SINCE BLOGGER UPGRADED its template format from classic to the XML version, some users started having problems with ad codes - and that is a big trouble for profit blogs, right? Not being able to display that amazing ad due to weird errors that seem to come out of nowhere is not funny at all.

Usually, errors caused by ads scare the blogger with one of the following messages:

"Your template could not be parsed as it is not well-formed. Please make sure all XML elements are closed properly. XML error message: The processing instruction target matching “[xX][mM][lL]” is not allowed."

or

"Your template could not be parsed as it is not well-formed. Please make sure all XML elements are closed properly. XML error message: The content of elements must consist of well-formed character data or markup."

Just a few days ago, one of my clients was having a hard time with her blog. I offered to help her out, logged into her blog and noticed that it simply wasn't showing up at all. All you could see was a white page with two tiny hints to the solution: two links to Shop Style ads (currently called "Pop Sugar").

On my client's dashboard, I went to Layout to find exactly which gadget had the Shop Style ad code. After find it, this is what I saw:


<script src='http://ads.shopstyle.com/?size=300x250&cat=womens-clothes&v=s&color=999999&pid=uidXXXXXXX' language='Javascript'></script>


Do you see that "language='Javascript'" part? Yeah. That was it. The upgraded version of Blogger does not accept Javascript codes.

But you want that stubborn ad to appear! Don't worry, because there are at least two ways to solve that problem:

1. You can go back to the website that provided you the code in order to get another one. Most sites that offer people a chance to partner with them in sales are well aware that we may want to display their ads in blogs. Since Blogger is the most used plataform for monetization (Wordpress.com does not accept users to make money through ads and sponsored links, which is big shame!), it is expected that there must be a special code for Blogger. Try the different provided codes, mainly the ones made for widgets.

That was enough to help my client and her blog was shining on the internet again =]

 2. You can use the awesome Blogger Ad Code Converter Tool, provided by TechHacks. To use it, just paste the troubling ad code (Javascript) below and hit "convert".


With those tips, your problems may be gone and you can happily make money again! What a relief, right?


Peace,
Glória.