Layouts Overview

Control which ad slots load on which pages of your site.

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What is a layout?

A layout is a collection of ad slots that load together on specific pages.

Example:

• Layout name — Article Pages
• Scope → Page Paths
  • Starts with: /article/
  • Starts with: /blog/
  • Starts with: /news/
• Ad Slots
  • article_header
  • article_sidebar_top
  • article_sidebar_bottom
  • article_incontent_1
  • article_incontent_2

When a user visits a URL matching the layout's scope, the listed slots load.

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Why use layouts?

Without layouts	With layouts
Same ads everywhere	Tailored ads per page type
Can't control slot loading	Precise control
Hard to test variations	Easy A/B testing
Complex code changes	UI-based management

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Layout components

Component	Description	Example
Name	Your identifier	Article Pages
Scope — Page Paths	Typed page-path rules (Exact, Starts with, Contains, Ends with, Regex)	Starts with: /article/
Scope — Audience	Optional browser / device narrowing	blank = all browsers and devices
Ad Slots	Which slots load	header, sidebar, incontent
Targeting (tab)	Optional layout-level key-values passed into GAM	section = sports

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How layouts work

When a page loads, the wrapper selects every layout whose Page Paths match the URL and whose Audience includes the visitor. There's no priority and no single "winning" layout — all matching layouts contribute: their ad slots are combined, and their Targeting key-values are merged.

Two practical consequences:

• If two layouts both match a URL, the page loads both layouts' slots. Scope your layouts so they don't overlap unintentionally — or overlap them deliberately when you want slots to stack.
• A catch-all Regex: .* layout matches every page, so its slots load site-wide on top of any more specific layout. Only ship one if you genuinely want those slots everywhere.

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Common tasks

Task	Link
View all layouts	Viewing layouts →
Create a layout	Creating a layout →
Add slots to layout	Adding slots →
Configure targeting	Layout targeting →

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Layout examples

News/Media site

Layout	Page-path rules	Slots
Homepage	Exact: /	header, sidebar, below_fold
Article	Starts with: /article/, Starts with: /story/	header, sidebar, incontent × 3
Category	Starts with: /category/	header, sidebar
Video	Starts with: /video/	header, sidebar (fewer slots)
Default	Regex: .*	header (fallback)

E-commerce site

Layout	Page-path rules	Slots
Homepage	Exact: /	billboard, sidebar
Category	Starts with: /category/	header, sidebar
Product	Starts with: /product/	sidebar_only (minimal)
Blog	Starts with: /blog/	header, incontent

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Best practices

Do

• Name layouts clearly (Article Pages not Layout 1)
• Keep scopes disjoint so each page matches the layouts you intend
• Check every matching layout when a page shows unexpected or duplicate slots

Don't

• Overlap scopes by accident — matches stack, they don't compete
• Ship a Regex: .* layout unless you want its slots on every page
• Forget to include slots in layouts
• Leave pages unmatched (no ads will load)

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Getting started

Create your first layout →