To get revenue by displaying ads on the website or in the application, you need to add ads.txt and app-ads.txt files. Having these files can help you avoid the risk of slipping out of the revenue.
This information can be useful only for those website and mobile application owners that have lots of traffic and plan to get revenue from displaying ads on their website or in the mobile application. If you do not use such advertising tools as Google AdSense, then you do not need to add the files.
ADS (Authorized Digital Sellers) is a standard that allows publishers to indicate which advertising networks are authorized to sell ads on the website. It has been developed to avoid fraud and increase transparency in the area of digital advertising.
Ads.txt
Ads.txt is a text file that contains the list of authorized platforms. It is available at the mysite.com/ads.txt address and open for viewing by anyone.
Each line in the file defines a separate platform and usually includes 4 parameters, 3 first ones are mandatory.
google.com, pub-0000000000000000, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0- google.com is the domain of the platform that is responsible for selling ads;
- pub-0000000000000000 is the publisher ID;
- The third parameter can have 2 values: DIRECT means that the specified publisher ID belongs to the website's owner, RESELLER is to define that the website is managed by the third-party company;
- f08c47fec0942fa0 is the advertising network's identifier that has been given to it by the relevant certifying authority. This is not a mandatory parameter.
Ads.txt can only work if it has been compiled strictly according to this specification.
The working principle
When selling ads, third-party platforms (advertising networks) that can help the advertiser and publisher communicate are often used.
Examples of well-known advertising networks:
However, there exist dishonest platforms that can falsely inform the advertiser that ads will be shown on the website that has good traffic. In fact, this platform is not an authorized provider for this website though. Thanks to this, the dishonest platform will receive more money from the advertiser by showing the ads on another, unpopular domain at a lower price.
To avoid this, the advertiser can view the ads.txt file at any moment so that they can be sure whether the platform that sells the ad space is among official authorized advertising providers for this website. If the seller is not in the list, there is a strong possibility that the ad will be sold using the domain spoofing.
How to get the file in Google AdSense
To get a personalized ads.txt file where your Publisher ID will be specified, sign in your Google AdSense account → Sites → click the name of the website with the Not Found ads.txt file status → click Copy.
If you are using another advertising network, you need to add it to the ads.txt file as well. Contact this network's representatives to get the information you need.
How to add the ads.txt file to the website
Copy the content of the ads.txt file → go to the Site Settings on Tilda → SEO tab → the ads.txt and app-ads.txt files managing section → click the Manage button.
Paste the file content in the Ads.txt field → save the changes → publish all website pages.
The feature for files adding is only available on paid plans.
App-ads.txt
App-ads.txt is a standard that provides better functionality for the ads.txt to support ads display in mobile applications. It is available at the mysite.com/app-ads.txt address and open for viewing by anyone.
For the file to work correctly, your developer website should be connected to the application page in Google Play or App Store.
How to get the file in Google AdMob
Sign in your Google AdMob account → go to the Apps section → open the app-ads.txt tab → click the How to set up app-ads.txt button → in the pop-up that opens, copy the highlighted code.
How to add the app-ads.txt file to the website
Copy the content of the ads.txt file → go to the Site Settings on Tilda → SEO tab → the ads.txt and app-ads.txt files managing section → click the Manage button.
Paste the file content in the App-ads.txt field → save the changes → publish all website pages.
The feature for files adding is only available on paid plans.
