Welcome to our step-by-step guide on how to manually create placeholders for Ad Tester. While we recommend using Ezoic's Chrome Extension for a quicker and easier setup, this guide provides the necessary instructions for manual configuration. You'll learn what placeholders are, how they function to optimize ad combinations, and the detailed steps required to create and implement them on your site. Whether you're looking to enhance user experience or maximize your revenue, this guide will equip you with the essential knowledge to get started with Ezoic Ad Tester.

1. From your Ezoic dashboard, navigate to Ezoic Ads > Ad Positions > Placeholders tab.

2. Click the dropdown menu to select the type of placeholder you wish to add.

3. Select the 'New Placeholder' button to create your new placeholder.

4. Select the 'position type' for the placeholder and give it a name. This lets the system know where the ad is located relative to the page. The twelve position types are:

• Sidebar
• Sidebar MiddleSidebar Bottom
• Top of Page
• Under Page Title
• Under First Paragraph
• Under Second Paragraph
• Mid Content
• Bottom of Page

We recommend creating at least one placeholder of each position type.

5. Enable the devices the placeholder will appear on.

6. Enable possible sizes for the placeholder for each device. The Ezoic-recommended sizes will already be enabled. It's important to include as many sizes that fit in that location as possible.

7. For more settings options, click the green 'Advanced' button. The 'Ad Styles' tab allows you to customize margins, floating alignment, padding, and other features.

8. The 'Size Criteria' tab provides the device and size options. You can select the 'Always Compete' option if you want to ensure that size ad is an option should that placeholder be chosen by our system.

9. The 'Advanced' tab allows you to designate specific pages for the placeholder to appear on or allow the Ad Tester to automatically reproduce it across similar pages on your site.

10. When you've created the placeholder, click the button indicated below in your placeholder list.

11. Copy and paste the ad code into the location you want the ad to display on your site.

12. Repeat! Now that you've created one placeholder, you can repeat the process until you have a variety of different placeholder position types. Bear in mind that whilst the number of placeholders you create is important, achieving a good spread of placeholders across your site is equally as important. You don't want to create 20 ad placeholders in your sidebar! Even if you did, Ezoic Ad Tester would only show a single ad in that location. 

You might encounter several issues while creating placeholders with the Ad Tester app. Here are some common problems and their solutions:

1. Placeholders Not Showing Up on the Site:
   • Solution: Ensure that you have copied and pasted the ad code into the correct location on your site. Verify that the code snippet is not being blocked by any ad blockers or conflicting scripts.
2. Ads Overlapping Content:
   • Solution: Use the Chrome Extension to preview the placeholders on your site. Adjust the ad sizes and positions to ensure they do not overlap with your content.
3. Placeholders Not Appearing on All Devices:
   • Solution: Double-check the device settings for each placeholder. Make sure the appropriate devices (Desktop, Mobile, Tablet) are enabled for each placeholder.
4. Ad Sizes Not Displaying Correctly:
   • Solution: Ensure you have selected the recommended ad sizes for each device. If you need a specific size, make sure to enable it by clicking the checkbox next to the desired size under the device category. Make sure to save any changes.
5. Exceeding the Permitted Number of Ads:
   • Solution: Ezoic's system will automatically ensure that you do not exceed the permitted number of ads in accordance with Google Policy. However, if you notice too many ads, review the number of placeholders you've created and adjust them accordingly.
6. Placeholder Positioning Issues:
   • Solution: Verify that you have selected the correct position type for each placeholder (e.g., Sidebar, Top of Page, Mid Content, etc.). Proper naming and accurate positioning help the system understand where to place the ads relative to your page content.

For further assistance, you can reach out to Ezoic support at support.ezoic.com.