In the middle of Q3 2016, Google lifted its ads per page policy limit. Publishers used to be able to have only 3 ads per page. Now, they can have unlimited AdSense ads on a single page. However, the total number of AdSense ads or third-party ads (such as text, image, rich media, click to download, video, native, and other formats) must not exceed the content. Let’s take a closer look at this policy so that you can determine how many ads you should display for each page of your website.

Old AD Limit Policy Section

On each page AdSense publishers may place:

1. Up to three AdSense for content units
2. Up to three link units
3. Up to two search boxes.

Publishers may not place more than one “large” ad unit per page. We define a “large” ad unit as any unit similar in size to our 300×600 format. For example, this would include our 300×1050 and 970×250 formats, our 750×200 and 580×400 regional formats, and any other custom-sized ad with comparable dimensions.”

New AD Placement Policy

Publishers can now place:

1. More than three AdSense for content ad units on a given page.
2. More than three Link ad units on a single page.
3. More than one large ad unit per page.

Large ad units includes for example 300×600, 300×1050 and 970×250 formats, 750×200 and 580×400 regional formats.

While the limit has been removed, it is essential to maintain the quality of your site and balance between ads and content to achieve a good user experience. Publisher sites should be focused on content rather than ads. Content must be original and should add value. Otherwise, it will violate the Webmaster Quality Guidelines.

The layout of your pages and the length of your article will determine the number of ads to be displayed. Do not put more than 5 ads on pages with short content as this will result in a high bounce rate. Google may also disable ad serving on pages with low-quality content as explicitly mentioned in AdSense Valuable inventory policy.

It’s always a best practice to use a minimum number of ad units on a page and running them on the placements with high viewability. You may consider the following:

– On a desktop device, you can place a maximum of 4-5  ad units such as the header, sidebar top, in-content, a sidebar sticky, and a footer ad unit for a lengthy post like science/education and novel websites.

– For short content like entertainment/image and gaming websites, it is recommended to stick to 3-4 ad units utilizing the header sidebar and bottom placement.

– On a mobile device, you can only run one ad unit above the fold and  1-2 in-content units and an anchor. Always remember that with mobile implementation, you can’t place two or more AdSense ads that may appear on the screen at the same time.

You can check the links below for the best performing ad sizes:

https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/6002621?hl=en

https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/17955?hl=en

Conclusion

Flooding your page with ads will not help increase your ad revenue but most likely results in lower CPMs and CTRs. Advertisers will not invest in placements with poor viewability, either. It’s better to keep your ad inventory valuable and optimize your existing ad placements instead of introducing more ad units. This way, you can discover new best-performing ad formats and maximize your ad revenue through them. This is still the most effective way to increase your ad revenue.

An ad unit is one or more Google ads displayed as a result of one piece of the AdSense ad code. You can create, customize and manage ad units on the Ads page in your AdSense account. Ad units give you control over where ads appear, and our native ad units offer lots of flexibility in terms of customization.

Types of ad unit

AdSense offers several different types of ad unit. If a display ad unit doesn’t meet the requirements of your site, consider using one of our more specialized ad units:

Next steps

• Create a display ad unit
• Create an In-feed ad unit
• Create an In-article ad unit
• Create a Matched content unit
• Create a link ad unit

Recommended AdSense Ad Formats

Currently, you have two options to choose the size for your ads when creating a new ad. One is to choose responsive format and other is to choose fixed size. In order to improve your revenue, Google recommends to use the following fixed format ad sizes in conjunction with appropriate placement.

• 336 x 280 – Large Rectangle
• 300 x 250 – Rectangle
• 728 x 90 – Leaderboard
• 160 x 600 – Wide Skyscraper
• Responsive Ads – Automatically fill any of the available ad unit to fit the available size on your page

These ads blend with the content seamlessly and improve the chance of clicking due to larger size comparative to the smaller size ads. Learn more about AdSense ad code. In addition, the larger size ads will automatically accommodate smaller sizes when the inventory is not available. However, we strongly recommend to use responsive ads to auto resize based on the device and browser’s width. Also try to avoid custom ad sizes, since there may not be any available ad inventory to fit that particular size resulting in lower ad revenue.

New ad units with very larger sizes of 970 x 250 and 300 x 1050 are introduced by Google on June 2014. Due to the size of these ads Google restricted one ad unit per page. In addition, Google also had a restriction of placing maximum of 3 content ad units, 3 link ad units and 2 search boxes in a single page of your site. Now, you have no limits on number of ads. However, Google with their AI technology will automatically restrict the ads when the content on the page is much smaller comparative to number of ads.

Ad units are containers you place in your apps to show ads to users. Ad units send ad requests to AdMob, then display the ads they receive to fill the request. When you create an ad unit, you assign it an ad format and ad type(s).

Ad format describes the way ads will look in your app and where they’ll be located. Ad type describes the kinds of ads an ad unit can show to users.

