Create or configure an ad unit

This article describes the steps involved in creating and configuring ad units in Google Ad Manager.

On this page:

• Sizes
• Target window
• Advanced settings

Follow these steps to create or configure ad units—the spaces on your website or app where you want to show ads.

1.  Sign in to Google Ad Manager.
2. Navigate to Inventory, then Ad units.
3. Choose whether to:
   • Create a new ad unit: Click New ad unit and select the parent ad unit in the ad unit settings.
   • Edit an existing ad unit: Click the name of one of the ad units in the table and then click Settings.
   Note: You can alternately click + Add child ad unit from any existing parent ad unit in the table to automatically set the parent in the ad unit settings.
4. Enter a Code to identify the ad unit in the associated ad tag. The code name is case-sensitive and can't be changed later. If you don't enter a code name, it defaults to the "Name" set in the ad unit.
5. Enter a Name and optional Description for the ad unit. It’s helpful to include information about the ad unit's location in the name.

Sizes

6. Set Sizes.

   You can add multiple sizes to be associated with an ad unit. Adding sizes helps traffickers filter by size when adding ad units to targeting in a line item. Sizes specified don't affect ad serving.

   • Select Fixed size to define a list of sizes for creatives you expect this ad unit to serve. Include the Out-of-page size for creatives that don’t fit in a traditional banner space or browser window (for example, pop-ups, floating line items, and interstitials). Include the Fluid size if the ad unit is to be used for native ads.
   • Select Smart Banner if the ad unit is for a mobile app and you want the ad unit to have a fixed height but fill the width of the screen.
   Want to add a new size to your network?

   Create a new ad unit and add the new size, or add the new size to the list of sizes assigned to an existing ad unit. As long as a size is defined in at least one ad unit or line item, it can be used elsewhere in your network.

7. (Applicable to video and audio only) Next to Video or audio (VAST) sizes, enter the default "Master" video and "Companion sizes". Choose Audio as the "Master" size for ad units that will serve audio ads. You can have both audio and video sizes on the same ad unit.

Target window

8. (Not applicable to Ad Exchange tags) Define a Target window, which sets the target attribute of the ad's click-through link to tell the browser where to open the ad's landing page.

   • _top: The landing page will load in the full body of the window, breaking out of any framesets.
   • _blank: The landing page will open in a new, unnamed window.
   Note: This selection follows the default target window set in the network-level inventory settings. If the ad unit is in a mobile app, the target window is ignored. For Android and iOS apps, ads load in a new, unnamed browser window.

Advanced settings

9. Special ad unit: Requires traffickers to explicitly target the ad unit for line items to serve.
   Only available in Google Ad Manager 360.
10. Reward: Enter the details of the reward the user receives for watching a video ad.
11. Nielsen site URL: Allows you to associate this ad unit to one of the custom Nielsen site URLs configured for your network. Any ad requests for this ad unit will be associated with that URL. Contact your account manager to configure a site URL.

12. TV app name: Allows you to associate this ad unit with one of the TV applications claimed for this network. This association is used to identify ad requests from TV inventory, which includes video inventory streamed on connected TV devices, smart TVs, gaming consoles and set-top boxes.

    To associate the ad unit, select This is TV inventory and select the app from the list. If you don't see the correct app, make sure you've claimed the app.

    This mapping automatically applies to all child ad units, with the exception of special ad units. You should only apply the association to the highest ad unit mapped to a CTV app.

13. Placements: Select the checkbox next to one or more placement names to associate with your new ad unit.
14. AdSense: Select the checkbox to give AdSense buyers access to the ad unit's inventory.

15. Frequency caps

    • Set label frequency caps (renamed from "Ad unit frequency caps"): Limit the number of impressions displayed to users for creatives that share the defined labels.

    • Set format frequency caps: Limit the number of creatives that serve in this ad unit within a given time period. These are useful when you want to set limits across a format (like rewarded ads), and those formats are organized by ad unit.

      All creatives in an ad unit are frequency capped, so please use carefully to avoid inadvertently blocking ads.

16. Refresh rate: For mobile app inventory, set a Refresh rate to determine how often a new ad impression is generated. Google Ad Manager auto-populates a value of 60, which you can change to any value between 30 and 120 seconds.
17. Labels: Add labels to the ad unit so that creative wrappers can be applied when creatives are served to the ad unit.
18. Teams: If your network uses Teams, associate this ad unit to restrict access.
19. Click Save.