{"id":17568,"date":"2011-02-24T21:43:22","date_gmt":"2011-02-24T16:13:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/?p=17568"},"modified":"2026-10-13T13:39:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T08:09:18","slug":"best-adsense-placement-blogs-forums","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/02\/best-adsense-placement-blogs-forums\/","title":{"rendered":"Best AdSense Placement for Blogs and Forums (2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>What is the best AdSense placement for blogs and forums in 2026? In 2011 the AdSense team shared recommended layouts based on tests across millions of sites, with 728&#215;90 leaderboards, 160&#215;600 skyscrapers and link units. Today most visits come from phones, link units are gone and responsive ads fit any screen, so the best placements have shifted. Here&#8217;s what works now, plus Google&#8217;s original 2011 recommendations for comparison.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-17575\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/adsense-forum-homepage.png\" alt=\"Best AdSense placement for blogs and forums\" width=\"240\" height=\"320\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/adsense-forum-homepage.png 240w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/adsense-forum-homepage-225x300.png 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> The best AdSense placement for blogs is a responsive in-article ad after the first or second paragraph, another mid-way through long posts, and a sticky 300&#215;600 or 300&#215;250 ad in the desktop sidebar. On forums, place a responsive ad after the first post in a thread and between topic lists. Add anchor ads on mobile with Auto ads, and test every change with AdSense experiments.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af34130236b6\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af34130236b6\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/02\/best-adsense-placement-blogs-forums\/#Best_AdSense_placement_for_blogs\" >Best AdSense placement for blogs<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/02\/best-adsense-placement-blogs-forums\/#Article_pages_where_most_earnings_come_from\" >Article pages (where most earnings come from)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/02\/best-adsense-placement-blogs-forums\/#Homepage_and_archives\" >Homepage and archives<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/02\/best-adsense-placement-blogs-forums\/#Best_AdSense_placement_for_forums\" >Best AdSense placement for forums<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/02\/best-adsense-placement-blogs-forums\/#Use_Auto_ads_with_manual_placements\" >Use Auto ads with manual placements<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/02\/best-adsense-placement-blogs-forums\/#Placement_rules_that_protect_your_site\" >Placement rules that protect your site<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/02\/best-adsense-placement-blogs-forums\/#Googles_2011_AdSense_placement_recommendations\" >Google&#8217;s 2011 AdSense placement recommendations<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/02\/best-adsense-placement-blogs-forums\/#Frequently_asked_questions\" >Frequently asked questions<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/02\/best-adsense-placement-blogs-forums\/#Where_do_AdSense_ads_get_the_most_clicks\" >Where do AdSense ads get the most clicks?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/02\/best-adsense-placement-blogs-forums\/#How_many_AdSense_ads_can_I_put_on_a_page\" >How many AdSense ads can I put on a page?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/02\/best-adsense-placement-blogs-forums\/#Are_AdSense_link_units_still_available\" >Are AdSense link units still available?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/02\/best-adsense-placement-blogs-forums\/#Should_I_use_Auto_ads_or_manual_ads\" >Should I use Auto ads or manual ads?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Best_AdSense_placement_for_blogs\"><\/span>Best AdSense placement for blogs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Article_pages_where_most_earnings_come_from\"><\/span>Article pages (where most earnings come from)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>After the first or second paragraph:<\/strong> readers have started engaging, so an in-article or responsive display ad here earns well without blocking the opening. We explain the code in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/12\/add-adsense-ads-middle-blog-posts\/\">how to insert AdSense ads inside post content<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mid-content on long posts:<\/strong> one more ad every 600 to 800 words keeps ads in view as people scroll.<\/li>\n<li><strong>End of the article:<\/strong> a responsive or multiplex unit before comments or related posts catches readers who finished the post.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Desktop sidebar:<\/strong> a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/04\/300x600-large-skyscraper-adsense-ads\/\">300&#215;600 large skyscraper<\/a> that sticks as you scroll has high viewability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Homepage_and_archives\"><\/span>Homepage and archives<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Place a responsive ad after the first two or three post summaries and another further down the list; see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2014\/07\/insert-adsense-ads-between-wordpress-posts\/\">how to insert ads between posts<\/a>. