Google to Collapse Unfilled Ad Units for AdSense

Pete Prestipino
by Pete Prestipino 16 Jan, 2023
Google to Collapse Unfilled Ad Units for AdSense
For several months now, AdSense publishers (affiliates) have had the ability to opt in to a program that would enable them to show fewer ads on a particular website. 

The Ad Balance program appealed to website publishers that were willing to sacrifice a few impressions for the chance at higher earnings in the long run. Finding the right balance was bound to be tricky of course but the idea was that reducing the number of ads shown to users would ultimately lead to better overall engagement. The verdict is still out on whether the program is working as intended but publishers that did participate in the program did begin to notice that empty spaces were resulting on their site when an ad unit went unfilled. That negatively impacted the aesthetic obviously (as well as revenue) and left many AdSense publishers quite displeased.

This week, however, Google indicated that it would begin automatically collapsing these unfilled ad units " if it's safe to do so without affecting the look and feel of your site." No information was provided on how Google intends to do that, but it seems to be a step in the right direction for frustrated publisher-affiliates. 

Are you an AdSense publisher that opted in to the program and noticed empty spaces resulting from unfilled ad units? If so, comment below and share your experience. 
Pete Prestipino
Pete Prestipino
Digital marketing executive with proven experience in all aspects of search engine optimization (SEO), performance-based advertising, consumer-generated/social media, email marketing, lead generation, Web design, usability, and analytics. - 20-year Internet marketing veteran, currently serving as the Digital Marketing Campaign Manager at Antenna Group (formerly Chicago Digital). - Former Editor-In-Chief of Website Magazine, and a regular speaker on Web technology digital marketing strategy - Author of several books on digital marketing Including Web 360: The Fundamentals of Web Success; Affiliate 360: The Fundamentals of Performance Marketing; Domains 360: The Fundamentals of Buying & Selling Domain Names, and SEO 360: The Fundamentals of Search Engine Optimization.