Ad Commander and Ad Commander Pro offer several different methods for rendering ads and groups. Each method has its benefits, and the best method will depend on your specific needs.
Server-side rendering
Server-side rendering is the default rendering method. With this method, ads are rendered on the server just as other content on your site is rendered. This means your ads will display at the same time as the rest of your page content. Generally speaking, this creates a smooth experience for your visitor.
The downside of server-side rendering is incompatibility with page caching. If you use a WordPress caching plugin or server-side caching, this method likely will not work for you unless you serve single, static ads. Ads that require randomization or visitor targeting settings will usually not work with page caching and server-side rendering.
Many caching plugins do offer fragmented caching. This could be used to make Ad Commander’s server-side rendering compatible with page caching. The implementation of fragmented caching varies between caching plugins. It will most likely require a developer to implement your ads and groups using template tags and the caching plugin’s fragmented caching code. Fragmented caching is not supported by the Ad Commander support team as the caching plugin’s support team should be better equipped to help.
Client-side rendering
Client-side rendering circumvents page caching issues by loading your ads after the rest of the page. Groups and ads are fetched using JavaScript, and any required visitor information is passed to the server at this time. The downside of client-side rendering is the ads load after the rest of your page content.
Our recommendation is to use client-side rendering with page caching, NOT skip page caching so you can use server-side rendering. The overall speed improvements and SEO benefits of caching your pages is typically more beneficial than server-side ad rendering.
Smart (combination) rendering
Smart rendering combines the two methods above. If an ad or group does not require randomization or visitor information, then server-side rendering is used. If it does, the ad or group loads with client-side rendering.
Caution: Avoid combining page caching, Smart rendering, and “disable for bots” settings. If you are using these bot settings, it’s better to use purely client-side rendering. This is because a cached page without ads could potentially be created by a bot.
