The Deal With Google’s New Ad Blocker

by Ben Goodman ***

Ad blockers have long been a boon to many online users. But it has also been a bane to many digital advertisers, and now it appears that things are turning for the worse for them. A couple of weeks ago, Google updated their Chrome browser and integrated a built-in ad blocker. They aim to remove ads that are a detriment to a user’s browsing experience.

It may seem like an ironic move for the company to make since a huge chunk of their revenue comes from businesses who advertise on Google. In a news article by Quartz, it was stated that Google controls almost a third of the online advertising world.

However, it may not be so bad after all. Contrary to their actions, Google actually wants to improve online advertising. According to Search Engine Journal:

“Google believes if ads were more useful and engaging,

fewer people would resort to installing ad blockers.”

Google has also joined the Coalition for Better Ads, a group of international organizations with the objective of creating higher online advertising standards to prevent users from being annoyed by ads. As such, they have also implemented said standards in their recent browser update.

Some of the types of ads that will not pass the standards are:

• Video ads that play automatically with sound
• Ads that stick to the page’s edge even while scrolling
• Ads with countdowns
• Pop-up ads
• Flashy animated ads

Websites who don’t fail the standards or are in danger of failing them are given a warning by Google and a deadline to make improvements. Should the website not comply, Google will block all ads—even those advertised by Google itself. Quartz states that:

“If a site is found to be failing, Chrome won’t just block those intrusive ads. It will block all ads on the site, even those bought on Google’s own AdWords platform or served through its ad server DoubleClick.”

Google also gives users an option to allow or disallow ads.

Overall, this isn’t necessarily bad news for advertisers. As a matter of fact, this can help them in the long run, as it helps filter out the competition. Digital marketing news site Fourth Source makes an insightful remark:

“…By giving the web a ‘spring clean’ and removing the most menacing ads, (specifically auto-playing videos and flashing animated banners), it can be argued that Google is making the web a more welcoming place to advertise – in fact, by making the industry clean up its act, Google could be helping to save it…”

Ad blockers should spur businesses into improving the quality of their advertisements, no matter what web browser is being used. It’s in everyone’s best interest to avoid ads that disturb the user experience. It is better for businesses to invest in digital advertising that is non-intrusive and actually relevant to consumer interests. Studying analytics, personalizing and using targeting tools to advertise on Google or other platforms has become more crucial now, as they will enhance the user’s time online without being a nuisance.