{"id":61662,"date":"2022-12-17T18:23:04","date_gmt":"2022-12-17T12:53:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/?p=61662"},"modified":"2026-10-06T19:36:48","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T14:06:48","slug":"adsense-side-rails-ads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2022\/12\/adsense-side-rails-ads\/","title":{"rendered":"AdSense Side Rail Ads: Pros, Cons and How to Turn Them Off"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Have you noticed ads sticking to the empty left and right edges of websites on big screens? Those are <strong>AdSense side rail ads<\/strong>, one of the overlay formats in Google AdSense Auto ads. When we first tested them on QOT in 2022 they were brand new and switched on by default. Here&#8217;s how side rail ads work in 2026, their pros and cons, and how to turn them on, off or show them on just one side.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"outline border primary alignnone wp-image-61665 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/siderail-ads-adsense.png\" alt=\"AdSense side rail ads on a website\" width=\"792\" height=\"329\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/siderail-ads-adsense.png 792w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/siderail-ads-adsense-300x125.png 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/siderail-ads-adsense-150x62.png 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/siderail-ads-adsense-768x319.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 792px) 100vw, 792px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> AdSense side rail ads are sticky ads that sit in the side margins of a page on wide desktop screens. You control them in AdSense under <strong>Ads \u2192 By site \u2192 edit your site \u2192 Auto ads \u2192 Overlay formats \u2192 Side rails<\/strong>, where you can turn them off or choose to show them on both sides, the left only or the right only.<\/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-6af0094e5a08c\" 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-6af0094e5a08c\" 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\/2022\/12\/adsense-side-rails-ads\/#What_are_AdSense_side_rail_ads\" >What are AdSense side rail ads?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2022\/12\/adsense-side-rails-ads\/#Advantages_of_AdSense_side_rail_ads\" >Advantages of AdSense side rail ads<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2022\/12\/adsense-side-rails-ads\/#Disadvantages_of_side_rail_ads\" >Disadvantages of side rail ads<\/a><\/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\/2022\/12\/adsense-side-rails-ads\/#How_to_turn_off_or_adjust_AdSense_side_rail_ads\" >How to turn off or adjust AdSense side rail ads<\/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\/2022\/12\/adsense-side-rails-ads\/#Should_you_use_side_rail_ads\" >Should you use side rail ads?<\/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\/2022\/12\/adsense-side-rails-ads\/#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-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2022\/12\/adsense-side-rails-ads\/#Do_AdSense_side_rail_ads_show_on_mobile\" >Do AdSense side rail ads show on mobile?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2022\/12\/adsense-side-rails-ads\/#Can_I_place_side_rail_ads_manually\" >Can I place side rail ads manually?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2022\/12\/adsense-side-rails-ads\/#Are_AdSense_side_rail_ads_against_the_sticky_ads_policy\" >Are AdSense side rail ads against the sticky ads policy?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_are_AdSense_side_rail_ads\"><\/span>What are AdSense side rail ads?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Side rail ads fill the empty space on either side of your content when a page is viewed on a widescreen device such as a desktop monitor. They stay fixed while the visitor scrolls, so they remain visible through long articles. They&#8217;re part of <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/adsense\/answer\/9305577?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AdSense Auto ads<\/a> only, so you can&#8217;t place them manually as ad units. See our guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2022\/12\/using-adsense-auto-ads\/\">using AdSense Auto ads<\/a> for the full setup.<\/p>\n<p>AdSense Auto ads now has three overlay formats:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Anchor ads:<\/strong> stick to the top or bottom of the screen, mainly on mobile.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Side rails:<\/strong> stick to the left and right edges on wide screens.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Vignette ads:<\/strong> full-screen ads shown between page loads.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Advantages_of_AdSense_side_rail_ads\"><\/span>Advantages of AdSense side rail ads<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Extra income from unused space.<\/strong> Wide monitors often show large empty margins, especially on sites with a narrow content column. Side rails turn that space into ad inventory.<\/li>\n<li><strong>High viewability.<\/strong> Because they&#8217;re sticky, they stay on screen as readers scroll, which can mean more impressions and clicks.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Allowed stickiness.<\/strong> Normally AdSense policies don&#8217;t let you make ads sticky with your own code. Side rails are Google&#8217;s own approved sticky format.<\/li>\n<li><strong>No effect on mobile layout.<\/strong> They only appear when the screen is wide enough, so phone readers don&#8217;t see them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Disadvantages_of_side_rail_ads\"><\/span>Disadvantages of side rail ads<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Ad clutter.<\/strong> Combined with anchor ads, vignettes and in-article ads, two side rails can make a page feel crowded and cause banner blindness.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Design clash.<\/strong> On sites with a wide layout or a sidebar, rails can feel squeezed or distracting.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Uncertain earnings.<\/strong> Their value varies by niche and audience. Check AdSense reports to see what they actually earn.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_turn_off_or_adjust_AdSense_side_rail_ads\"><\/span>How to turn off or adjust AdSense side rail ads<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Sign in to <a href=\"https:\/\/adsense.google.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google AdSense<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Go to <strong>Ads<\/strong>, then <strong>By site<\/strong>, and click the edit (pencil) icon next to your site.<\/li>\n<li>In the Auto ads settings panel, open <strong>Overlay formats<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Switch <strong>Side rails<\/strong> off to remove them, or open the advanced options to show them on both sides, the left only or the right only.<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>Apply to site<\/strong>. Changes can take up to an hour to show.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"border alignnone wp-image-61666 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/disable-side-rail-ads.png\" alt=\"Disable AdSense side rail ads setting\" width=\"295\" height=\"204\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/disable-side-rail-ads.png 295w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/disable-side-rail-ads-150x104.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 295px) 100vw, 295px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Google added the left-only and right-only positioning choices in 2025. In April 2026 it also replaced the old Auto ads &#8220;ad load&#8221; slider with separate controls for the maximum number of in-page ads and the minimum distance between them, which helps keep pages using side rails from feeling overloaded.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Should_you_use_side_rail_ads\"><\/span>Should you use side rail ads?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When we tested them, side rails blended in well on wide screens and added income without hurting mobile readers. Our advice: turn them on, watch your AdSense earnings and your site&#8217;s engagement for a few weeks, and keep them only if they earn enough to justify the extra ads. If you show many other Auto ads, try one side only. If some ad spaces stay blank, see how to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2022\/03\/hide-unfilled-adsense-ad-spaces\/\">hide unfilled AdSense ad spaces<\/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=\"Do_AdSense_side_rail_ads_show_on_mobile\"><\/span>Do AdSense side rail ads show on mobile?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>No. They only appear on widescreen devices with enough empty space beside the content, such as desktop and large laptop screens.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_place_side_rail_ads_manually\"><\/span>Can I place side rail ads manually?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>No. Side rails are only available through AdSense Auto ads. You can, however, turn other Auto ad formats off and keep only the overlay formats you want.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_AdSense_side_rail_ads_against_the_sticky_ads_policy\"><\/span>Are AdSense side rail ads against the sticky ads policy?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>No. They&#8217;re Google&#8217;s own approved format, so they&#8217;re allowed even though you can&#8217;t make regular ad units sticky with your own code.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Have you noticed ads sticking to the empty left and right edges of websites on big screens? Those are AdSense&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":61666,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","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":[43],"tags":[13],"class_list":["post-61662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-money","tag-adsense"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61662","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=61662"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61662\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63294,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61662\/revisions\/63294"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}