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Enabling your ad network to work with translation-related Google Search features
Google Search offers several translation-related features
that enable users to access translated content. If you run an ad network and your ads aren't
working properly on translated web pages, you'll need to follow the steps in this guide to
make sure your ads render or attribute correctly.
Our approach
When users access translated content provided by Google
Translate from within search results, Google retrieves the page from the publisher, rewrites
the source URL, and translates the web page after the user clicks the translated result.
Convert the Google Translate URL to the original URL
If you run an ad network that relies on the publisher’s source URL, you'll need to convert the
Google Translate URL to make sure your ads are working properly. Follow these steps to decode the publisher’s hostname:
Extract the domain prefix from the hostname, by removing the .translate.goog suffix.
Split the _x_tr_enc parameter by the , (comma) character and save it as encoding_list.
Prepend the value of the _x_tr_hp parameter to the domain prefix, if it exists.
If encoding_list contains 1 and the output begins with 1-, remove the 1- prefix from the output of step 2.
If encoding_list contains 0 and the output begins with 0-, remove the 0- prefix from the output of step 3. If you removed the prefix, set is_idn to true. Otherwise, set is_idn to false.
Replace /\b-\b/ (regex) with the . (dot) character.
Replace the -- (double hyphen) character with the - (hyphen) character.
If is_idn is set to true, add the punycode prefix xn--.
Optional: Convert to Unicode.
Sample JavaScript code for decoding the hostname from a Google Translate URL
Using the original page URL, replace the hostname with the decoded hostname.
Remove all _x_tr_* parameters.
Test your code
You can create unit tests for your code using the following table. Given a proxyUrl,
the decodeHostname must match the expected value.
The following table can only be used to test the hostname decoding. You’ll need to ensure that
the path, fragment, and original parameters of the URL are preserved as is.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-02-04 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eAd networks need to adjust how they handle Google Translate URLs to ensure ads function correctly on translated pages.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eA process is outlined to decode Google Translate URLs back to the original publisher's URL, involving extracting and manipulating URL components.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eProvided JavaScript code offers a solution to decode the hostname from Google Translate URLs.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eReconstructing the full original URL involves replacing the decoded hostname and removing Google Translate-specific parameters.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eA table with sample URLs and expected decoded hostnames aids in testing the implementation.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],["Ad networks must decode Google Translate URLs to ensure ads function on translated pages. This involves extracting the domain prefix, splitting the `_x_tr_enc` parameter, prepending the `_x_tr_hp` parameter, conditionally removing prefixes based on `encoding_list`, replacing hyphens, and adding a punycode prefix if `is_idn` is true. Finally, reconstruct the original URL by replacing the hostname with the decoded one and removing `_x_tr_*` parameters. Sample JavaScript code and test cases are provided.\n"],null,["# Ad Networks & Translation Search Features | Google Search Central\n\nEnabling your ad network to work with translation-related Google Search features\n================================================================================\n\n\nGoogle Search offers several [translation-related features](/search/docs/appearance/translated-results)\nthat enable users to access translated content. If you run an ad network and your ads aren't\nworking properly on translated web pages, you'll need to follow the steps in this guide to\nmake sure your ads render or attribute correctly.\n\nOur approach\n------------\n\n\nWhen users access translated content provided by [Google\nTranslate](https://translate.google.com/about/) from within search results, Google retrieves the page from the publisher, rewrites\nthe source URL, and translates the web page after the user clicks the translated result.