> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.exoclick.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.exoclick.com/exoclick-docs/age-verification-benefits.md).

# Age Verification Benefits

## Overview

"Age Verification Status" is a key targeting parameter that affects campaign delivery and traffic availability.

Understanding and configuring this setting correctly helps:

* Maximise campaign performance.
* Avoid zero-traffic issues.
* Improve inventory matching.

## What is Age Verification Status?

Age Verification Status shows whether a website verifies that users are of legal age before accessing adult content.

Publishers set this status on their ad zones based on whether their users have been age-verified. Advertisers use it when configuring campaign targeting.

### Available Status Options

* **Age Verification – Verified** – User has completed age verification.
* **Age Verification – Not Verified (SFW)** – User has not passed age verification yet.

<figure><img src="/files/dbqOrt5JSJ5JaOfAhMgq" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

{% hint style="info" %}
The "Undefined" option exists only at the zone level if a publisher has not declared verification.
{% endhint %}

## Why Age Verification Matters

### Legal Compliance

Many countries now require age-gated access for adult or restricted content. This setting supports your compliance efforts but does not by itself guarantee legal compliance; publishers remain responsible for meeting age-verification requirements in their jurisdiction.

### Protecting Your Campaigns

If an advertiser targets "Verified" users only, and a publisher's zones are still set to "Not Verified" or "Undefined", that inventory won't be eligible for the campaign. This is one of the most common reasons campaigns show zero or very low traffic, even when the audience would otherwise be a good fit.

### Audience Safety & Reputation

Verifying users helps confirm they've completed an age check before seeing adult content and reduces the risk of exposing underage users to age-restricted material.

## For Advertisers

### Targeting Configuration

When creating a campaign, you can select which age verification statuses to target.

### Best Practices

**Recommended Approach**

To reach both Verified and Not Verified traffic, create two campaigns:

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

## Target "Not Verified" traffic

Target "Not Verified" only, using SFW creative.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

## Target "Verified" and "Undefined" traffic

Target all traffic ("Verified" & "Undefined"), using NSFW creative.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

This way it reaches both Verified traffic and traffic that never went through a verification process at all, while keeping actual Not Verified users out.

Also, this gives you separate budgets, reporting, and control for each audience and ensures you reach maximum traffic. If you only target "Verified" and skip the "Not Verified" campaign, your traffic will depend on how many publishers have configured age verification on their end, which can mean reduced volume.

Link: [Step 3 - Targeting](/advertisers/campaigns/creating-a-campaign/create-campaign-step3.md)

## For Publishers

### What does "Verified" traffic mean for me?

"Verified" traffic means users who have completed an age check on your site before seeing adult content, for example, through an age verification provider like AgeGO.

In practice, this affects what your zone is eligible to show:

* When a zone sends "Verified" traffic (based on the parameter set at that moment), it becomes eligible for campaigns that require age-verified users, including NSFW ads.
* When a zone sends "Not Verified" traffic, it's only eligible for campaigns approved for non-verified audiences, typically SFW ads.
* The same zone can send both types of traffic at different times, depending on whether each individual visitor has completed verification.

**Example:**

Two publishers both have adult-content zones.

* Publisher A has AgeGO active and sends the "Verified" status with their traffic → eligible for NSFW campaigns and more advertiser demand.
* Publisher B hasn't set up age verification, so their traffic comes in with no status at all. This is typical for traffic from countries with no AV law in place → still eligible for NSFW campaigns.
* Publisher C actively sends the "Not Verified" status → only eligible for SFW campaigns, less demand and lower fill/revenue on that inventory.

### Zone Configuration

When creating a zone, you must declare the correct age verification status.

This improves advertiser matching and demand quality. Advertisers targeting "Verified" traffic can only reach that volume if it's correctly declared and sent with the right status.

### How to Get "Verified" Status

To set your zones as "Verified", your site needs to have an age verification solution in place, for example, AgeGO. AgeGO checks and confirms a user's age before they access your content. Once that's active on your site, you can correctly label this traffic with the Verified age-verification status in ExoClick.

If you haven't integrated an age verification solution yet, your zones should stay as "Not Verified" or "Undefined". Declaring "Verified" without an active check in place is not correct and should be avoided, as with any self-declared setting, accuracy here is the publisher's responsibility.

### Best Practices

* Enable the age verification status on all those GEOs where AV is implemented and ensure traffic is correctly labelled.
* Review your zones periodically to make sure the status still reflects reality (for example, if you add or remove age verification later).

Links:

* [Creating a Zone](/publishers/sites-and-zones/create-zone.md)
* [How to serve SFW ads with ExoClick](/tutorials/tutorials/publishers-tutorials/serve-sfw-ads.md)

## Need Help?

[Contact](https://www.exoclick.com/contact/) support for any questions.


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