How to Optimize WordPress AdSense Settings (Ad Position and Placement)
After receiving AdSense approval, you may be wondering how to best place ads on your WordPress blog. In this post, we will discuss the optimization of AdSense ad settings (ad positions, placements, and frequency).
WordPress Blog AdSense Ad Settings Optimization
This blog is a WordPress blog, implemented using the Kadence theme, one of the many available themes.
The Kadence theme is easy for WordPress beginners to use, and when mastered, it offers limitless potential. This is why I strongly recommend it during the initial setup of WPlaybook.
The banner setup and AdSense ad placements implemented on this blog are based on the Kadence theme.
Post-Related Ad Placement
Let me explain the AdSense ad placement related to the blog post content (which you are currently viewing).
Sidebar Ads on Both Sides of the Post
In the post, I have set the content to be narrow, allowing fixed sidebar ads to appear on both sides. After much deliberation, I removed the author widget on the right and chose anchor ads. The reason is that Google’s AdSense policy currently prohibits having fixed AdSense ad blocks on the screen within the blog (anchor ads), but if you use auto ads, fixed ads can be displayed.
Fixed ads are continuously exposed, so I felt it was essential to use them. Therefore, I had no choice but to remove the existing author widget from the sidebar and plan to place it inside the post content.
Anchor Ads at the Bottom of the Post
I debated whether to add anchor ads at the bottom of the post, but currently, I have disabled them on PC and activated them on mobile. The reason is that on PCs, fixed sidebar ads are placed on both sides, so the exposure will be continuous. On mobile devices, where there are no sidebar ads, I thought the anchor ads could take over that role.
Repeated In-Post Ads in Paragraphs
I’ve set it up so that an ad appears every 7th paragraph within the post. This setup may be a matter of personal preference, but I believe that strategically placed ads can actually improve readability.
With people’s attention spans decreasing recently, I feel that occasional ads help refocus attention, almost like a brief break to re-engage the reader. It’s a feature that I find to be mutually beneficial for both the reader and the ad performance.
Ad Placement on Blog Index Page
The blog index page is where all your posts are collected. The strategy is to naturally display ads as visitors browse through the blog, increasing the chances of generating revenue. For the ad setup on this page, I used the Ad Inserter plugin, which is quite useful for AdSense configuration.
There’s quite a bit of setup involved in the post index page, and I’ve tested multiple options to get it right.
Bottom of the Blog Index Page Ad
On the PC version, I’ve set large banner ads to appear both at the top and bottom of the page. This was implemented using the Element Hook feature from Kadence, and I created ad blocks that display at the top and bottom of the post index and search results pages.
Ad Placement in Post List
For the ads inserted in the post list, I set it so that an ad appears every 4 posts. To make the ads blend seamlessly with the content, I used Google AdSense’s automatic ad layout copying feature.
A key point to note is that the ads placed in the post list need to be configured differently for PC and mobile. On the PC, I used horizontally long ads with a 1:1 ratio for the image. On mobile, the ads were set to be vertical to match the layout of the posts.
Search Engine Ads
I’ve inserted search ads at the top right of the post list. These search engine ads appear when users use the blog’s search bar. The ads are paid for by Google, and they display alongside the search results. If a user clicks on one of these ads through the blog’s search function, the corresponding revenue is shared with Google. Essentially, the more content your blog has, the more searches are made, which in turn generates more ad revenue.
Ad Placement When Navigating Links
I’ve set up full-page ads to appear when visitors click on links inserted within the blog posts that lead to other pages. The full-page ad is triggered every 1 minute to maximize ad impressions when a link is clicked.
For example, after reading the content (assuming 1 minute has passed since the last full-page ad), if the visitor clicks on the next link leading to the ALL100 AdSense homepage, a full-page ad will appear.
In other words, the more the visitor navigates through the blog, the more full-page ads will appear. Personally, I prefer full-page ads for two main reasons:
- People won’t notice that interstitial ads are set up.
- Ads appear just as you’re about to take a break (go to another page) anyway.
When people read blog posts, they tend to become frustrated if unwanted ads appear in the middle of their reading, interrupting their flow. However, with full-page ads, the frequency is set to the maximum (every minute), but these ads don’t appear immediately to the reader.
Moreover, since these ads are triggered during page transitions, they show up when the reader is taking a break from reading, so it’s less intrusive compared to ads within the content. This way, readers are less likely to feel annoyed by the ads.
Types of Blog Links and Full-page Ad Activation Conditions
There are three types of links on the blog:
- Jump to another page within your blog (Internal link)
- Go to another site outside of your blog (External Link)
- Click the image file to view the full resolution version (Media file link)
By setting these types of links to open in the same window (instead of a new tab), full-page ads will be triggered more often. So, it’s a good idea to strategically place links to maximize the appearance of full-page ads.
Conclusion
In this post, I’ve shared the optimal ad placement method that fits the WP ALL100 theme. While this layout isn’t the only solution, I hope it helps those of you struggling with ad placement. WP specializes in optimizing WordPress site performance. If you’re facing performance issues with your WordPress blog, feel free to contact WP!
