Understanding the common AdSense problem ‘No slot size for availableWidth=0’ and how to solve it

Are you puzzled by empty spaces where your Google AdSense ads are supposed to be? An everyday issue plaguing publishers like you is that the network cannot recognize the space available for a responsive ad. 

This results in the ‘No slot size for availableWidth=0’ error warning.

In this article, we will explore this error in depth, understand why it occurs, who it impacts, and offer a fix utilizing Advanced Ads. The aim is to provide clear, straightforward solutions that you can easily implement.

Understanding your problem through the browser’s error console

When examining your browser’s error console, you may come across an error message similar to the following:

Which in full has details like this:

Uncaught TagError: adsbygoogle.push() error: No slot size for availableWidth=0 - https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1234567890: 124

The subsequent sections will help you understand and resolve this issue.

The root cause of “No Slot Size for AvailableWidth=0”

We can break down the “No slot size for availableWidth=0” problem into two main explanations: general and technical. Let’s begin with a general overview.

The general side of the “No slot size for availableWidth=0″ error

The majority of Google AdSense’s ad formats are responsive by design. Responsiveness means they don’t have a fixed width and height; instead, they adjust according to the space available on your website.

Since your site is likely visited by a range of devices—from large desktop monitors to smaller mobile devices—responsive ads ensure that the ad isn’t too large or too small for any screen size. AdSense determines this ‘available width’ by examining the element where you’ve placed the AdSense code—be it in your post content, sidebar, or a custom position—and determines its maximum stretch before it hits its parent element’s borders.

Here’s where the issues often arise:

• First, AdSense could fail to define the width if the element is hidden, rendering it widthless.
• Second, an element that defines its width only by its content without a fixed size could also lead to this error, as the width remains at 0.

Let’s delve into the more technical facets of this problem and provide potential solutions for developers before offering some non-technical approaches to resolving the “No slot size for availableWidth=0” error.

The technical side of the “No slot size for availableWidth=0” error

A container that hosts the AdSense codes (or its ancestors) with the display: none; CSS rule could cause the availableWidth=0 error. This method was conventionally employed to conceal ads from mobile devices, but it’s essential to be aware that such a practice is staunchly prohibited by AdSense. Consequently, the misuse of this rule might risk the integrity and stability of your AdSense account.

To remedy this, identify the element with the display: none; rule, understand why it’s used, and fix it accordingly.

Fortunately, Advanced Ads provides a more practical and rule-compliant alternative for this scenario. We explicitly designed the Device and Browser width conditions to display or hide AdSense ads on specific devices, serving as a safer, more effective, and far more comfortable solution.

Another cause triggering this issue could be a parent container with float: left; or float: right;. This scenario often happens when a publisher wants to place an AdSense ad within the text, so part of the text and the ad appear side by side. Though Advanced Ads strives to prevent such setups, they’re still possible. I will provide more details below to address this situation.

Steps to address the “No Slot Size for AvailableWidth=0” error

Step 1: Identify the ad

The first step towards fixing the “No slot size for availableWidth=0” error is identifying the affected ad. This problem typically affects any invisible responsive ad that leaves no visible space.

Advanced Ads simplifies this process, especially if you’re logged into your site and have enabled the WordPress toolbar. It flags an empty responsive AdSense ad under “Ad Health” and leads you to the ad edit page when clicked.

Step 2: Set the Position option to default

Responsive ads may not appear if the Position option places the ad next to another element, like a text block. 

Remove the position option

A common reason for responsive ads not showing up is using the Position option to place the ad next to another element, like a text block.

Advanced Ads prevents users from facing this issue by ignoring the Position option for responsive AdSense ads. However, it’s advisable to remove this option for certainty.

There is also a Position option on the placement level. Go to Advanced Ads > Placements, identify the placement that delivers your ad, and click “show all options.” Now set the Position option to “default.”

If “No slot size for availableWidth=0” was caused by Advanced Ads, then the issue should be resolved. The following steps can help you if the cause lies in another script.

Step 3: Change the ad position

Try shifting the ad to another position. Advanced Ads provides numerous ad placements that don’t require any code changes. You can find them here at a glance.

Step 4: Try fixed-sized ads

While most AdSense ads are responsive, technical limitations or specific positions sometimes necessitate fixed-sized banners. A fixed-size ad is the right solution if you need to place a particular AdSense ad in an unspecified width position, such as next to floating text.

You could even set up the same AdSense ad to use fixed sizes depending on the available width. This gives them a responsive touch without conflicting with floating containers.

What to do when all AdSense ads stay empty

If all your AdSense ads stay empty, the problem could lie outside the settings on your website. Visit our ‘Ads not showing up’ page for general and AdSense-specific solutions to this problem, or contact our support.