AdSense Category and Advertiser URL Blocking (Keep RPM Strong)

You want clean, safe ads that fit your site, and you want strong RPM. Category and URL Blocking in Google AdSense helps you do both. Category blocking stops broad types of ads, like violence, adult, and gambling. Advertiser URL blocking lets you cut specific domains you do not want.

Block what clashes with your content or audience values, then stop. Over-blocking shrinks auction competition, lowers fill rate, and can even slow ad loading. The goal is balance, not a wall.

This guide will show a simple, step-by-step path and clear best practices based on current AdSense controls in 2025. Put your audience first, revenue second, then tune settings to keep both happy.

Category and URL Blocking in AdSense: What It Is and Why It Matters

Blocking tools in AdSense help you protect your brand and audience. Use them to stop ads that clash with your content, age rating, or values. Keep the goal in mind: clean ad experiences, strong user trust, and steady RPM. Set smart blocks, then let the auction work for you.

What counts as a sensitive category?

Sensitive categories are groups of ads that can trigger complaints, hurt trust, or break brand guidelines. You can block them at the category level if they do not fit your site. Not every site needs the same blocks. Choose based on your audience age, your topic, and your brand promise.

Common sensitive groups you may block:

• Adult content: suggestive content, dating, lingerie, mature themes.

• Violence: graphic imagery, violent games, war footage.

• Gambling and betting: casinos, sports betting, lotteries, fantasy sports.

• Politics: political campaigns, advocacy, public policy issues.

• Conspiracy and misinformation: fringe health claims, hoaxes, alarmist content.

• Low-quality clickbait: deceptive headlines, “before and after” traps, fake quiz ads.

Quick filter:

• Young audience: block adult, gambling, and shock content.

• Health or parenting site: block conspiracy, miracle cures, and unsafe medical ads.

• Finance or news site: set strict rules on politics and get tough on clickbait.

• Premium brand tone: keep out anything that feels spammy or loud.

Category block or advertiser URL block: which should you use?

There are two core controls. Use each with intent.

• Category blocking: stops a broad theme of ads across many advertisers. This is best when a whole topic is not welcome on your site. Example: a kid-focused site blocks gambling entirely.

• Advertiser URL blocking: removes a single advertiser domain that keeps showing bad or misleading creatives. This is best for repeat offenders without banning a whole category.

A simple workflow keeps things tight:

1. Start with URL blocks when you see the same bad ad or brand again.

2. If many similar ads slip through, consider a category block for that topic.

3. Review results weekly at first, then monthly. Remove blocks that no longer make sense.

Comparison at a glance:

Control Scope Best For RPM Risk if Overused Category block Many advertisers at once Topics that clash with your site entirely Higher Advertiser URL block One advertiser domain Repeat bad ads from specific domains Lower

Practical tip: keep your blocklist tidy. Use clear notes on why each block exists, like “misleading claims” or “not safe for young readers.”

How over-blocking hurts fill rate, RPM, and user experience

Every block reduces the pool of bidders in your ad auction. Fewer bidders means less competition, which often drops CPM and RPM. It also raises the chance that a lower quality or lower paying ad wins the slot.

Here is what heavy blocking can cause:

• Lower fill rate: fewer eligible ads, more blanks or PSAs.

• Weak CPMs: less competition, softer bids.

• Fewer creative options: fewer sizes and formats available for your layout.

• Slower ad serving: very long blocklists can slow ad decisions.

• Repetition: users see the same safe ad too often, which hurts engagement.

Use this mental model: an ad slot is like an auction room. More bidders push prices up. Kick out too many, and the room goes quiet. Quiet rooms rarely pay well.

Healthy balance checklist:

• Block what breaks trust. Keep the rest open.

• Track RPM before and after major blocks.

• Review blocked categories each quarter. Remove blocks that no longer fit.

• Favor URL blocks for one-off problems; reserve category blocks for true conflicts.

• Keep your list short, targeted, and current.

Do this well and you protect your brand, keep users happy, and let competition do its work for your revenue.

Step-by-Step: Set Up Category and URL Blocking in AdSense

Use AdSense’s updated Ad Controls to keep your inventory clean without choking auction pressure. Work in small moves, measure, then adjust. The goal is simple, high-trust ad experiences and steady RPM.

Open Blocking controls and pick your site

Start inside the place where changes stick.

1. Sign in to AdSense.

2. Open Blocking controls from the left menu.

3. Choose All sites or pick a specific site.

A quick rule: test at the site level first. Site-level changes contain risk and keep your other properties earning while you learn. If results hold steady, consider scaling to All sites.

Helpful cues inside Ad Controls:

• All sites shows account-wide settings.

• A selected domain shows site-level overrides.

• Labels and toggles give you a clear signal for what is on or off.

Toggle general and sensitive categories with care

Two panels matter here: General categories and Sensitive categories. Both use simple on or off toggles.

Work in tight loops:

• Start small: change 2 to 5 toggles that clearly clash with your content or audience.

• Pause and measure: let data collect for a few days before more changes.

Good reasons to block:

• Audience fit: your readers are young, so adult or gambling content is out.

• Brand tone: your site is premium, so loud clickbait does not belong.

• Policy or client rules: you follow guidelines that restrict certain themes.

Practical tips:

• Document intent: “Blocked Gambling for kid-focused hub.”

