Overview

WordPress is one of many publishers' most commonly used content management systems. AdEngine integration works with WordPress as seamlessly as with any other web page. However, some known issues can be avoided due to the use of plugins. Following those simple guidelines will help with smooth implementation.

AdEngine implementation

AdEngine implementation in WordPress should be done directly in page codes for the best effectiveness. In the header and body, plugins are allowed; however, please notice the possible issues listed below.

This integration guide applies if all ads are delivered by Snigel on a site with a simple page layout.

For this integration guide, we assume the example of a website with the following two ads on every page:

"Top Leaderboard"
- ad-unit-name: topleaderboard
- div-name: adngin-topleaderboard-0
"Sidebar"
- ad-unit-name: sidebar
- div-name: adngin-sidebar-0

Header code

The head section modifications are the fundamental part of the integration. Without adding the AdEngine script and configuration to the head, the ads won't render.

As outlined below, a few code tags need to be implemented to have an optimized and effective setup to bid on the site.

If there are specific pages where only a subset of the ads are shown, it is important to declare the ad tags used on the current page. If ad tags are not correctly declared, ad units will be auctioned, even if not used. This will lead to false ad impressions, negatively affecting page performance and user experience.
You can declare ad units using the snigelPubConf element.

Please remember:

ad-unit-name: topleaderboard
div-name: adngin-topleaderboard-0

The following example assumes that a page has the Top Leaderboard and Sidebar. Create the following tags in the <head> element of the page:

<script data-cfasync="false" type="text/javascript">
  window.snigelPubConf = {
    "adengine": {
      "activeAdUnits": ["topleaderboard","sidebar"]
    }
  }
</script>
<script data-cfasync="false" async src="https://cdn.snigelweb.com/adengine/**site.domain**/loader.js" type="text/javascript"></script>

Note:

Replace **site.domain** with the actual site domain
Place the script at the very top of the header to ensure the best possible performance
If Google Analytics is used, place the AdEngine tag after the Google Analytics tag
Keep the correct order of the tags: first configuration and then loading of AdEngine

Header edition in WordPress

Most WordPress plugins don’t allow editing of a header - only allowing to inject code into the body.

It’s required to edit WordPress template files to update the header.php file and enter the AdEngine code. It should be added just before closing the head element using the template editor.

⚠️ If you use standard themes, please remember that an automatic update can change the main files. It’s recommended to use edit and use child themes instead.

<?php wp_head(); ?>
<script data-cfasync="false" type="text/javascript">
  window.snigelPubConf = {
    "adengine": {
      "activeAdUnits": ["topleaderboard","sidebar"]
    }
  }
</script>
<script data-cfasync="false" async src="https://cdn.snigelweb.com/adengine/**site.domain**/loader.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
</head>

Body codes

The page body needs to define div elements to be filled with ads. They need to be placed where the ad should be displayed.
The div elements should reserve the maximum width and height of the displayed ad to prevent Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). If you are using ad labeling, reserve an additional 15px of height for the label. Please consult your account manager to get the exact ad sizes to reserve the proper space.

For each div element name provided by your account manager, create tags like in the example:

<div id="adngin-topleaderboard-0"></div>
<div id="adngin-sidebar-0"></div>

Note:

If div elements need to be reused, provide the information to your account manager.

Keep in mind when implementing AdEngine in WordPress

Ensure that both codes for snigelPubConf and loader.js have the elements:
- data-cfasync="false"
- async
Do not place scripts from Snigel in minify and cache plugins; if it can't be avoided, place them in exclude from minify and cache section.
Clear cache - server and CDN to have a real overview if the implementation is correct and not causing any issues. It's often when this step is missed; an issue is visible only days or weeks after implementation.

How to run an A/B test on WordPress

A/B test on WordPress between AdEngine and, in this example, AdSense. An A/B test - in this case, 50%/50% requires a decision in the header on which script should be injected. The Body, to make the test easier, should contain both tags. This is just an example of how the A/B test 50/50 could be executed in such a situation.

<script type="text/javascript">
        function appendScript(url){
            var head = document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0];
            var script = document.createElement('script');
            script.type = 'text/javascript';
            script.setAttribute('async', 'async');
			script.setAttribute('data-cfasync', 'false');
            script.src = url;
            head.appendChild(script);
        }
        if (Math.random() >= 0.5) {
            appendScript('https://cdn.snigelweb.com/adengine/**domain.com**/loader.js');
        } else {
			appendScript('https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js');
        }
    </script>

Is it possible to condition if AdEngine works depending on my plugin settings?

It’s possible to condition how AdEngine will be called - using pubConfig. If a specific plugin gives the possibility to read the settings from the PHP level, it can allow steering the pubConfig elements.

For example, Plugin to manage Memberships - can have functions that allow checking membership levels. In this example, we want to show a limited amount of ads to users with specific membership levels and all ads to other members.

⚠️ Settings for membership level and used function depend on the plugin - please read your plugin documentation for the correct elements.

<script data-cfasync="false" type="text/javascript">

    <?php if(plugin_hasMembershipLevel(array('1','2'))) { ?>
		  
	  window.snigelPubConf = {
        "adengine": {
          "activeAdUnits": ["incontent_1","sidebar_1","sidebar_2"]
        }
      }
    <?php } else { ?>
      window.snigelPubConf = {
        "adengine": {
          "activeAdUnits": ["incontent_1","incontent_2","sidebar_1","sidebar_2","sidebar_3"]
        }
      }
    <?php } ?>
</script>
<script async data-cfasync="false" src="https://cdn.snigelweb.com/adengine/**domain.com**/loader.js" type="text/javascript"></script>

Using WordPress functions can help to manage the display of ads depending on different conditions like page template, category, etc. Please read WordPress documentation for the correct functions.

Cache and Minify Plugins

While very useful, multiple WP plugins used for code optimization can create many problems with ad stack performance and implementation.

Minify plugins do a search on the page for all the content, then join all files - JS and CSS - without order or dependencies, and mix before displaying it on the page. After that, they inject all the code and then compress the page. It impacts how several elements of the page work, especially the ad stack loader.
Cache plugins - are caching old versions of scripts. When there is a fix or an update, a new version doesn't load, and fixes don't work.
The typical issues:
- Ads stop appearing,
- CMP starts being called multiple times,
- Scripts stop working completely,
- Impact on A/B test run with different partners,
- Use of data-cfasync="true" to minify scripts by Cloudflare RocketLoader
- Changes don't show due to old versions of the scripts being cached.
Some of the typical plugins causing these sorts of issues:

AdEngine with WordPress