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/04\/new-970x90-super-large-leaderboard-adsense-units\/\">970&#215;90 large leaderboard<\/a> under the header can work on desktop, but keep the top of mobile pages clean.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Best_AdSense_placement_for_forums\"><\/span>Best AdSense placement for forums<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Thread pages:<\/strong> after the first post, and again after every 5 to 10 replies on long threads.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Forum index and category pages:<\/strong> between topic lists rather than above them.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mobile:<\/strong> rely on responsive units and anchor ads; sidebars usually disappear on phones.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Always check that user content follows AdSense policies, because ads on threads with prohibited content can be restricted.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Use_Auto_ads_with_manual_placements\"><\/span>Use Auto ads with manual placements<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2022\/12\/using-adsense-auto-ads\/\">AdSense Auto ads<\/a> can add anchor and vignette ads on mobile and fill gaps you missed. Many publishers combine a few manual units in their best spots with Auto ads set to a lower ad load. Then run <strong>AdSense experiments<\/strong> (Optimization &gt; Experiments) to compare layouts on real traffic.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Placement_rules_that_protect_your_site\"><\/span>Placement rules that protect your site<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Don&#8217;t overload the first screen:<\/strong> Google&#8217;s page layout signals and the Better Ads Standards penalise pages where ads push content below the fold.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reserve space for ads<\/strong> with a minimum height, so content doesn&#8217;t jump (Cumulative Layout Shift).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Keep ads away from buttons and menus<\/strong> to avoid accidental clicks, which AdSense treats as invalid.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Don&#8217;t label ads misleadingly<\/strong> or place images right next to them to draw clicks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Googles_2011_AdSense_placement_recommendations\"><\/span>Google&#8217;s 2011 AdSense placement recommendations<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In 2011, AdSense recommended 728&#215;90, 160&#215;600 and 300&#215;250 units on blog homepages, 160&#215;600 and 336&#215;280 units on article pages, and a 728&#215;90 leaderboard plus link units on forum pages:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/adsense-blog-article1.png\" alt=\"AdSense placement on blog article pages 2011\" width=\"240\" height=\"320\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/adsense-forum-postpage.png\" alt=\"AdSense placement on forum post pages 2011\" width=\"240\" height=\"320\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The principle still holds: put ads where readers are already looking, near the content. What changed is the format (responsive instead of fixed sizes) and the screen (phones first). More advice from Google&#8217;s own team is in our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2014\/01\/adsense-optimization-specialist-advice\/\">takeaways from an AdSense optimization expert<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Frequently_asked_questions\"><\/span>Frequently asked questions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Where_do_AdSense_ads_get_the_most_clicks\"><\/span>Where do AdSense ads get the most clicks?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Usually inside the content, just after the introduction, and in sticky sidebar units on desktop.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_many_AdSense_ads_can_I_put_on_a_page\"><\/span>How many AdSense ads can I put on a page?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>There&#8217;s no fixed limit, but ads must not outweigh your content. Most blogs earn best with 3 to 5 well-placed units on long posts.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_AdSense_link_units_still_available\"><\/span>Are AdSense link units still available?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>No. Google retired link units in 2021; use responsive display or in-article ads instead.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Should_I_use_Auto_ads_or_manual_ads\"><\/span>Should I use Auto ads or manual ads?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Both work. Manual ads give you control over the best spots, and Auto ads fill extra formats like anchors on mobile.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is the best AdSense placement for blogs and forums in 2026? In 2011 the AdSense team shared recommended layouts&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":17575,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,43],"tags":[13,49],"class_list":["post-17568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogging","category-money","tag-adsense","tag-tutorials"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17568","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17568"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17568\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65377,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17568\/revisions\/65377"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17568"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}