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Supplement Ad Revenue with AdSense Backfill

Updated

Setting Up AdSense Backfill

Follow these steps to set up AdSense backfill for your site.

❗Important Note ❗

  • AdSense reporting will not appear in the Freestar dashboard.
  • AdSense payments will be made directly by Google AdSense—not Freestar.

Step 1: Verify AdSense Policy Compliance

Before proceeding, confirm that Google has approved your site and that there are no violations.

Confirm URL Approval

  1. Log in to your AdSense account.
  2. Go to Sites and find your site.
    • The Approval Status must say "Ready".
    • If the site is not submitted, rejected, or under review, do not proceed.
  3. Refer to Google’s guide on site approval.

Check for Bans or Violations

  1. Go to the Policy Center in AdSense.
  2. If your site or account has a ban or a violation restricting ad serving, do not proceed.
  3. Learn more about resolving violations here.

(Optional) Apply an AdSense Blocklist

If you want to block certain ads:

  1. Navigate to Blocking controls > Brand Safety in AdSense.
  2. Follow Google's blocking instructions.

Step 2: Set Up Ad Units for Backfill

Create AdSense ad units for each ad size you run on your site.

  1. Sign in to AdSense.
  2. Click Ads > By ad unit > Display ads.
  3. Name each ad unit uniquely, following this format:
    1. site-name_fs_300x250
    2. site-name_fs_728x90
    3. site-name_fs_320x50
  4. Under Ad size, select Fixed size.
  5. Click Save, then Get code, copy the tag, and click Done.
  6. Send the ad unit tags in an email reply or attachment to trafficking@freestar.com and copy your Freestar Point of Contact.

Step 3: Configure ads.txt

Ensure your Google AdSense ID is included in your ads.txt file.

  • If using dynamic ads.txt, add the ID in the Freestar Dashboard under Site Configuration.
  • Without this, AdSense will not serve ads.

Example ads.txt entry:

google.com, pub-0000000000000000, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0

📌 Note: The pub-0000000000000000 will be unique to each publisher, but the rest remains the same.

Step 4: Set Up Reporting for Backfill

Create a Custom Report in AdSense

  1. Log in to AdSense and navigate to Reports.
  2. Click Add a new report.
  3. Select the Last 30 Days (unless instructed otherwise).
  4. (Optional) Add filters if needed (e.g., filtering performance by site).
  5. Click Save Report and name it:
    Site Name - FS Backfill Report
    (Example: If the site is example.com, name it "Example - FS Backfill Report")

Schedule Automated Report Delivery

  1. Click the three dots next to the save button.
  2. Select Schedule.
  3. Set the following:
  • Run report automatically: Enabled
  • Run frequency: Daily
  • Date range: Last 30 days (or as requested)
  1. In the Share with field, add:
  1. Click Save Changes.

Editing or Deleting a Scheduled Report

  • To modify or remove a scheduled report, go to Saved Reports in AdSense and select the report.

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