FAQs

Can I still monetize my platform with Ad Manager or my own standard AdSense ad units?

Yes, you can monetize your platform with your Ad Manager/AdSense account. Implement ads as normal i.e., using the ad code that you can find in your Ad Manager/AdSense account. If you're adding your own ad units to your users’ content, make sure that this is clear as this may affect the overall revenue share between you and your users.

How is AFP different from the AdSense Host API?

In the past, AdSense offered a product called AdSense Host API which enabled 3-way revenue sharing. AFP is similar to the Host API, however with AFP, the AdSense account belongs to the child publisher and the platform doesn't need to undertake any account management tasks. AFP also offers an API-less option.

Can I monetize AMP pages with AFP?

Yes, you can. Note, it's currently not possible to show the breakdown between Web and AMP in AFP reporting, and Auto ads AMP is currently not fully supported.

What blocking controls are available for users on the platform?

This will depend on your choice of which account ad settings will come from.

Ad settings come from child accounts: If you've chosen for ad settings to come from child accounts, ad settings from the platform and user accounts are merged (union) and applied during the ad auction. Most blocking controls are additive, meaning for instance if a category isn't blocked in one account but is blocked in another, the resulting settings merge will have that category listed as blocked. See the example below:

Your users will have access to the full suite of AdSense blocking controls, which will enable them to review and block specific ads, advertiser URLs, ad categories and ad networks. Platforms will have a similar suite of tools with the exception of the AdSense review center, which is only available for user accounts.

Boolean settings under sections such as EU user consent, California Consumer Privacy Act and Ad serving will come from the child account only.

Ad settings come from the parent account:

If you have chosen for ad settings to come from the parent account, we only apply the blocking settings from the parent account. This also applies to the settings under the EU user consent, California Consumer Privacy Act and Ad serving sections.

Do I need to implement ads.txt?

It's not mandatory for you to have an ads.txt file. However, if you choose to implement ads.txt, please review the ads.txt section.

What are the GDPR implications?

For your owned and operated domain, there are no additional GDPR implications, the standard GDPR terms apply to AFP. For details on GDPR, see Tools to help publishers comply with the GDPR which outlines how you and your users can comply with GDPR.

For embedded content on third-party domains, GDPR consent collection becomes the responsibility of the third-party domain. However complications arise since ad serving isn't controlled by a third party. Our current product doesn't fully support this scenario.