Create adverts
The basics
Adverts are of-course the core purpose of AdRotate. Creating adverts is relatively simple. Every advert has a bunch of options available to make the most of your advertising campaign.
In some cases you'll get a ready-to-go advert from your advertiser or ad network. But you can make your own adverts from scratch, too.
AdCode
Almost every advert will have some HTML and CSS and/or Javascript. This represents the actual advertisement.
At its core you'll need some basic HTML knowledge. This is fairly basic and can easily be mastered.
If you're unfamiliar with HTML links and images I strongly recommend you read these 2 manuals and familiarize yourself with the basics.
However, while a very basic level is needed, you can do most things without knowing any code at all. AdRotate Banner Manager and AdRotate Pro have a few working code examples that you can use as well. You'll find these next to the AdCode field in your dashboard.
Both AdRotate Banner Manager and AdRotate Pro have an Advert Generator. This advanced, but easy to use feature, pieces basic HTML adverts together based on your input. Essentially creating the required HTML for you.
Banner Asset
If you use a standardized way of making adverts or simply manage your banner assets locally with the AdRotate Media Manager or WordPress media manager you can use the Banner Asset option to easily select and add images to your adverts.
In the AdCode field you then replace the image url with the %asset% tag and select the asset (usually an image or HTML file) in either the media field or the banner folder menu.
Statistics
To count clicks and impressions for an advert you enable the statistics checkbox. You can use this on most adverts you make yourself but usually not on ads you get from an ad server such as Google AdSense or Media.net.
Adverts like that do not have a detectable link for AdRotate and have their own tracking.
Using AdRotate Pro you can also track statistics via Matomo or Google Analytics. For more information on stats and how you can use them, check out the statistics guides for that.
Advanced Features
Mobile adverts
[- ADROTATE PRO FEATURE -]
You can make ads compatible with Mobile devices and have AdRotate Pro show the appropriate one for different devices. You can select the device type, such as Desktop or phone and the mobile OS.
Read more about how that works in the Mobile Adverts guide.
Advert weight
[- ADROTATE PRO FEATURE -]
To allow adverts more or less exposure you can raise or lower its weight. This influences the selection filter for AdRotate Pro. Advert weight is one part of the selection criteria for AdRotate's randomising process.
Keep in mind that if you set all ads in the group to the same weight it will negate the effect of the feature.
Read more on how advert weight works in the weight system manual.
Geo Targeting
[- ADROTATE PRO FEATURE -]
With Geo Targeting you can target areas in the world with specific ads. Adverts using Geo Targeting must be in a group or the geo feature doesn't work. It's always useful to have at least one advert in the group that does not use geo targeting. Just so people outside the targeted area have something to look at. Perhaps an affiliate banner or generic Adsense advert or something similar.
Geo Targeting can be as accurate as targeting a city but also supports postcodes, states and counties (in some areas).
Find out how to use Geo Targeting in the Geo Targeting page.
Schedules
Every advert needs at least one schedule. This is a pre-defined start and end time between which the ad will show.
In AdRotate Banner Manager every advert has one schedule with limited settings.
In AdRotate Pro you have much more settings at your disposal and every advert can have one or many schedules.
With schedules you can plan ahead and set up your campaigns for the whole year if you like. In each schedule you'll also have several options to allow adverts to only show on certain days of the week, and even on certain hours of each day.
Check out the creating schedules manual for more details.
Advertiser
[- ADROTATE PRO FEATURE -]
If enabled, there is a section where you can assign the advert to an advertiser. If done so, the advertiser can see how the advert is doing in their own dashboard. Or if allowed they can even edit the advert.
Other options include setting a budget (amount of money the advertiser paid) and a CPM and CPI value for the advert to use. When the budget runs out the advert expires.
This is useful for paid campaigns that are not time limited.
Group
The preferred and most efficient way is to put adverts in groups. Groups are then placed on your website and can hold one or many ads.
This way you can easily manage where the advert will show up without having to edit dozens of posts. And of-course so one spot can be shared by multiple adverts.
Adverts can be in multiple groups as well.
