You can use Console to offer advertiser self-service for your onsite display ads using any ad size / type in the Kevel Ad Server.

Ad size validation

When a media owner configures ad inventory in Kevel Console, the ad sizes and dimensions available to advertisers need to reflect what the platform actually supports — not an outdated or approximated list. This page explains how ad size validation works in Kevel, why it matters for your advertisers, and what happens when a supported size changes.

Why ad size validation matters

Ad sizes in Kevel are defined at the Kevel Ad Server level. Historically, the list of supported ad type IDs and dimensions shown in Console was hardcoded — meaning it could fall out of sync with what the Ad Server actually enforced. The result was a mismatch: Console might display ad sizes that were no longer valid, or fail to surface newly added ones.

For media owners, this created two practical problems. First, it eroded advertiser trust — if an advertiser uploaded a creative only to hit a validation error that Console hadn't warned them about, the friction landed on you. Second, it introduced configuration risk: ads built against unsupported dimensions could fail silently or require manual correction downstream.

How the validation works

Console now retrieves the list of valid ad type IDs and dimensions directly from Kevel Ad Server at the point when an advertiser attempts to create an ad. This means the ad sizes shown in Console are always the authoritative, live set — the same ones the Ad Server itself enforces.

When an advertiser submits an IAB display ad with a dimension that is no longer supported, Console returns a validation error immediately, before the ad is created. Equally, when a new ad size is added in Kevel Ad Server, it becomes available in Console right away — no manual updates or redeployment required.

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A note on ad type IDs and dimensions
Kevel organizes ad inventory around ad type IDs — each of which maps to a specific set of dimensions and format characteristics. An IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) display ad, for example, is defined not just by pixel dimensions but by its type ID in the Ad Server. When Console validates an ad submission, it checks both the declared dimensions and the associated type ID against the live list held in Kevel Ad Server. This is what ensures that what your advertisers can configure in Console exactly matches what the platform can serve.

What your advertisers can expect

From an advertiser's perspective, the validation behavior is straightforward:

• If they attempt to upload a creative or create an ad using a supported ad size, the process continues normally.
• If they attempt to use an ad size that is not supported — whether because it was never valid or because it has since been removed — Console will return a clear validation error at the point of creation, before any configuration is saved.

This gives advertisers immediate, actionable feedback rather than surfacing errors later in the campaign setup process. As the media owner, you can communicate this confidently: the ad sizes shown in your Console are the ad sizes that work.

Keeping your ad sizes current

Because Console pulls valid ad sizes from Kevel Ad Server on demand, there is no action required on your part when ad sizes change. Additions and removals in the Ad Server are reflected in Console immediately. If you manage your Ad Server configuration directly and make changes to supported ad types, your advertisers will encounter updated validation the next time they attempt to create an ad — with no gap between what you've configured and what they can use.

Accurate ad size validation is one part of how Kevel keeps the configuration layer — what you set up in Kevel Console — tightly coupled to the delivery layer in Kevel Ad Server.