The 30% Ad-Density Wall

The 30% Ad-Density Wall

There's a soft ceiling where adding more units stops helping. Past ~30% of above-fold pixels as ads, AdSense's own density policy and viewability both turn against you.

What it does — this is a measurement discipline, not a plugin: audit ad-to-content pixel ratio per template.
Setup effort (2/5) — a screenshot + a pixel-ruler, or Lighthouse's layout shift trace.
RPM lift seen — sites at 45%+ density that trimmed to ~30% LOST 5% impressions but GAINED 9% RPM as per-impression viewability and CPM rose.

Pros — fewer, better-paying impressions; lower policy risk.
Cons — counterintuitive; you're removing inventory you're emotionally attached to.

Lift: ★★★★☆ — Risk: ★☆☆☆☆
Best for: anyone who's been stacking units for a year. Skip if you're already under 25% density.