How (NOT) to Get AdSense Ads to Show on Your Website or Blog

In recent months there have been quite a few people showing up in the help forum wondering why their AdSense ads show on their blog, but don't record earnings or statistics.

Initially, this was a little puzzling because if the ads show up, they usually work just fine. That's supposed to mean the site/blog is approved to show ads, but when reviewing the ad codes on these sites the problem becomes apparent, at least, it does to people who are used to reviewing sites and ad codes, but I suppose it is understandable that new publishers don't recognize why there is a problem.

Publishers have been listening to falsehoods (ie: or untruths), and watching videos with more false information.

Here's the deal publishers ... if you want to get the right information, you go to the right place. Not someone's blog, website, or channel but AdSense's own official sources. The Inside AdSense Blog, or AdSense's own official YouTube Channel, or even the AdSense Help Center. If none of those official sources confirm what you've seen/read/heard/watched, then don't do it. That's the simplest, most honest and realistic truth anyone can give you. The only source that's right, is AdSense.

Any information that tells you to remove the ca-pub, or the publisher ID number, or the ad slot from your AdSense ad code is WRONG. Sure, it would get the ads to show up on your blog, but that is about all it will do. The ad code won't work fully, so ... you won't get paid for any of those ads you are displaying.

What's happening is simple ... you are providing free advertising for all those advertisers whose ads you are showing on your blogs/websites. Nice job guys ... I suppose the advertisers are pretty happy not to be charged for advertising their sites or businesses, but I'm going to take a stab in the dark and guess that you publishers aren't going to be very happy about that.

On top of that, if you manually alter the ad code in such a way, it is a violation of AdSense policy. So, if you are waiting for approval, it's never going to come. Why would AdSense approve a publisher who can't follow the rules even before they get approved to show ads?

The truth in this case is that the only harm you are causing is to yourself, and to your own AdSense account and/or approvals. And you can't really lay the blame on someone else - nobody forces you to follow the instructions in some video or blog post you've read. You are the one who chose to follow the pied-piper, nobody else.

If you want stuff to work right, you usually have to follow the right instructions and those come from AdSense, not from anyone else.

Anybody out there on the web who has this type of altered ad code on their blog/website may want to fix it ... before they give away any more free ad space.

There are lots of reasons why ads might not show up on your website or blog (See: Approved but no Ads are Showing), but forcing ads to show when they aren't supposed to is not going to help you out in any way, and may make things worse for you.

posted by J.Gracey Stinson