The Better Ads Standards are based on extensive user research conducted by the Coalition about which ad formats and ad experiences consumers think are the most annoying and disruptive. To date, the Coalition has conducted research with more than 66,000 consumers in countries representing 70% of global online advertising spend. The resulting Standards are made up of four desktop and eight mobile web display-ad experiences that companies should avoid to maintain a good user experience.

There are a number of benefits for both publishers and advertisers who implement the standard:

• Publishers who already adhere to the standard benefit from an improved ecosystem. Which may result in a shift in advertising spend to good ad experiences and/or reduced user demand for ad blockers.
• Publishers who remove bad experiences to adhere to the standards will be offering their users better experiences on their sites. This has the potential to increase user engagement and brand perception.
• Advertisers who buy inventory and produce creatives that adhere to the standard will be reaching users in a more relevant, engaging way, delivering a more positive overall experience.

As more and more groups adhere to the standard, the impact scales. And it creates a better online digital environment for everyone.

Why is Google Ads changing its ad standards policies?

As Google itself has emphasized, the Coalition’s “Better Ads Standard” is the result of a survey of more than 150 consumers who identified ad experiences that were below acceptance thresholds. And that could lead the user to install ad blockers.

The logic is simple.

The greater the number of dissatisfied people, the greater the number of people blocking marketing ads or using the search engine tool less.

With fewer people seeing ads, it becomes increasingly expensive for companies to advertise on the platform. Leading these businesses to invest less or even stop investing in it.

What types of ads will be disapproved?

Your ad will be disapproved if its destination (again, the landing page, video on the landing page, app, or app store page) violates Google Ads’ destination requirements policy. Which will now also incorporate the CBA’s Better Ad Standards.

There isn’t really anything too surprising or beyond common sense in there. Basically: keep disruptive, unskippable, unexpected, or obstructive ads out of your ad destinations.  And if you have any currently running, you’ll want to remove those before October.

How can you prepare?

• Review the updated Destination requirements policy: Familiarize yourself with the updated policy requirements. So that you can ensure your ad experiences will be compliant. You can find more information on the Coalition for Better Ads Standards website.
• Create better ad experiences: Take steps to improve the overall user experience on your website by creating better ad experiences. This includes avoiding intrusive ad formats and placing ads in strategic locations.
• Monitor your site’s performance: Keep an eye on your website’s performance to ensure that it is meeting Google’s standards. You can use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to help you identify marketing potential issues.
• Monitor your ad’s performance: Keep an eye on your ad account to make sure that all of your ad experiences are compliant with the new policy requirements. You can use Google’s Ad Experience Report to help you identify any potential issues.