Ad Placements

Overview

The Ad Placements module controls where advertisements appear across your application. Create placements to display specific ads on different page types and sections. Each placement links an ad to a specific location, with priority settings to control which ad displays when multiple placements target the same position.

Accessing Ad Placements

Navigation path: Dashboard > Advertising > Placements

Required permission: manage_ads

Key Features

• Precise Positioning: Control exactly where ads appear on your site
• Page Type Targeting: Different ads for different page types
• Section-Based Placement: Target specific sections within pages
• Priority System: Control which ad displays when multiple placements exist
• Grouped Display: View placements organized by page type and section
• Quick Filtering: Find placements by page type, section, ad, or status
• Statistics Dashboard: Overview of total placements, active placements, page types, and sections

Main Interface

Statistics Cards

The dashboard displays four key metrics:

• Total Placements: Total number of ad placements configured
• Active Placements: Number of currently active placements
• Page Types: Number of different page types with placements
• Sections: Number of different sections with placements

Grouped View

Placements are organized hierarchically:

1. Page Type Level: Groups placements by page type (e.g., Homepage, Blog, Product)
2. Section Level: Within each page type, placements are grouped by section (e.g., Header, Sidebar, Footer)
3. Placement Details: Individual placements show ad name, type, priority, and status

Search and Filters

Available Filters:

• Page Type: Filter by specific page type
• Section: Filter by specific section
• Ad: Filter by specific advertisement
• Status: Filter by Active or Inactive

Page Types

Common page types where ads can be placed:

• Homepage: Main landing page
• Blog: Blog listing and post pages
• Product: Product pages
• Category: Category listing pages
• Search: Search results pages
• About: About and informational pages
• Contact: Contact page
• Custom: Custom page types

Sections

Common sections within pages where ads can appear:

• Header: Top of the page
• Sidebar: Left or right sidebar
• Content-Top: Above main content
• Content-Middle: Within main content
• Content-Bottom: Below main content
• Footer: Bottom of the page
• Between-Posts: Between blog posts or listings
• Popup: Popup or overlay ads

Common Tasks

Creating a New Placement

1. Navigate to Dashboard > Advertising > Placements
2. Click Create New Placement button
3. Select the Ad you want to display from the dropdown
4. Choose the Page Type where the ad should appear
5. Select the Section within the page
6. Set the Priority (higher numbers display first)
7. Check Active to enable the placement immediately
8. Click Create Placement
9. The ad will now display in the specified location

Editing a Placement

1. Go to Dashboard > Advertising > Placements
2. Find the placement you want to edit
3. Click the Edit icon (pencil) in the Actions column
4. Modify the placement settings:
   • Change the ad
   • Update page type or section
   • Adjust priority
   • Toggle active status
5. Click Update Placement to save changes
6. Changes take effect immediately

Deleting a Placement

1. Navigate to Dashboard > Advertising > Placements
2. Find the placement you want to remove
3. Click the Delete icon (trash can) in the Actions column
4. Confirm deletion in the popup dialog
5. The placement is permanently removed
6. The ad will no longer display in that location

Managing Multiple Placements for One Ad

1. Go to Dashboard > Advertising > Placements
2. Click Create New Placement for each location
3. Select the same ad for each placement
4. Choose different page types or sections
5. Set appropriate priorities for each placement
6. The same ad will now appear in multiple locations

Setting Up Priority-Based Display

When multiple placements target the same position:

1. Navigate to Dashboard > Advertising > Placements
2. Create multiple placements for the same page type and section
3. Assign different ads to each placement
4. Set Priority values (e.g., 100, 50, 0)
5. The highest priority active placement will display
6. If the highest priority ad is unavailable, the next priority displays

Filtering Placements

1. Go to Dashboard > Advertising > Placements
2. Use the filter dropdowns:
   • Page Type: Select specific page type
   • Section: Select specific section
   • Ad: Select specific advertisement
   • Status: Choose Active or Inactive
3. Click Apply Filters
4. View filtered results
5. Click Clear to reset filters

Viewing Placements by Page Type

1. Navigate to Dashboard > Advertising > Placements
2. Placements are automatically grouped by page type
3. Each page type shows:
   • Page type name
   • Number of sections
   • All placements within that page type
4. Expand/collapse sections to view details

Placement Configuration Fields

Ad Selection

• Type: Dropdown Select
• Required: Yes
• Description: Choose which ad to display in this placement
• Options: All active ads (both AdSense and Custom)
• Note: Shows ad name and type (AdSense/Custom)

Page Type

• Type: Dropdown Select
• Required: Yes
• Description: The type of page where the ad should appear
• Common Options:
  • Homepage
  • Blog
  • Product
  • Category
  • Search
  • About
  • Contact
  • Custom

