A Quarterly Ad Placement Review I Can Do in an Hour

I block one hour every quarter to review where ads sit on my site. I don’t change networks or redesign pages in that hour. I just look at slot inventory, compare revenue per pageview, and remove units that don’t earn their space.

First, I list every ad slot by page template: top banner, in-article unit, sidebar, footer, mobile anchor. For each, I write the slot name, page type, device, and whether it’s direct or programmatic. I check the provider’s current reporting, because definitions and thresholds change. My rule is simple: if a slot earns less than the page average and hurts reading, it’s a candidate to cut.

Then I calculate revenue per pageview for the last 30 days, not per impression. I take total revenue for a page template and divide by its pageviews. Say a recipe template makes $600 on 20,000 pageviews, or $0.03 per pageview. A lower page might make $0.04. That comparison tells me more than raw RPM because it includes traffic mix and layout.

When I’m unsure whether a unit is crowding a page, I check a small publisher ad guide for a sanity check on slot density and viewability. I don’t treat it as a rulebook; I use it to ask better questions about my own numbers.

I remove weak units carefully. I don’t strip all ads from a page. I start with one underperformer, leave it off for two weeks, and watch revenue per pageview and bounce. If revenue holds within a small margin, the unit stays gone. If not, I can restore it. I also check mobile separately; a unit that works on desktop may be noisy on phones.

Seasonal notes go in the same sheet. I record Q4 dates, known traffic spikes, and any campaigns that need a slot. I note when a unit should be paused, not just deleted. After changes, I document date, page, slot, reason, and result. Next quarter I read that note before touching anything. That record saves me from repeating a bad test.

— Daniel Hayes