Google Announces Ad Blocker for Chrome

Google is a fantastic tool to conduct research but as we scan web sites to gain access about the topic of interest, oftentimes pop-up ads and videos appear out of nowhere.  The result is that we turn away from a web site due to these interferences.  Google is aware of this and has come up with a solution that’s set to launch early next year.

What is it?  Ad blocker from Chrome works like an ad filter – it won’t block all the ads from a web site, only the ones that are determined to be too intrusive, like pop-overs and auto playing audio and video. They’ll be filtered because they’re considered to be bad ads, according to the Coalition for Better Adds.  “But who’s part of the Coalition for Better Ads? Google, for one, as well as Facebook. Those two companies accounted for 99 percent of all digital ad revenue growth in the United States last year, and 77 percent of gross ad spending.”1

Sridhar Ramaswamy, Senior VP of Ads and Commerce, said Google wanted to “build a better web for everyone” by eradicating intrusive ads online without removing all ads entirely, since so many sites rely on ads as their source of revenue. “The vast majority of online content creators fund their work with advertising. That means they want the ads that run on their sites to be compelling, useful and engaging–ones that people actually want to see and interact with. But the reality is, it’s far too common that people encounter annoying, intrusive ads on the web–like the kind that blare music unexpectedly, or force you to wait 10 seconds before you can see the content on the page. These frustrating experiences can lead some people to block all ads–taking a big toll on the content creators, journalists, web developers and videographers who depend on ads to fund their content creation.” 2

From a consumer’s end, you won’t have to do anything except for updating your Chrome browser. For publishers, Google will provide a tool that you can run to find out if your site’s ads are violating the guidelines. The blocker will apply to both desktop and mobile experiences.

Bad ads slow the web down and make it annoying to browse.  This is why many consumers install ad blockers to remove all advertising.  If this continues to be the norm, publishers are going to face more obstacles since nearly all web sites rely on ads to thrive.

With Chrome’s ad blocker, wholesale ad blocking can be controlled such that it pleases both the consumer and publisher.  Users get a better browsing experience and publishers can continue to make profits through online ad sales.

“If successful, the move from Google could slow the adoption rate of ad blockers that flat out block all advertising. However, it has drawn criticism from some because of the power it gives Google, which is itself an ad company and now wants to set standards for the entire industry.  Furthermore, Google has also announced ‘Funding Choices’, a new feature currently in beta that allows publishers to show a customised message to visitors using an ad blocker, inviting them to either enable ads on their site, or pay for a pass that removes all ads on that site through the new Google Contributor.”3

Despite some expected criticism, Chrome’s ad blocker will likely result in a better web browsing experience.

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References and Sources:
1 https://theintercept.com/
2 https://www.blog.google/topics/journalism-news/building-better-web-everyone/
3 https://www.marketingweek.com