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If you’re a publisher and not a developer, creating an ads.txt file may feel like a monumental achievement. But it’s only step one. 

For ads.txt to start playing its critical role in your programmatic advertising efforts, you actually have to get the file onto your website. How you do that will depend on which content management system (CMS) you use, but the basic idea is that you have to add your ads.txt file to your website at the root domain level. In other words, it has to look like this: https://yourdomain.com/ads.txt/.

Here’s how to make that happen on your CMS.

Ads.txt is an essential part of programmatic advertising these days, but it’s only one part. If you’re looking for a revenue partner who handles the whole thing, we’re here to help you bring your revenue to new heights. Reach out to Playwire.

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Ads.txt for WordPress

WordPress.org is the most popular CMS in the world, and for good reason: it makes it easy to customize every aspect of your website. The way a lot of that customization happens is through plugins.

That’s certainly the story for ads.txt on WordPress. The WordPress developer community has created a number of free plugins designed to help you add your ads.txt file to your WordPress site. While there are more complicated ways to do it, there’s really no reason not to use a plugin that makes the process relatively simple.

Most of these plugins work in a similar way. You download and activate the plugin in your WordPress dashboard. Then, you find the plugin in the left-hand sidebar. In the plugin’s interface, find the area that allows you to upload your ads.txt file. Upload it, save and it should be ready to go.

Ads.txt for Squarespace

Squarespace is another popular CMS, but it certainly isn’t popular because of its ads.txt implementation process. That’s because this is one of the most difficult platforms to add ads.txt files to.

The basic idea is that you have to add your ads.txt file to your Squarespace site as a file rather than a new page. Then, you have to find where that file lives on your website. A handy trick for that is to add the file to a test page, right-click it on the live view and select “Copy link address.”

From there, you have to use that copied link address to create a redirect that points the preferred URL for ads.txt (https://yourdomain.com/ads.txt/) at that file.

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Ads.txt for Webflow

Despite its meteoric rise in popularity recently, Webflow does not have an easy solution for adding an ads.txt file to Webflow sites. However, you can use a 301 redirect to create a workaround. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Upload your ads.txt in the files section. 
  2. Click the link to the file that pops up under the newly uploaded file. 
  3. Copy the URL of that page.
  4. Go to the 301 Redirection section.
  5. Set up a new redirect from https://yourdomain.com/ads.txt/ to the URL you copied in step 3. 
  6. Save the redirect.

Webflow has stated in user forums that an easier solution is forthcoming but has declined to announce when that will happen.

Ads.txt for Joomla

Joomla may not be as popular as WordPress, but it is similarly easy to customize because it uses plugins, too. So, adding an ads.txt file to a Joomla site is just about as easy as adding one to a WordPress site. 

You just find an ads.txt plugin with good reviews, download and activate it and upload your ads.txt file in the plugin’s interface.

Ads.txt for HubSpot

HubSpot’s CMS Hub allows you to upload your ads.txt file relatively easily, but to get the file on the proper root domain level, you will have to create a redirect. The process is similar across most CMSs, but here’s how it works in HubSpot:

  1. Upload your ads.txt file in CMS Hub.
  2. Find the URL where the file now lives (usually https://yourdomain.com/hubfs/ads.txt) and copy it. 
  3. Under Domains & URLs, click the URL Redirects tab.
  4. Set up a redirect with the original URL as https://yourdomain.com/ads.txt/ and the “Redirect to” URL as the one you copied in step 2.

Ads.txt for Drupal

Drupal doesn’t call its tools and add-ons plugins. It calls them modules. And there is a Drupal module for adding ads.txt to a Drupal site. Download the module, enable it in your Drupal dashboard and install it.

After the module is installed, find its configuration page. There, upload your ads.txt file.

Ads.txt for Blogger

Blogger has a built-in way to add an ads.txt file. It’s ready for use, but the feature’s location may not be immediately obvious. To find it, click Settings on the left of your dashboard. Next, click Search Preferences and look for Monetization. Under Monetization, click Custom ads.txt.

Once you’re there, you just have to add the text of your ads.txt file to the box that pops up when you click Edit.

Ads.txt for Wix

Like most other aspects of website management on Wix, adding ads.txt to Wix is pretty simple. Here’s the process:

  1. In your dashboard, find Marketing Integrations.
  2. Click Connect under Ads.txt.
  3. Toward the top of that page, click Add ads.txt File.
  4. Paste the text of your ads.txt file into the text box.
  5. Save.

Need Help with Ads.txt?

Adding an ads.txt file to your CMS can be a challenge, especially if your CMS isn’t one of the platforms that is designed for it. There’s plenty that can go wrong in this process, and the most frustrating part about that is the negative impact ads.txt mishaps and mistakes can have on your revenue.

If you’re sick of worrying about it and interested in growing your revenue, you’re already on the right website. Playwire manages every aspect of ads.txt and a host of other digital advertising concerns with a singular goal in mind: maximizing your revenue. 

To learn more about how we can help, simply contact us online today.

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