Implementation guide

Vignette ad

Vignette ads

A full-screen ad that appears when moving from one page of the site to another, and that the person can skip whenever they want.

AdSense
mobile and desktop

Learn the format Check my site

Desktop

Mobile

Understand it in 1 minute

What a vignette ad is

The vignette ad takes up the whole screen, but appears midway between one page and another. Think of a subway ride: between one station and the next, you see a big poster on the platform. At that moment you are not reading anything, you are just going to the next place. The vignette works like this: it appears when the page changes, and the person can skip it whenever they want.

It is part of AdSense Auto ads, in the group called overlay formats, which are ads that sit on top of the page. By default, the vignette appears when the person clicks a link on your site. When you turn on the vignette, Google also turns on other triggers, which you can turn off. A trigger is the action that makes the ad appear. Examples: the person returns to the site's tab after leaving it, opens a page of the same site in a new tab and switches to it, reaches the end of the article and scrolls back up, stays still for 30 seconds and then moves the page, or uses the back button in Chrome, Edge or Opera.

The person can close the vignette right away, with the ad's close button or with the browser's back button. There is also the frequency: this is the minimum time before showing a new vignette. The default is 10 minutes, and you can choose from 1 minute to 1 hour. Even when several triggers happen together, this frequency is respected.

What if a link should not trigger the vignette? You can mark that link in the HTML so it never triggers the vignette. Google says this is useful mainly on navigation elements, like the menu, and on other parts where the vignette would get in the way. The mark only applies to the link where it is placed, so you need to add it to each link. This way the person moves around the site without stumbling on an ad in the wrong place.

Step by step

How to implement

Put the code on every pageThe AdSense code must be on every page of the site. After you turn it on, the ads can take up to an hour to appear.
Turn on the vignetteIn AdSense, click Ads and then Edit next to the site. Under Ad settings, turn on Auto ads and, under Overlay formats, keep Vignette ads turned on.
Choose the frequencyIn the advanced settings, adjust the Vignette ad frequency. You can choose from 1 minute to 1 hour, and the default is 10 minutes.
Decide on triggers and large screensIn the same area, uncheck Allow other triggers for vignette ads if you want only the link click, and uncheck the option for screens wider than 1,000 pixels if you do not want a vignette on desktop.
Protect the menu linksOn each link that should not trigger the vignette, add the attribute shown in the sample code and save the HTML.
Apply and trackClick Apply to site and choose Apply now or Run experiment first, which tests on 50% of traffic for up to 90 days. Then create a custom report filtering the Vignette ad format.

Implemented example

The code and how it looks on screen

The first line goes in the head of all pages; the link attribute goes on each link that should not trigger the vignette.

<!-- No head de todas as páginas -->
<script async
  src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-0000000000000000"
  crossorigin="anonymous"></script>

<!-- Link que nunca chama a vinheta (por exemplo, no menu) -->
<a href="https://www.exemplo.com/"
   data-google-vignette="false">Início</a>

On desktopOn desktop, the vignette covers the whole screen on page change. An option allows or blocks vignettes on screens wider than 1,000 pixels, and clicking the browser's navigation bar is a trigger that only exists on desktop.

On mobileOn mobile, the vignette takes up the whole screen between one page and another, and the person can close it with the ad's button or with the back button.

What Google recommends

Do and don't

Allowed

Choose the vignette frequency between 1 minute and 1 hour.
Turn off the other triggers and keep only the link click.
Prevent specific links from triggering the vignette, such as those in the navigation menu.
Block the vignette on screens wider than 1,000 pixels, such as desktop screens.
Test first with an experiment on 50% of traffic for up to 90 days.
Track the results in a custom report filtered by the Vignette format.

Not allowed

Do not encourage clicks on the ad, neither with phrases asking for a click nor with arrows pointing to it.
Do not offer a reward or any benefit in exchange for ad clicks: this is prohibited.
Do not change the AdSense code beyond the modifications Google accepts.
Do not reload the page or parts of it without the person asking.
Do not force the person to view ads for a fixed time before releasing videos, games or downloads.

Tips

To do it right

A lower frequency, like 1 minute, shows more vignettes. A higher frequency, like 10 minutes or more, shows fewer ads to each person.
The end-of-article trigger can also fire after a delay: 5 seconds on mobile and 10 seconds on desktop.
The idle trigger waits for at least 30 seconds without interaction. The count starts after the person's last interaction, such as a scroll or a click.
Use the exclusion attribute mainly on the menu and on other parts where the vignette would get in the way of navigation.

Watch out

Common errors

Code on only some pages

Google asks for the AdSense code on every page. Without it, the vignette has nowhere to appear.

Expecting to see the ad right away

After you turn it on, the ads can take up to an hour to appear on the page.

Marking only one menu link

The exclusion attribute applies only to the link where it is placed. You need to put it on each link that should not trigger the vignette.

Thinking only the click triggers the vignette

When you turn on the vignette, the other triggers come on automatically. If you do not want them, uncheck the option in the advanced settings.

Frequently asked questions

Can the vignette appear without the person changing pages?

Yes, if the other triggers are on, such as returning to the tab or staying still for 30 seconds and then moving. If you want it only on a click page change, turn those triggers off.

Can the person close the vignette?

Yes. They can skip it at any time, with the ad's close button or with the browser's back button.

Does the vignette appear on desktop?

It can. The option for screens wider than 1,000 pixels, like computers, controls this.

Is there a vignette in Ad Manager?

The name vignette is from AdSense. In Ad Manager, the full-page format shown by GPT is called a web interstitial, with similar triggers.

Library

Official Google source

Everything on this page follows Google's official documentation. Read it straight from the source:

Does your site use this format the right way?

The audit reads the site as a visitor would, without clicking anything, and shows what to fix.

Run an audit