Google, still considered the king of online advertising, has been recently taking a stronger approach in dealing with the bad ads appearing on their website. Last year, there were reportedly more than 3 billion advertisements removed from Google due to what Google refers to as, bad content. This is double the number of advertisements which were pulled in 2016, meaning that either more companies are coming out with poor ads, or Google has intensified their stance against as of this kind.
When an ad is pulled, it isn’t only the marketing campaign which is affected, Google will also block, banish, and blacklist publishers and websites which cause removals of this kind. One of the leading causes for Google to take action against an ad is if it promotes hate or prejudice of any kind. Last year, more than 8,500 pages saw their ads demolished due to Google’s anti-hate policy. Another reason you might see an ad pulled is due to dead ends, fraudulent websites, or a connection to malware.
Ads which con users into installing unwanted software, uploading a virus, or opening a page other than what is being advertised are penalized by Google. More than 66 million ads were pulled last year alone for sending users to alternative websites from what an ad was promising. Scams, copycats and fake news sites are a major target of this regulation set down by Google in an effort to protect their users from inauthentic and possibly harmful content.
While part of the reason Google has changed their ad policies, and become more cut throat this year, is for the good of the public, it also has a lot to do with political pressure. Governments have begun cracking down on information shared over the internet, and search engines are seeing a lot of this negativity directed at them to help manage the influx of false information and consumer traps.
No More Cryptocurrency Ads
Another change Google is making to the online ad game this coming summer is a full out ban against ads related to cryptocurrency. This comes after a surge of fraudulent crypto sites hit the internet in an effort to scam users out of money. Now, to avoid the backlash from government officials and the public, Google is making an effort to thoroughly investigate financial services posting ads, before the ad is posted. Ads which break the rules according to this new rule will face consequences, including having their ad removed, and possibly being banned from the site altogether.
This is the second internet giant to make such a change to their policy, as Facebook already banned this type of information sharing at the beginning of winter 2018. Facebook had their own reasons for making the change, some of which include the inability to regulate the content being posted, and complaints from users.
Some of the cryptocurrency content being turned away includes cryptocoin management services, offerings of cryptocoins and advice on using cryptocoins. Unfortunately, this change will also have a negative impact on real companies using or offering cryptocoins as part of their service.
So, what does this mean for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies? Well, it’s not good. According to news reports which appeared following Google’s announcement regarding these ads, Bitcoin saw a drop well below $8,000, a whopping blow to the otherwise thriving currency, which had previously been up by 13.8%.
Google Ads Become Tops
It’s not surprising that Google is making so many changes to the way their ads are perceived, and who has the opportunity to take part, when they have become not only the top search engine in the world, but one of the top marketing fronts as well. Within the United States market, more than 76% of the budgets allotted for search is spent through Google.
The Google Shopping feature has made it easier than ever for consumers to find everything they need through Google alone. In fact, more than 85% of the clicks that most ecommerce sites receive come directly through the search engine giant. Google is designed to read well on most devices, making it convenient and accessible to tablets, mobile phones, desktops, and laptop computers.
So, why is Google Shopping such a successful feature? With the ability to present nearly an entire virtual store through the Google page, without the need for customers to transfer to a business’ post until they’re ready to buy, it’s become an attractive way to shop. This makes it highly competitive for stores vying for those top places in the Google marketing setup. Virtual storefronts which appear as ads are likely to be clicked first before others are visited.
While Google hasn’t quite outfitted itself the same way as ecommerce giant, Amazon, they are striving to become a leading source for consumers to find products and services. You can see a similar process with Facebook, which has also begun to hype up sales ads and reduce the number of spam ads being published on their site.
This surely won’t be the last of the big changes we see to Google’s advertising setup this year. As the year progresses, Google has made it obvious that there will be more consumer driven upgrades focused on their ecommerce sourcing. For businesses hoping to make the cut, it’s a good time to get in on the ground floor and roll with the punches before the competition gets tough and takes off.