Google Introduces New Ad Filter

Google recently announced plans to add a default ad filter on the chrome web browser to filter out ads that create a frustrating web user experience. Though this may seem to be answered prayers for web browser users, what does it actually mean for advertisers who make revenue from online ads?

Why Does Google Want To Filter Ads

The ad blocker or “Filter” as Google is calling it, is mainly aimed at blocking ads that impact web browser user experience negatively. You know those ads, they either count you down before you can view videos on a site, or cover most of the site’s content, and even worse start auto playing loud audio and videos faster than you can say “aw snap!” Basically Google is taking action against these ads because they create a negative web browser experience for web users.

Which Ads Will Be Blocked?

Of course, not all ads will be blocked. Google's own ads, for example, are pretty much mostly going to sail right through. What will be blocked though will be certain ads that don’t comply with the standards of the Coalition For Better Ads. A coalition that Google joined last month. The following ads are the ones that will be targeted:

For desktop web experience:

Pop-up ads.
Auto-playing video with sound ads.
Prestitial ads with countdown ads.
Large sticky ads.

For Mobile Experience:

Pop-up ads.
Prestitial ads.
Flashing animated ads.
Autoplaying ads.
Large sticky ads.
Full screen scroll over ads.
Prestitial ads with countdown.

From this list, it's clear that mobile browsers experience is more affected than desktop users.

How Google's Ad Filter Works

Google is introducing a new version of chrome browser that will support the ad blocker feature early next year. This feature will make use of a tool called "Google Funding Choices," which will send a custom message asking users to turn off ad blocker or pay for an “ad removal pass” to view content on a site. There will be a fee set per page through Google Contributor.

In Conclusion

In essence it’s not looking good for ad publishers that aren’t part of Google or Facebook. The Coalition For Better Ads already has Google and Facebook as members. Which further strengthens Google's ability to push competitors out of the market. Of course Google stands to lose a bit since they also rely on online ads for revenue, but it’s a small price to pay in order to regain control from third party ad blockers and stay ahead of competitors. The best anyone else can do is comply with The Coalition For Better Ads standards to avoid their ads being penalised by the coalition. We can all agree though, improving web user experience is totally an upside, and not having to deal with intrusive ads will definitely be a bonus for all web browser users.