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Why Your Ad Inserter Ads Aren't Showing: A Troubleshooting Guide

36 threads Sep 9, 2025 Plugin → Ad inserter – ad manager & adsense ads

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If you've installed the Ad Inserter plugin but your ads are mysteriously absent, you're not alone. This is one of the most common issues users face. Based on community support threads, this guide will walk you through the most frequent reasons ads fail to appear and how to fix them.

Why This Happens

It's crucial to understand that the Ad Inserter plugin's primary job is to insert your ad code into your web pages. It does not directly display the ads itself. The actual ad content is served by your ad network (like Google AdSense or Google Ad Manager). Therefore, an ad not showing can be caused by either a plugin configuration issue or a problem with the ad network.

Common Causes and Their Solutions

1. Remote Debugging is Not Enabled

The Problem: This is the single biggest hurdle to getting help. Without remote debugging enabled, it's nearly impossible for anyone to diagnose your settings from the outside.

The Solution: Before anything else, enable remote debugging. This allows you (or a support forum) to see exactly how the plugin is configured on your live site. You can find detailed instructions on how to enable it in the official Ad Inserter support forum guide.

2. Page Types Are Not Selected

The Problem: Your ad block is configured, but you haven't told the plugin where to place it. If no page types (e.g., Homepage, Posts, Static Pages) are enabled for a block, it will never be inserted.

The Solution: For each ad block, navigate to its 'Insertion' settings and check the box for the page types where you want the ad to appear. Remember, static pages (like 'About' or 'Contact') use the 'Static pages' page type, not a generic 'Page' type.

3. JavaScript Errors on Your Page

The Problem: Other scripts on your website, often from optimization or caching plugins, can cause JavaScript errors that break the execution of your ad codes. This can prevent ads from loading or cause them to load with a significant delay.

The Solution: Open your browser's developer console (usually F12) and check for any red error messages. If you find errors related to ad scripts, try temporarily disabling caching/optimization plugins (like Rocket Loader) to see if it resolves the issue. You may need to configure these plugins to exclude your ad scripts.

4. The Ad Network Isn't Serving Ads

The Problem: Sometimes, the plugin is working perfectly—the code is inserted—but the ad network (like Google AdSense) decides not to serve an ad. This can be due to a lack of available ads, policy violations, or the user's browsing history.

The Solution: This is a common AdSense "issue" and is outside the control of the Ad Inserter plugin. If ads show intermittently or for some users but not others, the problem likely lies with the ad network. The Ad Inserter team provides a helpful documentation page on this subject.

5. Caching Issues

The Problem: You've made changes to your Ad Inserter settings, but they aren't reflected on your live site. This is almost always caused by your site's cache serving old, stored versions of the page.

The Solution: After changing any plugin settings, clear your website's cache completely. This includes any server-level caching (like on managed hosting), plugin-based caching, and your browser cache.

Still Stuck?

If you've worked through these steps and your ads are still not showing, the best course of action is to enable remote debugging and create a detailed post on the WordPress support forums. Be sure to include the URL of the page where you need help. Providing this information is essential for the community to offer specific, actionable advice.

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