If you’ve recently setup Ezoic, or are planning to switch to the Ezoic Network, you might already be aware of the many possible issues that can arise during the Ezoic Integration. In this Article, I’ll talk about many of the Common Issues associated with Ezoic and what their solutions are.
(The problems discussed in this Article mostly apply to the Nameserver or Cloudflare integration)
What kind of Problems can Occur?
I like to Classify the possible problems into two categories, the “Origin Error” and then everything else. The infamous Origin error is a major problem that a significant portion of people face when first setting up Ezoic. Any other issue is just something caused by negligence or something that just needs a slight tweak.
As I’ve encountered several problems, including the Ezoic error, I know quite a bit about them and how they can be solved. Below you will find several suggestions and solutions to problems. Towards the end we’ll finally discuss the Origin error and how to solve it.
Luckily, Ezoic has alot of useful tutorials, and their customer support is solid. You can always rely on your customer support, who will often be able to fix your problems by themselves.
Suggestion# 1: Ezoic WordPress Hosting
Ezoic offer free WordPress hosting, which integrates seamlessly with their ad-network. With this you can be sure to avoid any possible errors such as the Origin error (unless you configure things really badly). If you are using a shared hosting plan, and don’t have too much invested in your hosting/site, then I think this is a good option.
I don’t particularly recommend it though, as switching your whole hosting for an ad-network is a rather drastic option.
Suggestion# 2: Wait it out
Sometimes when changing DNS settings, it can take upto 48 – 72 hours for the changes to fully propagate across the world. So if your site runs into what you think may be DNS related, you should double check your DNS records, then wait atleast 24 hours before trying modifying your settings.
You can track your DNS propagation with sites like, whatsmydns.net.
Suggestion# 3: Disable everything unnecessary
Ezoic is rather touchy about what’s it’s compatible with, hence it’s not compatible with a lot of plugins like the LightSpeed caching plugin. It’s in your best interests to disable all Caching Plugins and anything else that may be interfering. Sometimes even with the correct setup, a clash with another Caching plugin can mess up everything.
Luckily, Ezoic has it’s own Cache Plugin and CDN so you won’t really be missing out on much.
Suggestion# 4: Using Wordfence (WordPress)
If you are using WordPress, I highly recommend you install the Wordfence Plugin. It’s a security plugin that gives you alot of control over your firewall, allowed IP’s and proxies. This is really useful as Ezoic IP’s are sometimes classified as bot traffic by your host, and you need to whitelist them.
Wordfence allows you to easily to whitelist Ezoic IP’s or setup the X-Forwarded Header (more on this later).
Suggestion# 5: Try the WordPress Plugin
The Ezoic WordPress Plugin does not require you to do anything with your nameservers, hence you won’t be running into about 90% of possible problems caused by Ezoic. You should however disable all caching plugins as they may conflict.
Ezoic do not recommend this option since you will not be able to speed up your site using their CDN and Site Speed Accelerator, but if this is your last option, go for it.
I also highly recommend you make a Backup for your site before installing and activating the Ezoic WordPress plugin. Some people have reported that it crashed their site, and needed to use a backup to restore it.
If you are planning to join Ezoic, then use this referral link here, which will earn me a little commission (from Ezoic’s revenue, not yours). You can find a complete review of Ezoic, and it’s impact on our earnings here.
Origin Error
Chances are the above steps solved your error. In case they didn’t, you are either have the Origin error, or some other misconfiguration on your part which you can easily resolve by talking it out with your Ezoic rep or hosting provider.
If you are facing any error regarding the server, this section is very important for you.
Identifying the Origin Error
Identifying this error is fairly straightforward. You will likely get an error message saying “Origin Error” or “Error communicating with Origin” error. You might also get a 5xx error. Any such error beginning with “5” is related to the server. Any such error will require the fixes we will mention now.
