When you first get approved for AdSense, you face a big decision.
Do you copy one piece of code and let Google's AI decide where to put the ads? Or do you take the time to create individual ad units and place them yourself?
It sounds like a simple choice. Google says Auto Ads will earn you more money because their system is smarter than you. However, many professional bloggers insist that manual placement is the only way to achieve a high Click-Through Rate (CTR).
So, who is right? I tested both strategies, and here is the truth about which one actually fills your bank account.
The Case for Auto Ads: The "Lazy" Way
Auto Ads are undeniably powerful. You simply flip a switch on your dashboard, and Google scans your page to identify "opportunities."
The Good:
- It saves time: You don't need to mess with plugins or HTML code.
- Exclusive formats: This is the biggest selling point. Auto Ads provide access to Anchor Ads (the sticky ads at the bottom of the phone screen) and Vignette Ads (the full-screen ads that appear between page loads). These two formats are massive earners.
- Dynamic learning: If Google notices that users click more on ads at the bottom of your specific site, it will automatically move them there.
The Bad:
- They can be ugly: Google's bot doesn't care about your beautiful design. It might place a huge banner right in the middle of your navigation menu or break a paragraph in an unusual spot.
- Ad blindness: Sometimes it places ads in "standard" spots that regular users have learned to ignore.
The Case for Manual Units: The "Control Freak" Way
Manual units are when you go into AdSense, create a "Display Unit," and paste that specific code exactly where you want it.
The Good:
- Better User Experience: You ensure ads don't cover important text or buttons.
- Strategic Placement: You know your content better than a bot. You know that users pause after reading your "Conclusion" header. Placing an ad there manually often gets a much higher CTR than where a bot would put it.
- Speed: Loading one or two specific ad units is often lighter on your server than the Auto Ads script, which scans your entire page.
The Bad:
- Hard work: You have to manage placements for every page type.
- Missed opportunities: You might not realize that a specific sidebar spot is a goldmine because you never thought to test it.
The Winner: The Hybrid Strategy
You don't have to choose one or the other. The highest-earning sites use a mix of both.
Here is the setup that consistently beats using just one method:
- Turn ON Auto Ads, but limit them. Go to your AdSense settings for Auto Ads. Turn OFF "In-page ads."
- Keep "Anchor" and "Vignette" ads ON. These formats are gold mines for mobile traffic and are very hard to replicate manually. Let Google handle these.
- Use Manual Units for the content. Place one manual unit above your article title, one in the middle of the content, and one at the end.
Why this works
This gives you the best of both worlds. You get the high-paying mobile pop-up ads from Google's AI, but you protect your article layout by manually placing the in-content banners.
Your site stays clean, your user experience remains high, and your earnings increase because you're targeting users with ads precisely when they are ready to view them.
Don't just trust the "Auto" button. Take control of your main content area, and let the bot handle the rest.