ads.txt (Authorized Digital Sellers) is a public text declaration that helps identify which advertising systems are authorized to sell a publisher’s inventory. It can help buyers distinguish authorized sellers, but it is not a shortcut to AdSense approval and does not replace the program policies or site review.

Use the line shown in your own AdSense account

A Google entry commonly follows this format: google.com, pub-0000000000000000, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0. The example publisher ID is a placeholder, not a value to copy. In AdSense, open the ads.txt alert or your site’s ads.txt details and copy the snippet for your account. The seller ID must match your publisher ID; use DIRECT only when you directly control that seller account.

Google’s ads.txt setup guide explains the fields, file location and verification process. An incorrect ID or line can leave the status unauthorized.

Set up custom ads.txt in Blogger

  1. Sign in to Blogger and choose the correct blog.
  2. Open Settings and find Monetization.
  3. Turn on Enable custom ads.txt, then open Custom ads.txt.
  4. Paste the exact line supplied by AdSense or your authorized ad partner and save.
  5. Open https://your-domain.example/ads.txt in a browser and confirm the expected text appears.

These steps follow Blogger’s ads.txt instructions. For a non-Blogger site, place a plain-text file named ads.txt at the root of the domain so it is reachable at example.com/ads.txt.

What ads.txt does—and does not do

It declares authorized ad sellers. It does not prove that your articles are original, resolve a policy issue or guarantee that AdSense will approve a site. Google notes that crawling and reflecting changes can take several days, and sometimes longer for sites with few ad requests. Check the ads.txt status in AdSense after the file is publicly available.

Frequently asked questions

Does ads.txt directly approve a site?

No. It identifies authorized sellers for ad inventory. Site approval is a separate AdSense review.

Can I paste a publisher ID from an online example?

No. Copy the exact publisher ID and line shown in your own account. Example IDs are placeholders.

Should I put ads.txt in a page header or footer?

No. It is a root-level plain-text file or platform setting, not a link to add to a page’s navigation.