Estimated time: 5–10 minutes

Install HalalSpark on WordPress

For self-hosted WordPress sites (WordPress.org). You do not need to edit code directly — everything is done through the WordPress dashboard.

Using WordPress.com?

Some WordPress.com plans restrict custom code and plugin installation. If you cannot install plugins or add Custom HTML blocks, check your plan before continuing.

Before you start

Your website must be approved before ads can serve. If you have not added your site yet:

Go to your HalalSpark dashboard
Click Add Website
Submit for review

Approval usually takes up to 24 hours. You will be notified when complete.

Auto AdsAdd one script. Ads placed automatically.Manual AdsPlace ads exactly where you want them.

Auto Ads

Add one script to your WordPress site.
HalalSpark handles placement automatically.

You only need to add this script once. WordPress loads it on every page automatically — posts, pages, archives, and all — because all themes share a single header template.

Control ad types, density, and page rules from your dashboard.

Get your Auto Ads script

Go to your HalalSpark Publisher Dashboard
Click your website
Open the Set Up Ads tab
Select Auto Ads and complete the setup steps
Copy your script from the final screen

If setup is already complete:

Go to your website → Placements tab
Click Copy Script next to your Auto Ads configuration

Example — Auto Ads script

<script src="https://ads.halalspark.co.uk/get-auto-ads-script?websiteId=YOUR_WEBSITE_ID" async></script>

YOUR_WEBSITE_ID is unique to your site. Copy the script exactly as shown. Do not edit it.

Install a header injection plugin

You need a plugin to add code to your site header. This is the safest method and does not require editing theme files.

Go to your WordPress dashboard
Click Plugins → Add New
Search for a header injection plugin such as WPCode or Insert Headers and Footers
Install and activate it

If you already have a plugin that lets you inject code into your site header, you can use that instead.

Paste the script into the Header section

Open your plugin's settings and find the Header section. Paste your Auto Ads script there and save.

The exact location depends on your plugin. Look for a field labelled Header, Scripts in Header, or Head Code.

ImportantPaste into the Header section — not the Body or Footer section.

ImportantDo not remove the async attribute. Without it, the script can block your page from loading.

Clear your cache

If you use a caching plugin (such as WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache, or LiteSpeed Cache), clear your cache after saving.

Without clearing the cache, your visitors may still see the old version of your pages.

Check your installation

Open your site in a new tab
Ads should appear within a few seconds
If nothing appears, add ?test=1 to your URL to preview, or see troubleshooting below

Adjust settings any time

You can change your settings at any time from the Placements tab in your dashboard:

Ad density — number of ads per page
Ad types — inline, banner, header, footer, sidebar
Page rules — include or exclude specific URLs (only relevant if your script is active across your whole site)

Changes apply immediately. No plugin updates required.

Need different ad settings on different page types — lighter ads on your homepage, denser on blog posts? Use named profiles. Each profile gets its own script URL (&profile=NAME) that you paste into the relevant WordPress template. Set them up in your dashboard under Set Up Ads → Auto Ads → Add Profile. Full details in the Auto Ads guide.

Done. Auto Ads are now active. Impressions are only counted when an ad is at least 50% visible on screen for 1 second.

Preview mode: Add ?test=1 to your page URL. Ads show with a TEST label. No impressions are recorded.
Debug mode: Add ?debug=true to your page URL. Open your browser console to view logs and placement decisions.

Advanced — Theme File Editor

This method carries real risk. Editing theme files directly can break your site if done incorrectly. Changes will be overwritten the next time your theme updates unless you are using a child theme. Only use this method if you are confident editing PHP files.

If you need to add the script directly to your theme:

Go to Appearance → Theme File Editor
Open header.php
Find the closing </head> tag
Paste your script directly before it
Click Update File

Manual Ads

Place ads exactly where you want them in WordPress.
Where the ad should appear determines how you add it. Follow the path that matches your placement.

Manual Ads do not use plugins. They are added directly to your content or layout.

ImportantAlways use a Custom HTML block or widget — not a paragraph or text field. Pasting your script as regular text will display it as visible code on your page.