Another important thing to note is that the Origin error will likely only occur at random and effect a small portion of your traffic. So unless your settings are really bad, the Origin error will only cause you to lose about 10-20% of your traffic.
Fixing the Origin Error
- First of all, like we mentioned earlier, disable all caching plugins or other possible plugins causing conflicts.
- Whitelist the Ezoic IP’s. You may do this through your host (either by a built-in method, or by contacting them) or by using a plugin like Wordfence.
- Clear all caches (browser and CDN cache)
- Wait atleast 12 hours.
If the error still persists, it’s time to make another wave of changes.
SSL Settings: Your SSL settings are likely the cause behind the Origin error. There are two options in Ezoic regarding SSL settings. The first is the level of SSL security, and the second is the HTTPS redirect option. Depending on your SSL configuration, these values must be changed.
(If you are using the Ezoic WordPress plugin, ignore anything related to SSL)
This Ezoic article contains the full story, but here’s a summary.
- If you have a pre-existing SSL certificate:
- Nameserver Integration: SSL setting “Full” and HTTPS redirect off.
- Cloudflare Integration: SSL setting should be same as Cloudflare’s and HTTPS redirect off.
- If you have no Existing SSL certificate:
- Nameserver Integration: SSL setting should be “Flexible” and HTTPS redirect on.
- Cloudflare Integration: SSL setting should be same as Cloudflare’s and HTTPS redirect off.
If you are using the Cloudflare Integration, I recommend you keep the SSL setting on both Ezoic and Cloudflare to “Flexible”.
Setting up X-Forward-For Header: This is another very important fix, as it can stop your hosting provider from blocking the Ezoic IP’s attempting you access your site.
Basically Ezoic uses a set of proxies which are wrapped around the visitor’s actual IP. Your hosting provider will see the Ezoic proxy (not the user IP) and incorrectly determine that it is bot traffic. The X-Forward-For Header ensures that your host receives the actual visitor IP instead of the Ezoic IP.
You can setup this feature by talking to your host, using Wordfence or by inserting the proper code into your website.
VPS Hosting: Your final option, is switching to VPS hosting. I kept this option for last because of how drastic it is, and not everyone has the technical knowledge on how to step it up. It’s not too hard, and even someone with no prior knowledge could learn how to do it. For those willing to take the risk, VPS hosting will almost definitely solve your problem.
The reason for this is that VPS hosting gives you your own dedicated server. This allows you configure it however you wish, and make sure the Ezoic IP’s are allowed and not blocked or put through security checks by your host’s security network.
The good thing however is, that if you can afford this option, then you are guaranteed to be free of the Origin error, provided you configure things as they should be (such as no other caching plugins).
Interested in seeing how Ezoic compares to Google AdSense? Check this Ezoic vs Google AdSense comparasion and find out!
Special Cases
If you are using Hostinger, then chances are you will face a captcha screen by their security network “BitNinja”. This might be solved by turning off the Ezoic CDN.
Sometimes the Origin may occur only during login screens or the dashboard for your website. It may not effect normal viewers looking at your content.
Conclusion
The general process is to start slow and gradually begin attempting for complex fixes. If you’ve tried all the basic fixes, then you should begin changing the SSL settings and if that fails, setup the X-Forward-For Header. If even that fails, then you have no choice but to use the Ezoic free hosting or use a VPS hosting.
However if VPS isn’t an option for you, then try the Ezoic Free hosting or resort to the WordPress Plugin.
If you are still at a point where using Ezoic isn’t viable, then you should begin considering alternatives like Mediavine, Adthrive or Monumetric.
If you are planning to join Ezoic, then use this referral link here, which will earn me a little commission (from Ezoic’s revenue, not yours).
Useful Tutorials
A set of useful tutorials from Ezoic themselves on how to resolve problems.
This marks the end of the Common Issues with Ezoic and their Solutions Article. Any suggestions or contributions for CodersLegacy are more than welcome. Questions regarding the tutorial content can be asked in the comments section below.
