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.”Īlthough the figures vary, we know that ad-blocking is a growing trend around the world, and that ad-blockers are used across all demographics, including younger users. “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. “Your feedback has always played a critical part in the development of Chrome,” noted Rahul Roy-Chowdhury, Vice President, Chrome: It’s against this backdrop that Google has repeatedly identified similar conclusions. “Automatically playing audio is received just as negatively today,” they continued, observing how “the following ad characteristics remained just as annoying for participants as they were in the early 2000s.” “The pop ups of the early 2000s have reincarnated as modal windows, and are hated just as viscerally today as they were over a decade ago,” they reported last year. Moreover, as Nielsen have found, many of these hated online advertising techniques have deep roots. In a series of blog posts, Google have consistently highlighted consumer frustrations with the impact that poorly delivered ads can play in the online experience. Why has Google taken this step? What’s the bigger issue they’re trying to fix? This feedback is hardly surprising, but the move to removes ads will which do not confirm to the Better Ads Standard, has clear implications for publishers both in terms of their ability to deliver ads, and their need to do so within the Chrome ecosystem.Īt present, Chrome is the world’s leading browser, with more than 57% market share (in contrast, Safari’s reach is just under 14%), so ensuring you play by Google’s new rules will matter for most media companies. A key driver for this, the company noted on their Chromium Blog, was feedback “from our users that some advertising can be particularly intrusive.”

In mid-February, Google rolled out a new ad-blocker, automatically embedded within their popular Chrome browser.

Damian Radcliffe breaks down what consequences and benefits Google Chrome’s new ad-blocking browser could have for publishers

New ad blocker google chrome