On February 15, 2018 Google rolled out its built-in ad blocker to Chrome browsers. Ad blockers have traditionally been an extension/plug-in that users had to manually install. Google’s built-in ad blocker is one of the first to make blocking intrusive ads on both web browsers and mobile devices seamless for consumers. Now, websites that allow highly intrusive ad placements will have their ads blocked automatically. As a marketer, this may sound the alarm; however, the primary goal is to improve users’ experience.
Here are the key takeaways to know about the update:
- Few ads will actually be blocked–only the ones that don’t adhere to the Coalition for Better Ads guidelines. Below is an image of the “12 annoying ad experiences” Google has identified as noncompliant with their standards:
Source: Coalition for Better Ads
- The ad blocker will function similarly to many ad blocking extensions/plug-ins already available for download.
- The ad server in which the ads are coming from will not be a factor in determining which ads are blocked.
- Google will notify websites with ads that are considered “intrusive” with their Ad Experience Report Tool. Once a site has been notified, if it fails to meet the standards for 30 days, all of its ads will be blocked (even those served by a Google ad software).
- Google’s Product Manager for Chrome, Ryan Schoen, says that “42% of publishers that were in violation have already moved to other ads,” according to TechCrunch. “The publisher can decide which ad networks to do business with but ultimately for us, the users, by navigating to a specific site, they enter a relationship with that site,” he said. “We think it’s the responsibility of the site owner to take ownership of that relationship.”
- The Chrome filtering happens at the domain level, before the publisher is able to make a call to our ad server. This means that a lot of this intrusive inventory will be blocked before Mogo bids on any inventory. This should not have an overall impact on cost or delivery.
Ultimately, the change will help drive better ROI by encouraging us, as marketers, to focus on producing ads that perform well and deliver the user with a quality experience. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your account strategist or email us at hello@mogointeractive.com if you have any questions or concerns.