A useful advertising reference answers a specific question: what a file must contain, how a metric is counted, what evidence supports a claim, or which rules apply. Choose the source by its job, then check its date, scope, and authority before acting on it.
This guide is a working reference desk for web advertising. It helps you move from a broad question to a document you can use. For choosing between advertising channels, start with Online Advertising: Choose a Channel for the Job.
Match the question to the source
On a small screen, scroll the table sideways to read all columns.
| Your question | Useful starting point | What to check next |
|---|---|---|
| Which technical specification applies? | IAB Tech Lab | Find the relevant standard, its version, and implementation guidance; confirm the receiving platform supports it. |
| How is a measurement defined? | Media Rating Council standards and guidelines | Read the applicable medium, methodology, exclusions, and reporting requirements. |
| What U.S. advertising guidance is relevant? | FTC advertising and marketing resources | Choose the subject-specific guidance and check the product, audience, and jurisdiction. |
| Where can I investigate a marketing idea? | American Marketing Association publications | Distinguish commentary from original research and follow the underlying evidence. |
| How can a landing-page form work for more people? | W3C WAI forms tutorial | Review labels, instructions, error feedback, and the actual interaction. |
| What will this placement accept? | The publisher's or platform's current specification for that exact product | Confirm dimensions, duration, weight, format, destination rules, and submission deadline in writing. |
IAB Tech Lab develops technical standards for the digital advertising ecosystem. An industry standard helps systems communicate, while a publisher's placement specification determines what that particular booking accepts. Save both when they apply; using a familiar industry format alone does not confirm acceptance.
The MRC directory separates standards by subjects such as measurement and media type. Read the relevant document before comparing reports. A metric name in a dashboard may hide differences in counting units, invalid-traffic filtering, or the population included.
Identify what the source can establish
An official regulator explains the rules it administers; a platform explains its own product; a trade organization offers industry material; a study reports findings under a particular design. Each can be useful within that role. A platform's case study can explain an implementation without establishing that another advertiser will receive the same result.
Check the author or issuing body, publication and revision dates, jurisdiction, covered product, and whether a document is final or a draft. For research, look for the sample, collection period, comparison group, outcome definition, and sponsor. A claim that omits its denominator or comparison is a prompt to investigate further.
When a rule or specification matters to a launch, record the exact document version and access date with the campaign brief. Keep a short note explaining why it applies. This is more durable than a bookmark named “ad rules,” which can become ambiguous after a redesign.
Resolve a real decision in a short research session
- Write the decision in one sentence, such as “Can this video run in the placement we booked?”
- Open the source closest to that decision: the placement specification, rather than a general blog post about video.
- Capture the relevant requirements and unresolved questions.
- Apply them to the actual file, destination, or report.
- Record the result and the condition that would require another check.
Keep a small, useful reference library
Organize saved material by task: production, measurement, claims, audience research, and customer experience. Use descriptive titles and remove duplicates that conceal which version is current. Set a document owner for launch-critical material and revisit it when a platform changes its specification, a regulator revises guidance, or a campaign enters a new market.
AI can help turn a document into a list of questions or compare two versions. Check every consequential item against the original passage, especially numbers, exceptions, dates, and jurisdiction. A generated citation needs to resolve to a source that supports the actual assertion.
For applying the resulting evidence, continue with advertising measurement, contextual placement review, and endorsement campaign planning.