Google has launched this new feature of ‘QuickStart ads’ which automatically inserts ads to your website. You only need to place a code into the header of your website once and then Google displays ads across all pages and all formats (mobile as well as desktop). Google has also removed its official Google AdSense plugin from WordPress as it expects you to switch to ‘QuickStart’ ads
What are ‘QuickStart ads’
Earlier, for displaying Google ads on your website, you either had to insert a code at the places where you wanted to display the ads or use a WordPress plugin to insert these ads. Google itself had its official Google AdSense plugin which you could use to identify places on your pages and posts wherever you wanted to display an ad. For showing Anchor/overlay ads and Vignette ads, you had to separately insert a code into the header of your website. Now Google has deprecated this method and has launched ‘QuickStart ads’. With a flick of switch, you can enable ‘QuickStart ads’ and once you insert the provided code in the header of your website, Google automatically starts showing all ads on your website across all pages and posts. Google AdSense decided the places and format of ads to optimize the experience of your readers as well as optimize your earnings. If you switch on Anchor/overlay ads and Vignette ads, they too start showing on mobile version of your website automatically and you need not to insert any new set of code into your website.
Is ‘QuickStart ads’ a helpful feature
Yes!! Unless you want to control the positioning of ads on your website. In my view, Google knows about AdSense better than me and let Google decide what ads to be shown and where to be shown. Placement of ads is also customized to each reader. Google shows the ad automatically when they think that it will perform better. I have done few sample checks of ads shown to different people on my website and found that user experience is not being hampered by the positioning of ads. Also, I observed that my Google Adsense revenue has gone up by 2 times with Google taking control of the positioning of ads on my website.
In case, you want to customize the positioning of ads on your website, you may turn off ‘QuickStart ads’ feature and insert Google ads on your website either through code modification or using WordPress plugins to insert Google ads. Please note that Google no longer provides any AdSense plugin for WordPress. Also please do not use both ‘QuickStart Ads’ as well as a Plugin to insert Google Ads as number of ads on your website may be too many with both showing ads independently. This may hamper the experience of your readers.
Here is what Google highlights as the proposition for adopting ‘QuickStart ads’ –
- Simplicity: you control all the ads with the flick of a switch.
- Automation: AdSense works out which ads to show and where to show them for you
- Convenience: QuickStart works on both desktop and mobile and provides good ad coverage on your pages.
- Compliance: AdSense ensures that all your ad placements are policy-compliant.
How to set up ‘QuickStart ads’ for your WordPress Website
Step 1:
Login to your Google AdSense Account and Click on Page-level Ads inside My ads Tab. It will display you the option to turn on all format of ads – QuickStart ads (Desktop and Mobile), Anchor/overlay ads (Mobile only) and Vignette ads (Mobile only)
Step 2:
Turn on the ‘QuickStart ads’ button to toggle it to blue colour means ‘QuickStart ads’ have been enabled. In case you also want to enable Anchor/overlay ads and Vignette ads for mobile, you may also turn them on.
Step 3:
Post enabling ‘QuickStart ads’, scroll down and click at the button displaying <>Get Code. This will generate the Google AdSense code that you need to place in the header of your WordPress website for Google Ads to be displayed all across your website.
Step 4:
Copy the code that has been generated by Google AdSense and paste it into the Header file of your WordPress Theme. To do the same, go to your WordPress Dashboard => Click on Appearance =>Click on Editor.
Step 5:
Clicking on Editor will lead you to the Theme Files. Search for Theme Header file (header.php). You have to insert the Google Adsense code inside header.php code. Please ensure to select the currently used theme from drop down list on top right.
Step 6:
Within the code of header.php, search for </head> and copy paste Google AdSense code just before it and save code by clicking on Update File.
With this you would be good to go for setting up QuickStart ads for your WordPress website. Google would start displaying ads on your website. After inserting code into your website header file, you can directly control whether you want to show ads by toggling switch in your Google AdSense account. Even for Anchor/overlay ads and Vignette ads, you can directly turn on or off directly from AdSense account without doing any changes to the code.
Here is the snapshot of ads being shown on our website –
With this, we are sure ads would go live on your website. Enjoy blogging and keep earning.
You may refer more at Google AdSense Help Pages here – 1) Set up ads on your site 2) How to use QuickStart