Incorrect Floodlight configuration: Validate conversion activities and integrations where applicable.
Uncompetitive bids: Investigate bidding and inventory conditions before assuming the platform is malfunctioning.
Unnoticed pacing problems: Monitor spend throughout the campaign flight.
Unverified changes: Review change history and document important adjustments.
Incomplete QA: Use a consistent checklist before every launch.
Final DV360 Campaign Sign-Off Checklist
Before marking a DV360 campaign launch-ready, confirm:
Campaign and advertiser settings are correct.
Insertion order and line items match the approved media plan.
Budgets, dates, bids, and pacing are validated.
Targeting and inventory settings are correct.
Brand-safety controls are applied.
Creatives are approved, assigned, and tested.
Frequency caps are configured.
Tracking and conversion measurement are validated.
Pre-launch QA is documented.
Delivery monitoring and reporting responsibilities are assigned.
Conclusion
A reliable DV360 workflow combines accurate setup, structured quality assurance, and ongoing delivery monitoring. Use this checklist to reduce campaign errors, troubleshoot delivery issues systematically, and keep programmatic execution aligned with campaign requirements.
Learn. Prepare. Grow. — GoBizly
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