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Too many HTTP requests

Causing very slow page loading

crobb305

5:40 am on Jul 15, 2019 (gmt 0)

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I've been using Adsense almost exclusively for many years, but one aspect has been difficult for me to understand/resolve (and has been getting worse over the past year or so)...

The problem is the enormous number of http requests (and the resulting impact on my page load times).

I only use TWO ad units per page. I do not use Auto Ads.

Ads Removed
• Approx 25 http requests
• Average page load time: 1.2 sec

Two Ad Units:
• 150-200 http requests per page
• Average load time: 9-14 seconds

Diving deeper into the http requests, I see they come from various networks (with domains that I do not recognize). File types include numerous scripts, css, tracking pixels, image/video, etc. Some of the domains/networks: 2mdn.net, moatads, innovid, smarteradserver, agkn, doubleclick, youtube, and many more.

Some of these networks deliver files that are never served on the page. Using Chrome developer tools, I see 44 image files from mdn.net. Many of these images appear to be fragments of some larger image. This is obviously a very rude and inefficient means of content delivery -- especially since those images do not appear on the page. I see Youtube appearing in the data, yet no youtube video is shown on the page. So on and so on.....

Why would Google allow this type of ad network invasion, if such ads aren't even shown? Are these "bad actors" that should be blocked? I simply can't wrap my head around the issue... Google states throughout the Adsense documentation that WE (webmasters) are responsible for slowdowns caused by ads, yet TWO ad units trigger 150-200 http requests and tremendous load times. In a negative feedback loop, the cycle drives down earnings and rankings.

Any advice? I fear blocking anything without understanding what it is -- and if I am just seeing normal/expected Adsense behavior.

Thanks!

Dimitri

7:20 am on Jul 15, 2019 (gmt 0)

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Indeed, it's been years I am saying the same. This is totally insane the number of http requests that Adsense's ads are triggering!

I know that ad networks are trying to deliver the maximum number of information to advertisers, so they know precisely how, when, where, why, their ads are showing to whom, but still that is totally insane.

tangor

7:57 am on Jul 15, 2019 (gmt 0)

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And g still says "page speed is important" ...

go figure. :)

Dimitri

9:54 am on Jul 15, 2019 (gmt 0)

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Google is not Adsense :)

Also, the faster we make our pages, the more spare times it leaves to Adsense to do more http requests ...

Dimitri

11:13 am on Jul 16, 2019 (gmt 0)

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An other issue is also the lack of professionalism of some platforms and advertisers. They use ready to use frameworks, which are embedding tons of features and tools, whereas it will be to use only one. This is like when some, are inserting the jquery library, it's sure it's great library, with lot good stuff, but this is to print "hello world" this is waste of resources :)

I still lobby for getting back to the basis of ads :)

<a href="xxx"><img src="yyy"></a>

eventually, a little piece of javascript to detect how long the img is visible, this can be in 10 lines of code max.

not2easy

1:49 pm on Jul 16, 2019 (gmt 0)

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The biggest cause of these unnecessary http requests was found when a mis-configured ads.txt was corrected: [webmasterworld.com...]

It pays to look at everything in the stream when things don't seem right.

Dimitri

4:20 pm on Jul 16, 2019 (gmt 0)

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The biggest cause of these unnecessary http requests was found when a mis-configured ads.txt was corrected:

Oh? I didn't understand this other topic like that :))

crobb305

1:25 pm on Jul 17, 2019 (gmt 0)

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10+ Year Member

It pays to look at everything in the stream when things don't seem right.

I'm the one who started the other thread about ads.txt... Separate issue, but something I needed clarification on.

As it turns out, ads.txt was not the problem. I had to keep digging, wasting more time, and it turns out that it was doubleclick.net and their ad exchange partners flooding my visitors with tracking pixels and unused scripts/images, many of which were serving 302 or 404. Disabling Doubleclick inside my Adsense account had no effect. Wasted more time, and finally found an obscure discussion where someone suggested disabling remarketing/ad reporting inside Google Analytics. Still, Doubleclick requests continue to pour in with each page load, but I've at least been able to stop some of the others (especially moatads and rubicon-somesuch)... Google really should be more proactive about that spammy nonsense. One of these days, maybe I'll get rid of the Doubleclick invasion, because nothing else I've done as of yet has stopped it (including htaccess).