The ads.txt (Authorized Digital Sellers) file is a simple text file hosted on your server that identifies who is authorized to sell your website's ad inventory. By implementing this file, you protect your site from "domain spoofing" and ensure that advertisers only buy through verified channels. This guide provides step-by-step instructions for configuring your ads.txt file using Ezoic’s automated tools or manual redirection.

1. Automated Setup

If you are integrated with Ezoic via the WordPress Plugin, this is the most efficient method to manage your authorized sellers.

1. Navigate to the EzoicAds tab and select Ad Transparency.

2. Click on the Ads.txt section > Setup > Select "JavaScript" under Integration.

3. Follow the prompts to allow Ezoic to import your existing entries and authorize Ezoic’s own reseller data.

4. Link to WordPress: In your WordPress admin dashboard, navigate to the Ezoic Plugin settings. Under Ads.txt Manager, enter your Account ID.

   Note: Most Ezoic publishers use the default ID 19390. However, if you have registered your own individual account at adstxtmanager.com, you should enter your personal Account ID here instead.

2. Manual Redirection

If you do not use Wordpress or chose to manually update your ads.txt file, you can follow these steps. 

1. Go to EzoicAds > Ad Transparency > Ads.txt Status.

2. Select JavaScript as your integration method.

3. Edit Entries: Review the entries pulled from your existing file and add any others (like your AdSense ID).

4. Set Up Redirection: You must point your site's ads.txt to the custom URL provided by Ezoic.

   • WordPress Plugin: Enter your Account ID (either 19390 or your personal ID from adstxtmanager.com) in the plugin settings.

   • .htaccess Redirect (Apache): Add the following line to your server’s .htaccess file: Redirect 301 /ads.txt https://srv.adstxtmanager.com/{AccountID}/yourdomain.com

   • Nginx Redirect: Add the following rewrite rule to your Nginx configuration file: rewrite ^/ads.txt$ https://srv.adstxtmanager.com/{AccountID}/yourdomain.com permanent;

5. cURL Command: Use a cron job to fetch content every 24 hours and overwrite your local file: curl https://srv.adstxtmanager.com/{AccountID}/yourdomain.com > ads.txt 

Best Practices & Tips

• Personal Accounts: If you use a standalone adstxtmanager.com account, ensure you use your unique ID during redirection to maintain control over your custom entries.

• Avoid Conflicts: Deactivate other ads.txt plugins to prevent redirect loops or conflicting files.

• Verification: Always click "Verify" in the Ezoic dashboard after setting up your redirect to trigger an Ezoic system check.

• Traffic Routed Through a Subdomain: If any of your traffic is served through a subdomain (e.g., blog.yourdomain.com), that subdomain requires its own valid ads.txt file at blog.yourdomain.com/ads.txt. Ensure the subdomain's file contains the same authorized seller entries as your root domain, or set up the same redirect pointing to your Ezoic ads.txt URL.

Existing Ads.txt File Not Up-to-Date:

Google will not allow ad partners to monetize your site if they are missing from this file. Use the Ads.txt validation tool in your dashboard to check for discrepancies or missing authorized entries.

Changes Not Appearing:

Updates to your ads.txt file are not instantaneous. It typically takes 24 to 48 hours for Google to crawl the file and for the status to update in your dashboard.

WordPress Integration Failures:

If your file isn't working on WordPress, verify that you have entered your 4 or 5-digit Account ID specifically within the Ezoic WordPress Plugin settings (Settings > Ads.txt Manager).

Validation Issues:

If the file fails to validate, ensure all entries follow the standard comma-separated format. Validation via the Ads.txt Manager can take up to 30 minutes to complete.

Ad Crawlers Being Blocked:

If ad demand is unexpectedly low or your ads.txt file is failing validation, check that your robots.txt file and any firewall or bot-blocking rules (including Cloudflare) are not blocking the crawlers that ad partners use to verify your inventory. The following bots must have access to your site:

• Ezoic — full list of Ezoic bots and user agents: https://www.ezoic.com/bot/
• Sincera — Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; SinceraSyntheticUser/1.0; +http://app.sincera.io/bots)
• Google / Ads.txt crawler — Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; Googlebot/2.1; +http://www.google.com/bot.html) — see Google's ads.txt crawling guide and full list of Google crawlers
• Amazon — https://adbot.amazon.com/

If you are using Cloudflare, check your firewall rules and bot fight mode settings to ensure these user agents are not being challenged or blocked.

Do I need an ads.txt file if I don't use AdSense?

Yes. Most premium ad exchanges require a valid ads.txt file to bid on your inventory. Without it, you will see a significant drop in ad demand and revenue.

Where do I find my personal Account ID?

If you have a standalone account at adstxtmanager.com, your ID is the 4 or 5-digit number found in your account settings or setup instructions.