Google AdSense for Responsive Design – GARD

How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.

Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.

wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.

4 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 0 listed. 4 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.

Directory rank

Ranked about #13,300 to #16,400, alongside the other plugins at 100+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 1 Nov 2026.

How often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.

Share of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.

Crossed into this band 6 months ago; the previous band took 15 months to cross, which places it about 58% of the way through.

1. ★★★★★ Anonymous

   9.8y ago

   Update: Still nothing from this developer and now his actual site is down. I have sent him messages on multiple platforms and received nothing back. DO NOT INSTALL OR USE THIS PLUGIN. DOESN’T WORK, NO SUPPORT, NO FULFILLMENT OF THERE GUARANTESS. —————————— While this plugin seems to work for the most part, don’t expect to get any support. I installed this version and then bought two licenses for the pro version. The ads are not showing in my custom posts automatically and I have to do it manually. I will end up with thousands of posts so manually doing it isn’t an option. I submitted a request to the “thepluginfactory” and have gotten nothing back. It has been weeks and weeks now. I also emailed them and got crickets. I wouldn’t recommend any use this plugin until the developer awakens. I have no idea what the issue is, but this is crazy. The lead developer is on linkedin, but again I have gotten cricket. I am not trying to be difficult. However, having paid for the pro version twice now and expected more. This topic was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by barbours.

   Read on wp.org ↗
2. ★★★★★ GalinaBublik

   9.9y ago

   Written nearly 500 line in wp_options and not delete it after uninstall.

   Read on wp.org ↗
3. ★★★★★ richpaine

   11.4y ago

   I have tried various techniques and plugins to get my ads working properly for responsive. Nothing really worked quite how I wanted until I tried GARD. Ads actually started to look and display as I wanted them, so decided to upgrade to GARD Pro. Using GARD Pro, ads always display, no blank boxes. Ads always adjust to the size of the screen correctly. The ability with the pro version to use different groups for ads is great as it allows you to use different sizes of ads on any page and on any part of the page. Ads seem to load faster using GARD too. Support is excellent! Developers are quick to respond to any queries you may have. For the relatively cheap cost of the Pro version, I would recommend anyone needing a plugin to help with Adsense to use this.

   Read on wp.org ↗
4. ★★★★★ DonaldMcKenzie

   11.6y ago

   I bought the Pro, but can’t figure out how to upload it so that it works with the GARD plug-in I have installed.

   Read on wp.org ↗
5. ★★★★★ Bliss7

   11.7y ago

   The plugin does not have clear instructions on what goes where. On the settings page I don’t even know what goes where into the boxes. No screenshots and clear explanations. Nothing. And what about channels? I would not want to simply place my pub ID into a third party plugin and expect to sit back and do nothing. I have channels and I don’t think it can be set inside the plugin. Finally, the plugin does not make distinctions about Pure Responsive ad units and semi responsive ad units. The semi-responsive ad units are the ones with Asynchronous code and have a data ad slot ID. These are the “standard” Google ads now, BUT they are not fully responsive. The responsive ones have “auto” data ad slot….and are created when you select “Automatic size – Responsive” among the list of choices in your Google account. Try viewing your website in a very small device that is less than 300 px width in resolution. The standard Asynchronous (semi-responsive) ads will truncate for all those ad sizes larger than 300 px width specified size, because they are NOT fully responsive. No, they are not responsive. What must be made clear to people is the “real” responsive ad unit from Google that auto adjusts itself into the CSS container of its page. There is no specified size to this ad unit inside your Adsense panel. And getting the ad unit to style properly is not easy. It’s obvious the makers of this plugin are more interested in pushing users to buy their “Pro” version.

   Read on wp.org ↗
6. ★★★★★ Ellesensei

   11.8y ago

   I have had adsense for the past two months and couldn’t figure out what was wrong with the code I was getting from Google. None of my ads would display correctly on my responsive website. This was the easiest solution. I put the requested info into the GARD plug-in and now my ads are displaying beautifully! Thank you!

   Read on wp.org ↗
7. ★★★★★ Steinhoefel1

   11.9y ago

   Simple way to implement AdSense code for responsive blogs

   Read on wp.org ↗
8. ★★★★★ rogama

   12.1y ago

   not work

   Read on wp.org ↗

1 open vulnerability affects the current version (2.23). 0 of 1 disclosed are patched.

1. Open Medium · 4.4 Google AdSense for Responsive Design – GARD <= 2.23 - Authenticated (Administrator+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗
   2025-12-21 CVE-2025-67632 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.23 No patch available

Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.

This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.

Growth timeline

Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow

1. 2026-05-03 200+ → 100+ down after 440 days in tier
2. 2025-02-17 300+ → 200+ down after 462 days in tier
3. 2023-11-13 400+ → 300+ down after 290 days in tier
4. 2023-01-27 500+ → 400+ down after 115 days in tier
5. 2022-10-04 600+ → 500+ down after 413 days in tier
6. 2021-08-17 800+ → 600+ down after 330 days in tier
7. 2020-09-21 1K+ → 800+ down after 512 days in tier
8. 2019-04-28 4K+ → 1K+ down

Competes with

The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).

Embed this report card

Drop a live Pulse card for Google AdSense for Responsive Design – GARD into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.

Google AdSense for Responsive Design – GARD: 100+ active installs, 3.8★ (17 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/google-adsense-for-responsive-design-gard