Above the Fold Ads: How to Place AdSense Ads in 2026
Ads that people see without scrolling usually earn more, which is why bloggers have always talked about above the fold ads. “Above the fold” is the part of the page visible as soon as it loads, before any scrolling. Back in 2010 the advice was to put an image ad there and use AdSense placement targeting to attract brand advertisers. A lot has changed since then, so here is how above-the-fold ad placement works in 2026, what still helps and what can now hurt you.
Quick answer: Keep one well-placed ad unit above the fold (for example under the post title or in the header area), make sure your content still starts on the first screen, and reserve space for the ad so the page doesn’t jump. Advertisers can no longer target your AdSense custom channels, so placement targeting won’t attract brand advertisers any more; good viewability does. Too many ads at the top can hurt your search rankings and break Google’s ad policies.
Table of Contents
Brand advertisers vs direct-response advertisers
There are still two broad kinds of advertisers bidding for your ad space:
- Direct-response advertisers want clicks and conversions. They usually pay per click (CPC).
- Brand advertisers want to be seen. They often buy on impressions (CPM) or viewable impressions (vCPM) and prefer display and rich media ads in prominent positions.
In 2010, publishers could make an ad unit visible to brand advertisers through AdSense placement targeting. Today almost all of this buying happens automatically through Google’s ad auction, where advertisers bid on audiences, topics and predicted viewability rather than picking your site’s ad slots by hand.
What changed since 2010
- Placement targeting is gone. Google’s AdSense Help on custom channels now says advertisers can’t target custom channels; channels are only for your own reporting. The old “Show this channel to advertisers as an ad placement” checkbox no longer exists.
- Viewability matters. Ads that are actually seen win more brand bids. An ad above the fold on a page people read is naturally more viewable.
- Auto ads can place ads for you. Many sites now let AdSense Auto ads choose positions, with manual units only where they matter most.
- Google watches top-heavy pages. Google’s page layout signals and the Better Ads Standards discourage pages where ads push the content below the fold.
- Layout shift counts. An ad that loads late and pushes the text down hurts your Cumulative Layout Shift score in Core Web Vitals.
How to place above the fold ads in 2026
1. Use one strong unit, not three
One responsive unit under the post title or below the first paragraph usually beats several units stacked at the top. On mobile, the first screen is small; make sure the headline and the start of the article are still visible.
2. Reserve space for the ad
Give the ad container a minimum height so the text doesn’t jump when the ad loads. This keeps your layout stable and readers happy.
3. Use responsive ad units
Responsive AdSense ads resize to the screen and let both text and display ads compete, so brand display ads get a chance to win the slot.
4. Allow display ads
Brand advertisers mostly use display and rich media formats. If you’ve restricted ad types in the past, check your settings so these ads can compete for the above-the-fold slot.
5. Keep pages fast
Load the AdSense code asynchronously and keep the rest of the page light. Slow pages lose readers before the ad is even viewed.
6. Don’t hide ads, but don’t crowd the content
The original advice still holds: ads tucked away in the footer earn little. Just balance it: readers came for the content, and a page that opens with only ads will lose them, and their pageviews, quickly.
What to avoid
- Placing ads so they look like navigation or download buttons (against AdSense policies).
- Covering content with large fixed ads on mobile.
- Asking visitors to click ads, or labelling them in misleading ways.
FAQ
Do above the fold ads earn more?
Usually yes, because they are seen by more visitors and score better on viewability. Test with your own reports, since the best spot depends on your layout.
Can I still use AdSense placement targeting?
No. Advertisers can no longer target custom channels. Use channels to track how each ad position performs.
How many ads can I put above the fold?
There’s no fixed number, but your main content must be easy to find on the first screen. One ad unit is a safe choice.
Originally written by guest author Amit Banerjee, who writes about blogging, WordPress and technology at Ampercent.com. Updated for 2026 by QuickOnlineTips.
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Agree with the persuasive vantage point outlined in How To Attract Adsense Brand Advertisers by Ads Above the Fold. I was considering all these commentaries and observed that most of them are really entirely for the hyperlinks. I guessed about hopping over your blog because of it but determined instead to just joinead to just join An article a day keeps the remarks arriving.
And I thought I know all about Adsense..Thanks for this post! Learned interesting things :)
@ Amit
Do these type of ads generate more revenue than CPC . Do we get a special notification or bid when any advertiser wants to show his ads on my site ?
Revenue depends upon content and thetypes of Ads served but generally, CPC turns out to be more. But Users ignore ads in sidebars so you can use that position for a CPM unit. I don’t think that you will get any notification but you can see the difference from the custom channel reports.
Nice post Amit . Useful guidelines for both old and new bloggers using Adsense . Though i have never tried targeted ads , but i use ad locations to see which ads and ad placements works best. It is different for different site . Highly varies from site to site , even from a site having same theme but different contents . Largely depends on the target user . Bloggers are less like likely to click on ads then an everyday user . So practically one methodology doesn’t work everywhere .
thanks for the post
Thanks Sourish for the comment. What I wanted to focus is that Advertisers, especially the Brand Advertisers who target Image ads are always looking for sites who put their ads above the fold. This is because CPM works on impressions and thuscounts the same when you place them in any area of the blog.
Now If I am a Brand Advertiser, I will obviously prefer those sites where my ad is shown above the fold..because then more people will see my ads. The point is “Seeing”.