After publishing how I modify Google Adsense responsive ad code to display 320x250 ad banner above fold (visible part of the screen without scrolling down the page) on mobile webpages, I've received some emails from some bloggers, asking me if such modification no longer violates Adsense policy.
Well, it no longer does. Google no longer disallows 300x250 ad unit from being placed above the fold on mobile web pages. This was announced in a blog post earlier this month even before announcing that google ads will now be disabled on pages instead of entire websites.
Below in an excerpt from the blog post:
"We recognize the frustration around limitations we’ve placed on this sized unit on mobile webpages, and starting May 2, 2017 we will no longer disallow this ad unit from being placed above the fold on mobile web pages. After careful review, we've determined that when 300x250 ads are implemented above the fold in a user-friendly way, the ads do not annoy, distract, or result in ad performance issues.
With the removal of this restriction, you still must be vigilant to ensure that their mobile site layouts do not cause ads to push the page content below the fold in such a way that may lead to accidental clicks. To ensure a good user experience, we still recommend the site content should be clear and accessible above the fold."
With this update, you can now place 300x250 ad unit above fold but ensure the placement won't cause accidental clicks.
The old warning reads:
Publishers should ensure that their mobile site layouts do not cause ads to push the page content below the fold. For this reason, we don’t allow 300×250 ad units (or larger) above the fold on mobile as this layout requires the user to scroll down to view site content. To ensure a good user experience, the site content should be clear and accessible above the fold. We would therefore encourage publishers to implement smaller ad units for above the fold placements on mobile site.
What's your take on this?
Jide