Method: Vertical Union (Most Conservative)
All ad intervals are clipped to the content range, then overlapping vertical ranges are merged into a single union. Where a sidebar halfpage and a content-column rectangle overlap vertically, that Y-range is counted once. This gives the absolute lowest number — the vertical page space that contains any ad. This is an engineering heuristic, not directly prescribed by Better Ads.
Content Area (Denominator)
| Content element | <main> |
| Content range | y = 330 – 7,612 |
| Content height | 7,282 px |
Ad Placements (Numerator)
Clip all intervals to content range, merge overlapping Y-ranges, sum the union.
| Placement | Raw Position | Clipped Range | Height |
|---|
| [330, 1156] Interstitial + HP1 merged | y=330 – 1,156 | [330, 1156] | 826 px |
| [1461, 1761] Rectangle_480_1 | y=1,461 – 1,761 | [1461, 1761] | 300 px |
| [2381, 3189] HPR1 + Rect Rpt merged | y=2,381 – 3,189 | [2381, 3189] | 808 px |
| [3906, 4156] Under_Article | y=3,906 – 4,156 | [3906, 4156] | 250 px |
| [4206, 4806] Halfpage_Repeater_2 | y=4,206 – 4,806 | [4206, 4806] | 600 px |
| [6031, 6631] Halfpage_Repeater_3 | y=6,031 – 6,631 | [6031, 6631] | 600 px |
| [7245, 7555] Billboard_Bottom | y=7,245 – 7,555 | [7245, 7555] | 310 px |
This method prevents any double-counting where ads at different horizontal positions share vertical space. The Interstitial (330-1080) and Halfpage_1 (556-1156) merge into [330, 1156] = 826px instead of 750+600 = 1350px. This is the absolute floor — the minimum defensible density. Better Ads does not prescribe this approach; it is our engineering choice.
Result
"Ad density is determined by summing the heights of all ads within the main content portion of a page, then dividing by the total height of the main content portion of the page."
— Coalition for Better Ads
3,694 px7,282 px
× 100 =
50.7%
0%100%
Breakdown
| Contributor | Height | Share |
|---|
| Interstitial + HP1 merged | 826 px | 22% |
| HPR1 + Rect Repeater merged | 808 px | 22% |
| HPR2 | 600 px | 16% |
| HPR3 | 600 px | 16% |
| Billboard | 310 px | 8% |
| Rectangle + Under Article | 550 px | 15% |
| Total | 3,694 px | 100% |
All Three Methods Compared
| Method | Ad Height | Density | Result |
|---|
| Literal Better Ads | 5,810 px | 79.8% | FAIL |
| Conservative (de-overlapped) | 4,310 px | 59.2% | FAIL |
| Vertical Union (floor) | 3,694 px | 50.7% | FAIL |
All three methods agree: this page fails the 50% desktop threshold. The range is 50.7% – 79.8%. The Literal method is the safest for external reporting; the Union method is the absolute floor.