Google AdSense now features an Ad blocking recovery system, giving publishers a number of options when dealing with readers using ad blockers. This new feature is super simple and fast to implement, so let’s take a look.
What is Ad blocking recovery?
Google’s latest tool for AdSense, Ad blocking recovery (ABR) allows publishers to use a native adblock detector without the need to turn to a third-party service to do so. The Ad blocking recovery tool gives publishers control over how the users that have adblock enable are dealt with.
At the moment the tool gives publisher a number of options listed below:
- Display a message that can be dismissed and lets the user continue using the website.
- Display a non-dismissible message that requires the user to enable ads if they want to use the website.
- Gives the user additional options on what ads can be displayed and those that can’t via third-party systems. (This option requires coding to get it working correctly.)
Google also has a neat feature, that when enabled, the allow ads button with automatically add the website to the adblocker’s allowlist and refresh the page to display ads. (This only seems to work with the AdBlock and AdBlock Plus extensions at the moment.)
How to enable ABR
Enabling Ad blocking recovery in Google AdSense is a quick and easy six step process taking about 10 minutes. It can take longer, if you decide to implement user ad options and if you want to style the recovery message to perfection.
Total Time: 10 minutes
Go to the AdSense Privacy & messaging page
Open the AdSense website on your computer and select Privacy & messaging from the side menu. This screen also allows you to enable GDPR, CCPA, and LGPD consent for users that fall under these settings.
Add the Ad block recovery code to your website
Click on the Ad blocking recovery card and once on the page go to the Tagging tab. Copy and paste the code displayed and add it to your website.
(Google Tag Manager doesn’t work with the code at the moment due to an issue with const being used in the code.)
Ad block recovery display settings
Go to the Settings tab. Here you can decide two things, if you want the allow ads button to automatically add your website to the allowlist of the adblocker being used by the user. (We recommend this is enabled.)
The other option is weather to display the message to users using adblockers with the Acceptable Ads Standard enabled. (We recommend hiding the message for these users.)
Create your Ad block recovery message
Go to the Messages tab and hit Create message. Add a site for the message to display on (only one site per message) and add a logo, custom choice URL, and footer URL. (All of these are optional. Once done hit Confirm at the bottom of the page.
Next select a default language and any additional languages your users might use. Then hit continue.
Control your message
Now, you’ll be taken to a page where you can style your message and control how it works. On the Set up tab you can select the site you’re working on, add languages, choose the placement of the add (We recommend Centered modal (non-dismissible)), and user choices.
(User choices requires extra code to give users additional control over which ads they choose to see, instead of blocking all or enabling all.)
Style your message
Now that the settings are in place, now comes the styling. To change the wording of the message you click on the text and change it. The font, colours, padding and more can be adjusted on the side Styled panel.
If you don’t want to display a logo, this can be turned off under the Header section. (We have removed the logo from our message as the logo upload tool currently fails every time.)