\n\nConvert the Google Translate URL to the original URL\n----------------------------------------------------\n\n\nIf you run an ad network that relies on the publisher's source URL, you'll need to convert the\nGoogle Translate URL to make sure your ads are working properly. Follow these steps to decode the publisher's hostname:\n\n1. Extract the domain prefix from the hostname, by removing the `.translate.goog` suffix.\n2. Split the `_x_tr_enc` parameter by the `,` (comma) character and save it as `encoding_list`.\n3. Prepend the value of the `_x_tr_hp` parameter to the domain prefix, if it exists.\n4. If `encoding_list` contains `1` and the output begins with `1-`, remove the `1-` prefix from the output of step 2.\n5. If `encoding_list` contains `0` and the output begins with `0-`, remove the `0-` prefix from the output of step 3. If you removed the prefix, set `is_idn` to `true`. Otherwise, set `is_idn` to `false`.\n6. Replace `/\\b-\\b/` (regex) with the `.` (dot) character.\n7. Replace the `--` (double hyphen) character with the `-` (hyphen) character.\n8. If `is_idn` is set to `true`, add the punycode prefix `xn--`.\n9. **Optional**: Convert to Unicode.\n\n### Sample JavaScript code for decoding the hostname from a Google Translate URL\n\n```gdscript\nfunction decodeHostname(proxyUrl) {\n const parsedProxyUrl = new URL(proxyUrl);\n const fullHost = parsedProxyUrl.hostname;\n // 1. Extract the domain prefix from the hostname, by removing the\n \".translate.goog\" suffix\n let domainPrefix = fullHost.substring(0, fullHost.indexOf('.'));\n\n // 2. Split _x_tr_enc parameter by \",\" (comma), save as encodingList\n const encodingList = parsedProxyUrl.searchParams.has('_x_tr_enc') ?\n parsedProxyUrl.searchParams.get('_x_tr_enc').split(',') :\n [];\n\n // 3. Prepend value of _x_tr_hp parameter to the domain prefix, if it exists\n if (parsedProxyUrl.searchParams.has('_x_tr_hp')) {\n domainPrefix = parsedProxyUrl.searchParams.get('_x_tr_hp') + domainPrefix;\n }\n\n // 4. Remove '1-' prefix from the output of step 2 if encodingList contains\n // '1' and the output begins with '1-'.\n if (encodingList.includes('1') && domainPrefix.startsWith('1-')) {\n domainPrefix = domainPrefix.substring(2);\n }\n\n // 5. Remove '0-' prefix from the output of step 3 if encodingList contains\n // '0' and the output begins with '0-'.\n // Set isIdn to true if removed, false otherwise.\n let isIdn = false;\n if (encodingList.includes('0') && domainPrefix.startsWith('0-')) {\n isIdn = true;\n domainPrefix = domainPrefix.substring(2);\n }\n\n // 6. Replace /\\b-\\b/ (regex) with '.' (dot) character.\n // 7. Replace '--' (double hyphen) with '-' (hyphen).\n let decodedSegment =\n domainPrefix.replaceAll(/\\b-\\b/g, '.').replaceAll('--', '-');\n\n // 8. If isIdn equals true, add the punycode prefix 'xn--'.\n if (isIdn) {\n decodedSegment = 'xn--' + decodedSegment;\n }\n return decodedSegment;\n}\n```\n\nReconstruct the URL\n-------------------\n\n1. Using the original page URL, replace the hostname with the decoded hostname.\n2. Remove all `_x_tr_*` parameters.\n\nTest your code\n--------------\n\n\nYou can create unit tests for your code using the following table. Given a `proxyUrl`,\nthe `decodeHostname` must match the expected value.\n\n\nThe following table can only be used to test the hostname decoding. You'll need to ensure that\nthe path, fragment, and original parameters of the URL are preserved as is.\n\n| `proxyUrl` | `decodeHostname` |\n|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|\n| `https://example-com.translate.goog` | `example.com` |\n| `https://foo-example-com.translate.goog` | `foo.example.com` |\n| `https://foo--example-com.translate.goog` | `foo-example.com` |\n| `https://0-57hw060o-com.translate.goog/?_x_tr_enc=0` | `xn--57hw060o.com (⚡😊.com)` |\n| `https://1-en--us-example-com/?_x_tr_enc=1` | `en-us.example.com` |\n| `https://0-en----w45as309w-com.translate.goog/?_x_tr_enc=0` | `xn--en--w45as309w.com (en-⚡😊.com)` |\n| `https://1-0-----16pw588q-com.translate.goog/?_x_tr_enc=0,1` | `xn----16pw588q.com (⚡-😊.com)` |\n| `https://lanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch-co-uk.translate.goog/?_x_tr_hp=l` | `llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.co.uk` |\n| `https://lanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch-co-uk.translate.goog/?_x_tr_hp=www-l` | `www.llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.co.uk` |\n| `https://a--aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-com.translate.goog/?_x_tr_hp=a--xn--xn--xn--xn--xn--------------------------a` | `a-xn-xn-xn-xn-xn-------------aa-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.com` |\n| `https://g5h3969ntadg44juhyah3c9aza87iiar4i410avdl8d3f1fuq3nz05dg5b-com.translate.goog/?_x_tr_enc=0&_x_tr_hp=0-` | `xn--g5h3969ntadg44juhyah3c9aza87iiar4i410avdl8d3f1fuq3nz05dg5b.com (💖🌲😊💞🤷♂️💗🌹😍🌸🌺😂😩😉😒😘💕🐶🐱🐭🐹🐰🐻🦊🐇😺.com)` |"]]
