What do I do if I see a bad ad on my site?

We work hard to keep unwanted and inappropriate ads off your site. Raptive uses conservative, family-friendly ad filters by default, but occasionally an advertiser may mislabel an ad, or something unexpected may slip through.

If you see an ad that seems unsafe, inappropriate, misleading, broken, or simply doesn’t fit your brand, please report it to us. The easiest way is with our built-in ad reporting tool.

Important to note: Some ads may not be “bad” but might belong to a sensitive category you’ve chosen to allow. You can check which ad categories are enabled for your site in the Ad preferences section of your Raptive dashboard.

How to report a bad ad

1. Add #report-ads to the end of the URL

While the ad is still visible, add #report-ads to the end of the URL, then press Enter or Return. 

For example: https://example.com/my-post/#report-ads

A display ad report window will open on the page.

Important: #report-ads works for display ads only. It does not collect reporting information for ads that appear in a video player.

2. Copy the report information

Click "Copy" to gather the information provided in the window and send it to us in a Raptive Support ticket.

If possible, also include a screenshot of the ad. A screenshot can help us visually confirm which ad you’re reporting, especially if multiple ads are appearing on the page.

Tip: Report the ad while it’s still on the page whenever possible. Ads refresh and change frequently, so reporting them right away gives us the best chance of identifying them.

If #report-ads doesn’t work, or the ad is in a video player

Please send us:

  • A screenshot of the ad, preferably showing the surrounding page or video player
  • The URL of the page where you saw it
  • Any helpful details, such as your device, browser, location, and how often you’ve seen the ad
  • The ad’s clickthrough or destination URL

Frequently asked questions:

Why am I still seeing an ad after I reported it?

Even after we block a bad ad, you might still see something similar. Here's why that happens:

1. Mislabeling by advertisers 

Ad filtering depends on accurate categorization by the advertiser. If the creative is mislabeled, it can bypass filters.

2. New URLs for the same ad 

Ad blocks are tied to specific URLs. If the advertiser changes the URL but keeps the same image or video, the original block won’t catch it.

If that happens, send us the new URL so we can block that one too.

Can I block ads or specific brands based on my personal preferences?

In many cases, yes, but there are some limits.

What we can block 

We can submit requests to block specific advertisers or categories, as long as our ad partners allow site-level blocks.

What we can’t guarantee 

Some ad partners don’t support site-specific blocks. When that's the case, a block applies to all Raptive sites or not at all. That means:

  • We’ll do our best to honor personal requests
  • We can’t guarantee a brand or ad will never appear again
  • Programmatic ads may reappear through different URLs or channels

Still, if it’s technically possible, we’ll try to block it.

Also, an ad may belong to a sensitive category that you’ve chosen to allow. You can review the categories enabled for your site in the Ad preferences section of your Raptive dashboard.

What if I hear audio autoplaying in an ad?

We block audio-autoplay ads across the Raptive network. If you’re hearing one, there are two likely reasons:

1. You're logged into WordPress 

When you're logged in, filters may not apply the same way. You could see test or unfiltered ads that your visitors won’t.

Try this:

  • Open your site in a private/incognito window
  • Make sure you're logged out of WordPress
  • Check if the audio ad still appears

2. An advertiser is bypassing filters 

If the ad still plays audio:

  • Right-click the ad (or tap and hold on mobile)
  • Copy the ad’s URL
  • Send it to us in a support ticket with a screenshot

 

We’re always here to help. If something looks off, send it our way, and we’ll do our best to track it down.

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