• Keep context: when seasonal events end, revisit politics or advocacy settings.

• Avoid blanket bans: broad blocks cut competition and can lower CPM.

Block advertiser URLs without killing competition

Use Advertiser URLs when a single domain keeps showing poor ads. It is a scalpel, not a hammer.

How to add a domain:

1. Go to Blocking controls for your chosen site.

2. Open Advertiser URLs.

3. Add the root domain only, like example.com. Avoid subdomains unless needed.

Smart habits:

• One reason per entry: “False scarcity claims,” “Conflicts with sponsor,” “Poor UX post-click.”

• Keep the list lean: remove stale or fixed domains during monthly reviews.

• Favor short tests: block repeat offenders, then see if quality improves without a revenue dip.

Example approach:

• You see repeat weight-loss miracle ads from dubioushealth.com. Add the root domain, record the reason, and review performance and user feedback after a week.

Track results and roll back fast if earnings dip

Measure before declaring victory. Give your tests enough time to be fair.

Watch these metrics over 3 to 7 days:

• Fill rate: signals auction health.

• RPM: the money metric that reflects real outcomes.

• CTR: a quick read on creative relevance.

• Session revenue: holistic earnings beyond single-page RPM.

If performance drops, undo the last set of changes:

• Re-enable the most recent categories you blocked.

• Remove the last few advertiser URLs you added.

• Wait another 3 to 5 days and compare.

Get more clarity by slicing the data:

• By device: mobile can react differently than desktop.

• By placement: leaderboard, in-content, and sticky units behave differently.

Two closing reminders:

• Small batches beat big swings.

• Reversibility is your safety net. If a change hurts, revert and restore competition fast.

Best Practices in 2025: Balance Brand Safety and Revenue

Balancing brand safety with revenue is a daily act. Tighten controls too far and auctions thin out. Leave things wide open and trust takes a hit. The plan in 2025 is simple: use data first, start small, review on a schedule, and prefer lighter fixes when possible. AdSense’s updated Ad Controls help you do this with clearer categories, real-time performance, and smart URL suggestions.

Photo by Kindel Media

Use data from AdSense reports and real-time tracking

Start with the numbers, not gut feel. Check performance reports before blocking anything. Look for patterns in RPM, fill rate, CTR, and session revenue by device and placement. The updated Ad Controls now offer better category definitions, live category performance, and smart Advertiser URL suggestions, which makes decisions cleaner and faster.

Focus on what the data flags:

• Low trust signals: high complaint rates, misleading creatives, or poor post-click UX.

• Revenue drag: categories or URLs that consistently hurt RPM or fill rate.

• Relevance gaps: ads that mismatch content themes or user intent.

As categories change in 2025, stay current. Google posts updates that affect what you can block and how it works. Keep an eye on the official Announcements and policy notes, like category removals or sensitive category rules, for example in the AdSense announcements feed.

Start small, test changes, and review every 30 to 60 days

Treat blocking like A/B testing. Make a few targeted changes, then wait for stable data.

A simple cadence:

1. Block 2 to 5 clear offenders. Favor URL blocks for precision.

2. Wait 7 to 14 days. Let traffic and auctions normalize.

3. Compare key metrics to your baseline.

Keep a plain change log:

• Date of change

• What you blocked (category or root domain)

• Reason for the change

• Expected outcome

Schedule a monthly or bi-monthly review. Remove blocks that no longer serve a purpose. If Google deprecates or adjusts a category, update your settings to match. For policy context and category shifts, use resources like the AdSense policy change log.

Try gentler fixes before blocking entire categories

Blocking whole categories is a blunt tool. Try softer options that protect trust while keeping competition high.

Good first moves:

• Tweak placements and styles: avoid accidental clicks, keep ads away from UI traps, and use clear spacing.

• Size and density limits: cap the number of in-content units per screenful, and avoid oversized units that disrupt reading.

• Use Google’s automated signals: allow the system to detect and flag problem ads, then remove repeat offenders with Advertiser URL blocks.

• Context fit: align formats with the page layout. Sticky units and leaderboards behave differently, so test them separately.

If the same theme keeps causing issues, consider a micro-category block if available. This trims only the messy part of a topic while leaving the rest to compete. For a practical walkthrough of controls and placements, see this guide on blocking unwanted AdSense ads.

Red flags that mean you blocked too much

Too many blocks handcuff the auction. Watch for signals that you went too far.

Common warning signs:

• Drop in fill rate

• Slower ad loads

• Sharp RPM decline

• More blank impressions in key placements

• Repeated, irrelevant ads due to low variety

Quick recovery plan:

1. Unblock the last batch of categories or advertiser URLs.

2. Wait 3 to 5 days for auctions to refill and stabilize.

3. Re-test smaller changes, focusing on a few URLs or micro-categories.

4. Rebuild lightly, then re-measure by device and placement.

If you keep the list lean, your auction stays competitive, ads stay relevant, and RPM has room to grow.

Conclusion

Category and URL blocking keeps your brand safe and your pages aligned, but too many blocks cut competition and push RPM down. Use URL blocks as a scalpel, reserve category blocks for hard conflicts, and keep your list lean.

Work a simple loop: review reports, make one small change, measure, then keep or revert. Save this checklist for every pass, audience fit, data check, small test, review in a month. Block what hurts trust, keep auctions lively, and let clean ads earn their place.