Disadvantages of Using AdSense Auto Ads
Some time in February this year (2018), Google introduced the auto ads feature to AdSense. We don’t need to mention here that AdSense remains one of the best website monetization programs that can be found out there. The question that you may be asking yourself is; “Should I Use AdSense Auto Ads,” or should I stick to the traditional way of creating AdSense ads for my website or blog? And what are the Disadvantages of Using AdSense Auto Ads?
What are AdSense Auto Ads?
To understand what AdSense Auto Ads are, we first need to understand how ads are traditional created on AdSense. The normal way of creating an ad on AdSense involves you logging into your account and clicking on the “My Ads,” tab. From there, you click on “Ads Units” and then “New ad unit.”
We won’t go into the details of creating an AdSense ad in this article. All we can say is the system is simple enough. Once you have created your ad, you copy the provided code and paste it where you wish your ad to appear on your website or blog.
Enter AdSense Auto Ads
The beauty ofAdSense auto ads is that instead of going to all the trouble of creating your own ads and putting them on your website, this entire process gets automated.
What this means is that you no longer have to worry about the placement of your ads or infringing on one of the many AdSense commandments. With AdSense Auto Ads, the only thing that you will have to worry about going forward is creating content for your site.
Disadvantages of Using AdSense Auto Ads
So, what are the disadvantages of using AdSense Auto Ads? Isn’t the program a Godsend for bloggers and website owners around the globe? Well, the answer to these questions come from our own experience using AdSense Auto Ads. Here, in any case, are some of the disadvantages of using AdSense Auto Ads;
- No control over Ad Placement
Anyone who has ever used AdSense understands that placement is really important when it comes to generating revenue. So important is placement that you will find a number of heat maps out there showing you the best places for your ads. Now, one of the major disadvantages of AdSense Auto Ads is that automating the ad creation process leaves you with virtually no say with regard to where you wish to have your ads placed.
One of the things that we found out when we began using Auto Ads was that most of the automatic ads on our site were being placed right at the end of our articles. The question is, how many readers ever scroll down to the footer of a website? We did notice that a few ads are now being placed in the middle of our articles, but that can never be the same as you choosing a strategic place where you are going to have your ads displayed for maximum visibility. (Bearing in mind, of course, that you need to keep content above the fold).
- A drop in revenue
This is an issue that has been reported by some AdSense users around the globe. A major disadvantage of using AdSense Auto Ads is that revenue tends to initially fall. That’s perhaps as a result of the fact that we have just discussed above; that with Auto Ads, ads tend to be placed where visitors to your website will never see them.
It may also be a matter of optimization taken too far. Google states that with Auto Ads, ads only appear where the AI thinks they are most appropriate and where it believes they are going to perform well. What this means in practical terms is that the element of chance is removed from the entire process. The truth is, people are not robots, and many actually click on ads even when their interest has not been flagged by Google’s bots.
- Duplicate ads when using auto ads alongside manually placed ads
If, as we suggest you do below, you have been using AdSense auto ads alongside manually placed ads on your site, then one of the things that you may notice is that you sometimes get duplicate ads. Lets say that you have placed a Google ad in your header.
When you open your pages, you may notice that you will have one ad in your header, and another just below that. In most instances, the two ads are similar. This, of course, is really no big deal. I suppose it can be annoying from the point of view of the reader. Let’s face it; ads already annoy some readers enough without having one appear twice on one page.
Using Auto Ads Alongside Manually Placed Ads
The good news is that you can use AdSense Auto Ads on your site alongside traditionally placed ads that you create yourself. This is what we have been doing ourselves on our sites. Don’t worry about ending up with too many ads on your blog.
Google has long since removed limits on the number of ads that appear on a web page. Auto Ads is also intelligent enough to detect when there are already other manually placed ads on your site. It will then behave according, by reducing the number of ads that it places on the page.