A Simple Ad Ops Change Log for Placement Updates

I started keeping a change log for ad placements after a week where revenue dropped and nobody could say what had changed. It turned out a single ad unit had been moved above the fold on mobile during a template update. We spent two days hunting for that. Now I write it down, every time, and the difference in how fast we resolve issues is the main reason I keep doing it.

The log itself is plain. One file per site, kept in the same repo as our templates so it travels with the code. Each entry gets a date, my initials, and the ad unit label exactly as it appears in the network’s dashboard. I don’t paraphrase labels. If it’s home_top_300x250, that’s what goes in the log, even if it’s ugly.

My template file is a short Markdown table, honestly closer to a list:

• Date and who made the change
• Ad unit label, copied not typed from memory
• What changed: position, size, lazy-load setting, refresh timing
• Screenshot filename, taken before and after
• Which report I’ll check to confirm the effect

The screenshot step sounds fussy, and I resisted it for a while. But a screenshot settles arguments. When someone asks why a placement looks different, I can open two images and see it in seconds instead of rebuilding a page from an old commit.

For report comparison, I write down the exact metric and window I plan to look at before the change goes live. Say we move a unit lower on the page and I expect viewability to shift. I note the report name, the date range, and what I’d consider a real move rather than noise. That note goes in the log the same day, not after I’ve seen the numbers. It keeps me honest, because I can’t quietly move the goalposts later.

I keep entries short. Two or three lines is enough for most changes.

If you’re building your own process, the placement log notes I’ve collected cover a few formats that work for small teams. Check your ad provider’s current reporting terms too, since the metrics and retention windows differ by network and change over time.

The habit took maybe five minutes a week to build and has saved me far more than that.

— Daniel Hayes