In short, it won’t have a major impact! On February 15th, Google will introduce a new more robust ad filter for Chrome. Its objective is straightforward: to eliminate annoying interstitial ads and other intrusive advertising practices from the web. While advertisers have faced ad blockers before (and survived), this is the first instance of an ad blocker being directly integrated into the most popular most popular browser worldwide.
According to Statista This seemingly alarming new feature primarily aims to enhance mobile browsing experiences. This aligns with other recent Google initiatives, such as the previously discussed AMP Stories and the “Speed Update.” Let’s delve into the functionality of the new Chrome ad filter and its mechanics.
Why is Google Launching an Ad Filter for Chrome?
Google states that “While most online advertising respects user experience, we’ve received increasing feedback about intrusive ads.” Although third-party tools have addressed this for some time, Google has finally integrated its solution directly into Chrome. Their blog post on the new ad filter update emphasizes that the issues often stem from ad delivery on third-party sites, not the ads or the advertisers themselves.
Google’s latest ad blocker is based on extensive research by the Coalition for Better Ads, a group dedicated to improving browsing experiences. Their survey of 40,000 internet users explored which ad formats users found most disruptive to various online activities. Unsurprisingly, the research highlighted distracting flash-animated banners, autoplaying video pop-ups, and those dreadful full-page interstitials as major culprits. However, the filter will target many other bothersome ad formats.
How Will Chrome’s Ad Blocker Function?
While a bit technical, here’s my understanding… Instead of manual review, Chrome’s ad blocker utilizes pattern matching. It compares websites against a list of those known to violate the Better Ad Standards.
Website inclusion on this list is determined through an evaluation process. Sample pages are analyzed, and based on the number of violations, a site receives a status: Pass, Warning, or Fail. If a site is flagged, the filter examines images and JavaScript on the page a user is browsing to identify “ad-related URL patterns.” If a match is found, Chrome blocks the ads, allowing the user to browse uninterrupted. Desktop users will experience ad block notifications similar to the current Chrome format. Android users will see a message bar at the bottom of their browser that resembles this:
Let’s examine the types of ads Google considers problematic.
Ad Blocker: Desktop Version
Given the emphasis on mobile-first indexing and page speed updates for improved mobile experiences, it’s logical that Chrome’s new ad blocker has limited impact on desktop ads.
Nevertheless, the Coalition for Better Ads has identified these desktop ad experiences as disruptive:
- Pop-Up Ads
- Auto-Playing Video with Sound
- Prestitial Ads with Countdowns
- Large Sticky Ads Anyone who has encountered these knows how irritating they can be. It’s particularly satisfying that large, sticky ads are deemed unacceptable. You can close a pop-up, but those persistent bars are inescapable without an ad blocker. Kudos to Google!
Ad Blocker: Mobile Version
And now for the main course…
The diagram above clearly demonstrates Google’s focus on improving the mobile browsing experience. Here are the ad formats deemed disruptive enough to be blocked on mobile devices:
- Pop-Up Ads
- Prestitial Ads
- Ad Density Exceeding 30%
- Flashing Animated Ads
- Auto-Playing Video Ads with Sound
- Postitial Ads with Countdowns
- Full-Screen Scrollover Ads
- Large Sticky Ads Apart from preroll/midroll video ads, unobtrusive banner ads, native ads, advertorials, and of course, search ads, websites will now have limited space to display paid advertisements.
Will Chrome’s Ad Blocker Affect Your Paid Search & Social Advertising?
…Not really!
Chrome’s ad blocker won’t significantly impact your paid search advertising (unless Google considers a few ads on a mobile SERP as 30% saturation, which is unlikely). If you’re running display campaigns, your ads might be blocked due to issues with placements; a site with excessive AdSense ads could be penalized, but you won’t bear the cost.
This is because Google doesn’t exempt its network from the pattern-scanning process. Currently, you can’t view a potential ad placement’s pass/warning/fail status to exclude non-compliant sites.
If you utilize AdSense to monetize your website with Display ads, ensure you avoid excessive banners, especially on mobile.
For other ads you manage directly or through other programmatic networks, use the updated Google Search Console to access your site’s Ad Experience Report. If there are issues, request a re-review. As long as you address the identified non-compliant aspects, you should be able to continue running ads.