Google just made an announcement that will put an end to irritating online ads in Chrome.
On Thursday, search engine giant Google announced that it would be blocking all online ads that don’t comply with the Better Ads Standards set by the Coalition for Better Ads.
So, if you’re one of those bothered by advertisements that keep on popping in your Chrome browser, your days of suffering are finally over!
According to Google, Chrome browser will now have a built-in blocker designed to filter out annoying ads that violate the Better Ads Standards. That includes pop-up ads, auto-playing audio ads, and the large sticky ads that stay on our screen even if we’re trying to scroll past it.
@google has announced that it will be blocking all online ads in Chrome that are in direct violation of the Better Ads Standards. #SearchEngine #ChromeClick To Tweet“Your feedback has always played a critical part in the development of Chrome. This feedback has shown that a big source of frustration is annoying ads: video ads that play at full blast or giant pop-ups where you can’t seem to find the exit icon,” Rahul Roy-Chowdhury, Vice President at Chrome, wrote in a blog post.
“These ads are designed to be disruptive and often stand in the way of people using their browsers for their intended purpose—connecting them to content and information. It’s clear that annoying ads degrade what we all love about the web.”
The Fight Against Annoying Online Ads
The search engine giant will be relying on the Better Ads Standards to determine which online ads must be blocked. Apparently, those deemed by the coalition researchers as intrusive will be the first to say goodbye. According to reports, over 40,000 people took part in surveys conducted by the coalition to find the worst offenders.
“We want the web to be a place where businesses can thrive and make revenue, but also a place where users can have a good experience,” Ryan Schoen, Google’s product manager for web platform work at Chrome, said. “We’re hoping this will bring balance back in the web ecosystem.”
Websites will be rated as passing, warning, or failing. Those caught violating the ads standards will receive an alert from Google. Site owners will be able to access Google’s evaluation through the Ad Experience Report tool. They can also use said tool to file for an appeal to be reviewed again after taking actions against the bad ads.
“Depending on the number of violations of the Better Ads Standards found on the website, it will be evaluated as having a status of “Passing”, “Warning” or “Failing” in the Ad Experience Report. Ads with a “Failing” status in the report for over 30 days will be removed. Website owners can also request that they be re-reviewed after addressing the non-compliant ad experiences,” Marketing Interactive explained.
According to reports, Google has already begun warning sites about their annoying online ads. Apparently, about 42 percent of the sites who have been notified “have dialed back on ads to pass Google’s standards.” That includes some popular online media outlets like The LA Times, Forbes, and the Chicago Tribune.
Chowdhury hopes that with these new changes, Chrome will be able to provide people with a better web browsing experience.
Of course it will serve users with what matters most online, great user experience and for that, it is a thumbs up. However, I think small business may take a hard knock with the coming changes.