Path A — In a post or page

Use this method to place an ad inside the content of a post or page — for example, between paragraphs in an article.

Create a placement and get your script

Go to your HalalSpark Publisher Dashboard
Click your website
Open the Set Up Ads tab
Select Manual Ads, choose an ad type, and complete the setup
Copy your script from the final screen

If the placement already exists:

Go to your website → Placements tab
Click Copy next to the placement you want to install

Example — banner placement

<script src="https://ads.halalspark.co.uk/get-ad-script-banner?placement_id=YOUR_PLACEMENT_ID&domain=yourdomain.com&_v=3.0" async></script>

ImportantThe domain= value must match your registered domain exactly.
example.com and www.example.com are treated as different values. A mismatch will prevent ads from serving.

Open the post or page

Go to Posts or Pages in your WordPress dashboard and open the one where the ad should appear. Click Edit.

Add a Custom HTML block

In the editor, click + to add a new block. Search for Custom HTML and select it.

Place the block at the exact position where the ad should appear — for example, between two paragraphs.

ImportantUse a Custom HTML block, not a Paragraph block. Pasting your script into a Paragraph block will display it as visible text on your page.

Paste your script

Click inside the Custom HTML block and paste your script.

Save

Click Update (or Publish if this is a new post or page).

Path B — In a sidebar or footer

Use this method to place an ad in a widget area — for example, a sidebar column or your site footer.

Create a placement and get your script

Go to your HalalSpark Publisher Dashboard
Click your website
Open the Set Up Ads tab
Select Manual Ads, choose an ad type, and complete the setup
Copy your script from the final screen

If the placement already exists:

Go to your website → Placements tab
Click Copy next to the placement you want to install

Example — banner placement

<script src="https://ads.halalspark.co.uk/get-ad-script-banner?placement_id=YOUR_PLACEMENT_ID&domain=yourdomain.com&_v=3.0" async></script>

ImportantThe domain= value must match your registered domain exactly.
example.com and www.example.com are treated as different values. A mismatch will prevent ads from serving.

Open Widgets

Go to Appearance → Widgets in your WordPress dashboard.

Add a Custom HTML widget

Find the widget area where the ad should appear, such as Sidebar or Footer.

Click + to add a new widget. Search for Custom HTML and select it.

Paste your script

Click inside the Custom HTML widget and paste your script.

Save

Click Update.

Done. Manual Ads are now active. Impressions are only counted when an ad is at least 50% visible on screen for 1 second.

Preview mode: Add &test=1 to the script URL. The ad renders with a TEST label. No impression is recorded.
Debug mode: Add &debug=1 to the script URL. Open your browser console to see the targeting decision for that placement.

Ads not showing?

Work through this checklist before raising a support request.

Script placement

Auto Ads script is in your plugin's Header section — not Body or Footer
Manual Ads scripts are in a Custom HTML block or Custom HTML widget — not a Paragraph block or plain text field
The async attribute is present on the script tag
The script URL uses ads.halalspark.co.uk

Cache

Clear your caching plugin after any changes — W3 Total Cache, WP Super Cache, LiteSpeed Cache, or whichever you use
If your host has server-level caching, clear that too

Domain & approval

Your website is approved in your HalalSpark dashboard — the Set Up Ads tab only unlocks after approval
The domain= value matches your registered domain exactly — www prefix matters

Page rules & ad match

The current page is not excluded by a page rule in your Auto Ads settings
A placeholder ad means no paid campaign currently matches your content — this is normal and will resolve as more campaigns go live

Browser & extensions

Disable ad blockers and privacy extensions, then reload
Test in a private browsing window with all extensions off

WordPress-specific

If you edited theme files directly, check that your changes were not overwritten by a theme update
If a recently installed or updated plugin is causing a conflict, try disabling plugins one by one to isolate the issue

Debug tools

Auto Ads: add ?debug=true to your page URL → open browser console
Manual Ads: add &debug=1 to the script URL → open browser console
DevTools → Network tab → filter for halalspark to check requests and responses