How Google is Trying to Improve the Digital Ad Experience

In 2018, Google is going to introduce ad blocking to Chrome in an effort to cut down on intrusive and “bad” display ads. It was confirmed earlier in June, that Chrome will block ads that don’t meet Google’s ad standards disguised as the Coalition for Better Ads, starting in early 2018.

To give publishers insights into whether ads are being blocked on their sites when viewed via Chrome after this move goes into effect next year, Google has created a new reporting system, coined the  Ad Experience Report. This updated system will show publishers screen-shots of display ads or videos of any ad experiences that Google’s system detects “are likely to annoy your users” and violate the Better Ads Standards on desktop or mobile.

Critics of the move say it gives Google the power to favor its own ad formats on its own browser and dictate what makes a good ad experience.

Google has made it clear that the future of Display ads on their network will be Native, making it important to learn best practices earlier rather than later.

A great user experience: they fit naturally on your site and use high-quality advertiser elements, such as high-resolution images, longer titles, and descriptions, to provide a more attractive experience for your visitors.

A great look and feel across different screen sizes: the ads are built to look great on mobile, desktop, and tablet.

Ease of use: easy-to-use editing tools help you make the ads look great on your site.

By necessity, any scenario for global improvement in digital ad experiences has to include the biggest ad seller in the world. Because of this, Google is forced to assume a massive role in leading this process. A significant limiting factor to this, however, is that today’s internet distribution systems distort the flow of economic value derived from good reporting. Google (along with Facebook) dominate web traffic and more specifically online ad income. Combined, they spent 73 billion last year in digital advertising alone, making up ~70% of all digital spend.

Knowing that these giants in the digital advertising space are driving the majority of all traffic through most major publishers, it becomes necessary for users to demand a level of skepticism in the content they are being served – regardless if it might potentially hurt their bottom line. It is this healthy skepticism that will ultimately push for more “quality” ads, which aim to enrich the lives of users they are served to.