How to handle unfilled AdSense ads

There’s nothing quite as maddening as seeing empty ad spaces on your website, especially when you know those spaces could be earning you money. It’s like setting up a shop with a perfect window display—only for the lights to stay off.

AdSense users know this frustration all too well. Sometimes, ads don’t show up even with everything set up correctly. Or, after hitting publish on a new article, there’s an agonizing wait before AdSense catches up and the ads finally appear. In the meantime, precious impressions slip away, and so does potential revenue.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. With Advanced Ads Pro, you can make the most out of these unfilled impressions and keep your revenue stream flowing. The plugin lets you set up fallback ads for exactly those moments when AdSense leaves a gap.

In this short tutorial, you’ll learn how to do just that—so those empty spaces can start working for you.

Why AdSense doesn’t fill ads with content

It is disappointing to see empty ad spaces where revenue should be generated. But why does this happen? AdSense can leave those spaces blank for several reasons, some more infuriating than others.

Overly specific content

If your website caters to a niche audience, there might not be enough advertisers bidding on the relevant keywords. It’s like throwing a party that’s too exclusive—nobody shows up. When this happens, AdSense has nothing to show, and those ad spaces go to waste. 

You might notice this issue in your AdSense reports due to a low coverage rate or by comparing page views to ad impressions using Google Analytics. If your content is too specific for AdSense, consider alternative monetization methods, like affiliate marketing.

Freshly published content and time delays

Ah, the painful wait. You hit publish, but empty ad spaces surround your shiny new post. This happens because AdSense takes its sweet time analyzing fresh content before showing relevant ads. Eventually, the spaces will fill—but you’re losing potential revenue in the meantime.

Account approval issues

Sometimes, the reason is as simple as account approval. If Google hasn’t fully approved your AdSense account, or if you’ve accidentally violated one of Google’s countless policies, ads won’t show up.

Crawling problems

For ads to display, Google needs to crawl your pages. If it can’t, or if the pages haven’t been crawled yet, those spaces will stay stubbornly blank. Such crawling issues can happen due to technical issues like robots.txt settings or other crawling restrictions on your site.

Knowing why AdSense leaves your ad spaces empty is half the battle. The other half is finding clever ways to fill them.

How to set up a fallback for unfilled AdSense ads

One effective way to make the most of your ad spaces is to set up fallback ads for when AdSense leaves them empty. 

Here’s how to do it with Advanced Ads:

1. Go to Advanced Ads > Settings > AdSense
2. Scroll down and enable the “Fallback ad/group” option
3. Choose your desired fallback item, an ad unit, or an ad group
4. Save the settings

Once set up, Advanced Ads will check whether the AdSense ad is filled each time a page loads. If the ad space is empty, the plugin will automatically embed the selected fallback.

Keep in mind that this feature only works for manually placed AdSense ads. If you’re using Google Auto Ads, they won’t trigger the fallback.

Tips for utilizing AdSense fallbacks

To get the most out of AdSense backfill ads, consider the following tips.

Use ad groups for variety

If you’re running multiple AdSense ads on a page, select an ad group with several different ads as your fallback. This strategy keeps your content fresh and avoids banner blindness, where users start to ignore repetitive ads. By rotating various fallback ads, you increase the chances of catching your audience’s attention.

Leverage Display and Visitor Conditions

To boost the performance of your fallback ads, target them more precisely. Use Advanced Ads’ Display and Visitor Conditions to show specific fallbacks based on user attributes like device type, location, or language. This tailored approach makes your ads more relevant and engaging.

Explore alternative revenue sources

Fallbacks don’t have to be limited to display ads. You can maximize revenue by including affiliate marketing links or ads from other networks. Promote relevant products or services, such as Amazon items, Booking.com accommodations, or other affiliate offers, to capitalize on your traffic even when AdSense doesn’t fill the space.

Conclusion on fallback ads for AdSense

AdSense fallback ads offer a straightforward yet powerful way to minimize revenue loss and unlock new income streams. Filling otherwise empty ad spaces maximizes your website’s earning potential without needing complex or time-consuming optimizations. This approach lets you make the most of every ad impression, ensuring no valuable real estate goes to waste.

This feature’s effectiveness lies in its simplicity. With just a few clicks, you can set up backfills that keep your site’s ad experience dynamic and engaging. Such AdSense fallbacks are an easy win for publishers looking to boost their earnings without overhauling their ad strategy.

Whether you use additional display ads, affiliate marketing offers, or other creative alternatives, fallback ads allow you to experiment and find what works best for your audience. Ultimately, it’s all about maximizing revenue opportunities while maintaining a positive user experience. And with Advanced Ads, implementing this strategy has never been more convenient.