AdSanity - Rotating Ad Widget

The third ad only exists for whoever is still on the page

You have three advertisers and a single slot in the sidebar. You put them in a group, turn on rotation and assume each visit is worth three. But a rotation shares out time, and the reader is the one supplying it: if they leave the page before an ad's turn comes, that ad was never shown.

With rotating ads, your inventory depends on how long people stay on the page. Rotating Ad Widget adds timed, on-page rotation of an ad group to AdSanity. The plugin does not decide how long a visit lasts, but it does let you choose the pace: if the group rotates every 30 seconds, the third ad takes a minute to appear. Before you sell that position, compare that time with how long your visitors usually stay on the page.

Four ways to place a group

All of them start from a group already created in AdSanity. The add-on does not create ads or groups: it rotates them.

• Widget: appears in the widget list with four settings: title, group, time between ads and alignment.
• Shortcode builder: used in the text editor to place a group while you write. It asks for group, time and alignment, and each placement has its own.
• Gutenberg block: for anyone working in the block editor.
• Template tag: places it from the theme template with adsanity_show_rotating_ads().

The function accepts more options than the widget, which helps when the ad is part of the theme design:

• random: ads in random or date-based order.
• group_id: the group identifier.
• align: alignleft, aligncenter, alignright or alignnone.
• time: seconds each ad is shown before rotating. The default value is 30.
• max_width: a maximum width, which helps keep the ad responsive.
• return: returns the output instead of echoing it.

More views, counted only once

Each rotated ad is recorded as an impression the first time it appears on a page load. A group of three produces three views, one per ad, when the cycle completes. So a single page visit can add views for several advertisers.

This count has two practical consequences:

• If the cycle starts again during the same load, each ad already has its view and the repeat does not add another.
• If the reader leaves before an ad appears, that ad does not add its view either.

It is worth letting your advertisers know this rule, because it is what gives their numbers meaning.

Built for your own ads, not for networks

Rotation is meant for internal ads. A settings page can open it up to external ads as well, but changing how advertising is displayed can break the terms of some networks, and some of them can suspend your account. Read your network agreement before ticking that option.

Current AdSanity and a group with several ads

You need the latest version of AdSanity, the main plugin, which must be installed. With that ready, these are the steps:

1. Install and activate the add-on like any WordPress plugin.
2. Check that you have a group with at least two ads.
3. Choose where to place it: widget, shortcode, block or template tag.
4. Select the group, the time between ads and the alignment.
5. Open the page, let a full cycle pass and check that each ad appears and adds its view.

How often an ad appears and who sees it

Rotation decides when the ad changes. Other AdSanity add-ons answer different questions:

• Weighted Ads determines how often an ad appears relative to the others in its group.
• Impressions expires an ad after a specific number of views.
• User Role Ad Visibility hides ads based on the visitor's role.

If you plan to use one alongside rotation, test it on your site first with a real group.

How each rotation is set and counted

Can I set different times in two places?

Yes. Each placement carries its own group, time and alignment.

Can one page generate more than one view per ad?

On a single page load, each ad is counted once, the first time it appears.

Does it work with external ad networks?

It has to be enabled with a checkbox in the add-on settings. Rotation is meant for internal ads, and changing how advertising is displayed can break the terms of some networks.

Can I limit the ad width?

Yes, with the max_width parameter of the template tag.