Yakubu Binuyaminu
In the world of digital advertising, ensuring proper management of your ads.txt file is critical. This file plays an essential role in authorizing networks to serve ads on your site, and when something goes wrong—such as when Google AdSense displays an “Unauthorized” status—your revenue can take a hit. The issue often stems from using third-party monetization services like Ezoic and setting up your site via Cloudflare. Ezoic, while an excellent platform for optimizing site speed and ad revenue, sometimes overrides your ads.txt file, causing Google AdSense’s direct Publisher ID to be removed. This can result in Google not recognizing your site as authorized to display ads, leading to the dreaded “Unauthorized” status.
Also See: 5 Practical Step-by-Step Guide to Earning $100 Per Day from Google AdSense
This article will walk you through how to fix this issue, explain the underlying mechanics of the ads.txt system, and offer additional tips to avoid this problem in the future.
What is Ads.txt, and Why Does It Matter?
What is Ads.txt?
Ads.txt (Authorized Digital Sellers) is an initiative introduced by the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) to combat domain spoofing and unauthorized inventory sales in the digital advertising ecosystem. This file acts as a public declaration by the website publisher about which companies are authorized to sell their digital ad inventory.
When an ad exchange receives a bid request for an ad, it checks the site’s ads.txt file to ensure that the seller is authorized. If the seller isn’t listed, the exchange will not allow the transaction, thus preventing unauthorized parties from selling fake or spoofed inventory.
For a site using Google AdSense, having your publisher ID listed in the ads.txt file is crucial. Google crawls the ads.txt file to verify that your site is authorized to display ads. If it doesn’t find the correct information, you’ll see an “Unauthorized” status in your AdSense dashboard, which can block ads from being served.
How Third-Party Services Like Ezoic Affect Ads.txt
Ezoic’s Role in Ads.txt
Ezoic is a platform that helps publishers optimize their site’s ad revenue through machine learning. While it provides many benefits, such as improving page speed and ad revenue optimization, it can inadvertently cause issues with your ads.txt file. Ezoic redirects the ads.txt file to include its own ad networks, which might override the entries you’ve created, including your Google AdSense Publisher ID.
This often happens when Ezoic is integrated via Cloudflare or other DNS-level connections. Because Ezoic manages its own version of the ads.txt file to ensure its partners are listed, your Google AdSense details can be removed, triggering an “Unauthorized” status in your AdSense dashboard.
Why Does the “Unauthorized” Ads.txt Status Occur?
When using Ezoic’s ad management service, your ads.txt file is often redirected to their server. While this ensures that Ezoic’s ad partners are listed in your ads.txt file, it can also remove or override existing entries—specifically, your Google AdSense Publisher ID. If Google can’t find its necessary details in the ads.txt file, it will flag your account as unauthorized, preventing ads from being served on your website.
Steps to Fix the Google AdSense “Unauthorized” Status
If you’re seeing the “Unauthorized” error in your AdSense account after integrating Ezoic, don’t worry—there’s a straightforward solution. Here’s a detailed guide to restoring your Google AdSense authorization.
1. Access the Ezoic Publisher Dashboard
First, log in to your Ezoic dashboard. From here, you’ll be able to make changes to the ads.txt file that controls what ad networks are authorized to sell ad space on your website.
2. Navigate to the “Ad Transparency” Tab
In the Ezoic dashboard, locate the “Ad Transparency” tab under the “EzoicAds” section. This is where Ezoic allows you to manage the entries in your ads.txt file.
3. Open the Ads.txt Management Window
Click the green button labeled “Ads.txt Status.” This will open a modal window where you can view and manage the existing entries in your ads.txt file. You’ll be able to see whether your Google AdSense Publisher ID is listed here or if it has been removed during Ezoic’s setup process.
4. Add a New Ad Network Entry
In the ads.txt management modal, click the “Manage Entries” button. You should now see an option to “Add a New Network.” This is where you’ll manually input the required details for Google AdSense:
- Domain: Enter
google.com(this is the domain for Google’s ad network). - Ad Network Account ID: This is your Google AdSense Publisher ID, which you can find by logging into your Google AdSense account.
- Account Type: Choose “DIRECT” if you are directly managing your AdSense account.
- Certification Authority ID: Enter
f08c47fec0942fa0. This is Google’s official certification authority ID and should be the same for all AdSense publishers.
5. Save the Changes
Once you’ve filled in the required fields, click “Save.” This will update the ads.txt file with your Google AdSense Publisher ID, ensuring that Google recognizes your site as authorized to display ads.
How Long Does it Take for the Changes to Take Effect?
After making these changes, it may take up to 2 – 48 hours for Google to re-crawl your site and update the status in your AdSense dashboard. Be patient during this time, and avoid making further changes to the ads.txt file unless necessary.
How to Verify the Changes
To ensure the changes have been applied correctly, you can manually check your ads.txt file by visiting yourdomain.com/ads.txt in a web browser. You should see an entry similar to the following:
google.com, YOUR_PUBLISHER_ID, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0If this entry appears, your Google AdSense account should soon regain authorized status.
Additional Troubleshooting Tips
1. Ensure Ezoic’s Ads.txt File Includes Your Networks
Ezoic automatically manages the ads.txt file for its integrated networks, but if you are using other ad partners like Google AdSense, you must ensure they are included manually. Failing to do so will result in the “Unauthorized” error.
2. Check for Updates
If you’ve followed the steps above but the changes aren’t reflecting, give it 48 hours, as Google needs time to re-crawl your ads.txt file. If the issue persists, double-check that the entries were saved correctly and that you didn’t miss any fields.
3. Clear Cache
Sometimes changes made to the ads.txt file can be delayed due to cached versions of your site. Clearing your site’s cache or using a tool like Google Search Console to force a re-crawl can help speed up the process.
Best Practices for Managing Ads.txt with Third-Party Services
To avoid running into similar issues in the future, follow these best practices:
1. Regularly Review Your Ads.txt File
Whenever you integrate a third-party service like Ezoic or change your ad networks, make it a habit to review your ads.txt file to ensure all necessary ad partners, including Google AdSense, are listed.
2. Use Ezoic’s Ads.txt Manager Feature
Ezoic provides an Ads.txt Manager feature that makes it easy to view, edit, and validate your ads.txt entries. This tool is particularly useful if you’re working with multiple ad networks and want to avoid manual updates.
3. Monitor Google AdSense Status
Keep an eye on your AdSense dashboard to quickly identify any “Unauthorized” status warnings. Catching these issues early can prevent significant revenue loss due to ad serving interruptions.
Conclusion
Fixing the Google AdSense “Unauthorized” status caused by Ezoic’s ads.txt redirect is a relatively simple process, but it’s important to understand why it happens in the first place. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can ensure your ads.txt file is properly configured, restoring your AdSense authorization and preventing future issues. Regularly monitoring your ads.txt file and using Ezoic’s built-in tools will keep your site in good standing, allowing you to maximize your ad revenue without interruptions.
If this article helped you resolve your issue, or if you need further assistance, feel free to leave a comment below. Sharing your experience can help other publishers facing the same problem!