There are several ad formats to choose from, and each ad format specializes in showing different ad types.

Ad formats

	Banner: A basic ad format that appears at the top & bottom of the device screen.Learn how to create a banner ad unit
	Interstitial: Full-page ads appear at natural breaks & transitions, such as level completion. Supports video content.Learn how to create an interstitial ad unit
	Rewarded: Ads reward users for watching short videos and interacting with playable ads and surveys. Good for monetizing free-to-play users. Supports video content.Learn how to create a rewarded ad unit
	Native: Customizable ad format that matches the look & feel of your app. Ads appear inline with app content. Supports video content.Learn how to create a native ad unit

Ad types

When you select the ad types for an ad unit, you’re selecting the kinds of ads you want to allow it to show users. When the ad unit requests an ad from AdMob, it can only receive an ad that matches one of its assigned ad types.

• Text, image & rich media: Text, image, HTML5 / rich media ads. Could be text only, static images, animated images (.GIF), or rich media (such as interactive ads). Note: Animated images (.GIF) are not supported for native ads.
• Video: Ads with video and audio content. Video ads that appear in banner ad units always start muted. Users can unmute the ad if desired using the mute button provided by Google.
• Interactive: Ads with an interactive element, such as a playable ad or a survey.

The ad types available to an ad unit depend on the ad format you selected when creating it.

Ads are created and paid for by advertisers who want to promote their products or services to app users. Once you create space for ads in your app, AdMob works with advertisers who pay to show ads that are relevant to your users.

The Google ad network

As one of the largest global ad networks, AdMob works with millions of advertisers who compete for ad space in your app, from the largest global brands to the hottest new direct-to-consumer start-ups. That means more demand, more relevant ads for your users, and more revenue for you.

Ad mediation

Cast a wider net by expanding advertiser demand to third-party networks. AdMob does the heavy lifting to make sure you’re showing ads from the highest-paying networks – and earning the highest cost per thousand impressions (CPM).

Hybrid revenue models

Combine your in-app advertising with other revenue sources, such as in-app purchases (IAP), to create a balanced and sustainable source of income.

Ad formats

By delivering the right ads to the right users at the right time, you can continue to give users a great experience while monetizing your app. You can choose from a wide range of formats, including:

• Rewarded: Ads that users can choose to engage with in exchange for in-app rewards, like bonus points or an extra “life” in a game.
• Native: Customized ads that look and feel like a natural part of your app.
• Banner: Rectangular ads that can be anchored to the top or bottom of the screen.
• Interstitial: Static or video ads that can appear at natural breaks or transition points, creating engaging brand experiences without disrupting the app experience.

The AdMob advantage

AdMob helps maximize revenue with more advertiser demand that helps drive high CPMs and fill rates globally. As a proven platform, our goal is not only to empower you to build sustainable revenue streams, but also to make your job easier with simple, yet powerful tools.

Here’s how we help developers grow their business.

Maximize lasting revenue with industry-leading monetization tech:

• Mediation: AdMob’s mediation platform helps developers set up, manage, and optimize multiple mobile ad networks. Working with multiple advertising sources creates competition for your ad inventory, which helps you earn more.
• Open Bidding: By calling all participating ad networks simultaneously, your ad sources can bid for each ad spot in real time, ensuring that you always earn the highest CPM for every impression.

Engage your users: Innovative ad formats like rewarded and native ads help balance user experience with monetization to keep users happy and engaged.

Automate tasks: Use our automated tools to take care of the daily tasks – and free up your time to focus on building the best apps.

Protect your brand: Strong advertising policies, publisher controls, and comprehensive ad reviews help you control the types of ads you display on your app to keep your brand safe.

Get smarter insights: By offering seamless integration with Google Analytics for Firebase, AdMob offers smarter analytics and reporting features so you can better understand how users interact with ads and optimize their lifetime value.

Google AdSense provides a way for publishers to earn money from their online content. AdSense works by matching ads to your site based on your content and visitors. The ads are created and paid for by advertisers who want to promote their products. Since these advertisers pay different prices for different ads, the amount you earn will vary.

AdSense in three steps

1. You make your ad spaces available	2. The highest paying ads appear on your site	3. You get paid
You make your ad spaces available by pasting ad code on your site, and choose where you want the ads to appear.	Advertisers bid to show in your ad spaces in a real-time auction. The highest paying ads show on your site.	We handle the process of billing all advertisers and networks for the ads on your site, to make sure you receive your payments.

Ad format

The way an ad is shown to the users on your site. For example, an ad may be displayed within the content of your page (e.g, text and display ads), displayed over the top of your page (e.g., anchor ads), etc.

Different ad formats can support different ad types, such as text, display, video, etc. Ad formats may also vary in the number of individual ads they display. For example, the banner ad format will display up to two ads horizontally across the page and the skyscraper will display up to four ads vertically.