Section

• Type: Dropdown Select
• Required: Yes
• Description: The specific section within the page
• Common Options:
  • Header
  • Sidebar
  • Content-Top
  • Content-Middle
  • Content-Bottom
  • Footer
  • Between-Posts
  • Popup

Priority

• Type: Number Input
• Default: 0
• Range: 0-100
• Description: Display priority when multiple placements compete
• Note: Higher numbers display first

Active Status

• Type: Toggle (Checkbox)
• Default: Checked
• Description: Enable or disable this placement
• Impact: Inactive placements won't display ads

Placement Rules

Priority System

When multiple placements target the same position:

1. Highest Priority Wins: The placement with the highest priority number displays
2. Active Status Required: Only active placements are considered
3. Ad Must Be Active: The ad itself must also be active
4. Fallback Chain: If highest priority fails, next priority attempts to display
5. No Display: If no valid placements exist, no ad displays

Example Priority Setup:

• Priority 100: Premium sponsor ad
• Priority 50: Standard AdSense unit
• Priority 0: Fallback custom ad

Display Logic

For an ad to display through a placement:

1. ✅ Advertising system must be enabled (global setting)
2. ✅ Placement must be active
3. ✅ Ad must be active
4. ✅ Ad type (AdSense/Custom) must be enabled in settings
5. ✅ User must meet targeting criteria (logged in/out)
6. ✅ Page type and section must match current page

Permissions

The following permission is required to access and manage placements:

• manage_ads: Full access to create, edit, delete, and manage all ad placements

Users without this permission will see an "Access Denied" message.

Tips and Best Practices

Strategic Placement

• Place ads in high-visibility areas without disrupting user experience
• Header and sidebar placements typically perform well
• Content-middle placements can be effective but use sparingly
• Test different positions to find optimal locations

Priority Management

• Use priority 100 for premium or sponsored ads
• Use priority 50 for standard revenue-generating ads
• Use priority 0 for fallback or house ads
• Leave gaps between priorities for future additions

Page Type Strategy

• Homepage: Use high-quality ads, avoid overwhelming users
• Blog: Between-posts placements work well for engagement
• Product: Sidebar ads complement product browsing
• Search: Content-top placements catch attention

Section Selection

• Header: High visibility but can be intrusive
• Sidebar: Good for persistent visibility
• Content-Top: Catches attention before content
• Content-Middle: High engagement but can disrupt reading
• Content-Bottom: Less intrusive, good for related content
• Footer: Low visibility but doesn't disrupt experience

Performance Optimization

• Don't place too many ads on a single page
• Use lazy loading for below-the-fold placements
• Monitor page load times and adjust accordingly
• Balance revenue with user experience

Testing and Optimization

• Create multiple placements with different priorities
• Test different ad types in the same position
• Monitor performance metrics for each placement
• Adjust priorities based on performance data
• A/B test different positions and formats

Troubleshooting

Placement Not Displaying Ad

Problem: Placement is created but ad doesn't show

Solutions:

1. Verify the placement is set to Active
2. Check that the selected ad is Active
3. Ensure advertising system is enabled in settings
4. Confirm the ad type (AdSense/Custom) is enabled
5. Verify you're viewing the correct page type
6. Check that the section exists in your theme
7. Clear application cache
8. Check browser console for JavaScript errors

Wrong Ad Displaying

Problem: Different ad shows than expected

Solutions:

1. Check placement Priority settings
2. Verify higher priority placements aren't active
3. Ensure the expected ad is active
4. Check that ad content is valid (images load, HTML renders)
5. Review placement page type and section settings
6. Clear browser cache and test again

Multiple Ads Showing in Same Position

Problem: More than one ad displays in the same location

Solutions:

1. Review placements for the page type and section
2. Check that only one placement should be active
3. Verify priority settings are configured correctly
4. Ensure theme template is correctly implemented
5. Check for duplicate placement entries
6. Clear application cache

Ad Not Showing on Specific Page

Problem: Ad displays on some pages but not others

Solutions:

1. Verify the page type matches the placement configuration
2. Check that the section exists on that specific page
3. Ensure the page template includes the ad section
4. Review any page-specific ad exclusions
5. Check user targeting settings (logged in/out)
6. Test on different browsers and devices

Priority Not Working as Expected

Problem: Lower priority ads display instead of higher priority

Solutions:

1. Verify priority numbers (higher = first)
2. Check that higher priority placements are active
3. Ensure higher priority ads are active and valid
4. Review ad content for errors (broken images, invalid HTML)
5. Check AdSense configuration for AdSense ads
6. Clear cache and test again

Related Modules

• Ads Management: Create and manage the ads used in placements
• Advertising Settings: Configure global advertising system settings
• Adblock Logs: Monitor ad-blocking software usage