Brand safety

Allow and block Google-certified ad networks

Ads from certified Google ad networks are allowed to appear on your pages by default. On the Ad networks page, you can set your preferences for blocking ads from existing ad networks, or all future ad networks.

Note: When networks are blocked, they can't buy your inventory, but your inventory is still viewable in their targeting tools. If a buyer attempts to target ads from the blocked network to your inventory, the ads won't run.

What to consider before blocking ad networks

Before you block a Google-certified ad network, you should consider the following:

Ad auctions

The ad auction process and the revenue share are the same for the Google Ads program as they are for Google-certified ad networks. Our system will always show the highest paying ads, whether the ads come from Google Ads or an ad network. If you block an ad network it might have a negative revenue impact because the blocked network won't compete in the auction on your site, and therefore won't drive up potential earnings for your ad space.

Revenue per thousand impressions (RPM)

RPM represents the estimated earnings you'd accrue for every 1000 impressions you receive. We do not recommend that you block ad networks based on RPM. Consider the following example:

Ad network	Impressions	RPM
Network A	10000	$1
Network B	14	$3
Network C	1000	$0.50

Network B has the highest RPM and appears to be outperforming the other networks. However, this metric is based only on 14 impressions and doesn't mean that you should expect the same revenue for the next 1000 or 10000 impressions. The value of impressions varies widely so the RPM for a small number of impressions can be misleading.

Network C has the lowest RPM. However, blocking Network C because it has a low RPM might have a negative impact on revenue. Network C has a lower RPM because it’s winning the auctions of less valuable impressions. Our system will always try to maximize the value of every impression in an auction. If you block Network C then another network with a lower paying bid may win the auction.

How to allow and block ad networks

Sign in to your AdSense account.
Click Brand safety.
Click your product. For example, click Content for AdSense for Content ads.
Click Blocking controls.
Click Manage Ad networks.
If you'd like to automatically allow ads from ad networks that Google may certify in the future, turn on Automatically allow new Google-certified ad networks.
To allow or block a current Google-certified ad network, use the control next to the ad network's name.
Tip: Use the search box to find specific ad networks.

Changes will take effect in about one hour.

Check your knowledge

Review what you've learned. Can you answer the following questions?

Question 1: What can you do with ad blocking?

Allows you to block ads from existing ad networks, or all future ad networks.

Question 2: What is the effect of blocking a network?

When networks are blocked, they can't buy your inventory, but your inventory is still viewable in their targeting tools. If a buyer attempts to target ads from the blocked network to your inventory, the ads won't run.

Question 3: Can blocking a network negatively impact revenue?

Yes. If you block an ad network it might have a negative revenue impact because the blocked network won't compete in the auction on your site, and therefore won't drive up potential earnings for your ad space.

Was this helpful?

How can we improve it?