Configuring BLOX with the EmpowerLocal Javascript codes

Step 1: Login to the EmpowerLocal Dashboard

• Start by logging in to the EmpowerLocal dashboard using your credentials.

Step 2: Select Publication

• Once logged in, toggle to the appropriate publication in the top left corner to choose the publication you'd like to set up.

Step 3: Navigate to Ad Configuration

• Once logged in, navigate to the Ad Configuration tab.

Step 4: Add Header Code to Your Website

• Copy the script from Step 1, and send this snippet of code to your BLOX support person and request that it be added to your header file. We'll need it placed just before the closing </head> tag at the end of your file.

Step 5: Access Ads.txt Lines

• Under Step 2, click the copy button for the lines provided. These lines are unique to every site, so be sure you associate the correct ads.txt info with the correct site when setting up multiple sites. 

Step 6: Update Ads.txt in BLOX

• Log into your BLOX site and click the hamburger menu in the top left corner.
• Scroll down and under Other, click on Settings.
• When the settings window opens, select Authorized Digital Sellers and paste the ads.txt lines you copied. Be careful not to overwrite any existing lines. If there are existing lines in the window, go to the last line, space down by 1, and paste the EmpowerLocal lines there. 

Step 7: Save Changes

• After pasting, click Save changes and close the settings window.

Step 8: Get Ad Placements from EmpowerLocal

• Return to the EmpowerLocal Dashboard.
• Under Step 3, click the dropdown for Select a Product.

Step 9: Obtain Javascript Code for Ad Units

• From the dropdown, select the ad unit you want to implement. 
• Click the red Get Widget Code button.
• When the code window opens, click the Copy to Clipboard button to copy the javascript code.

Step 10: Implement Code in BLOX

• Go back to BLOX and click the hamburger menu.
• Under Design, click on Blocks.
• Scroll down and click (+) New, then choose HTML.
• In the popup window, paste the copied code into the code field.

Step 11: Configure Block

• Click the Configurations tab.
• Label the Block appropriately (e.g., EmpowerLocal Action Unit, EmpowerLocal Savings Unit, EmpowerLocal Stories Player).
• Click Save Changes.

Step 12: Repeat for Additional Units

• Repeat the steps above for any additional ad units you want to implement.

Step 13: Layout Ad Units in BLOX

• Once all HTML blocks are created, click the forward slash ( / ) at the top left under Change URL Map.
• Click Edit, then select the blue Utility Regions column over on the far right.
• Drag and drop each block created under “Blocks” into the appropriate fields:
  • Local Action Unit: In-story Top
  • Local Savings Unit: Bottom of Article, or bottom of article content.
  • Local Stories Player: Below the Local Savings Unit in the bottom of article or bottom of article content box.
  • Expand Ad Placement Options: The Local Stories Player and Local Savings Unit can be placed on any page across your site, including your home page, section pages and even event pages. We encourage you to leverage these units to maximize monetization of additional pageviews in these areas. The Local Action Unit, however, is designed exclusively for use within articles.
    
    Note that BLOX requires you to create new HTML Blocks to utilize in other pages, so you’ll need to repeat Steps 7-10 and drag/drop the new block into the appropriate location for a home page or section pages. 
    
    
• SEE HERE for a visual guide of each ad unit’s recommended location within a typical article page. 

Step 14: Save Layout Changes

• After arranging the blocks, click Save block layout changes button in the second column at the top.

Step 15: Verify Implementation

• Navigate to an article to see if the ad units are visible. Adjustments may be needed on our side (EmpowerLocal) if not all units are showing immediately.

Final Step: Please notify us!

• Once you have completed these steps and activated the ad units, please notify us so we can check from our side. It's normal not to see all of your ad units immediately; we may need to perform some tuning on the EmpowerLocal side once the ad units are live to ensure they are running as intended.

This guide should help you successfully integrate EmpowerLocal with your BLOX site, ensuring that your ad placements and configurations are correctly set up for optimal performance.