In what is now optimistically called the “Better Ads” report, Google has revealed its automated systems and a 1,000-plus editorial team blocked 780 million ads from distribution last year. That number includes intentionally malicious ads designed to infect visiting computers with malware, ads promoting scams, and others that inadvertently fell foul of Google guidelines for one reason or another. In addition, Google denied 1.4 million AdWords account applications.
Last year there were more than twice the number of bad ads as reported for 2013; a significant increase also on the 2014 total of 524 million.
Why should you care?
Expect the number of bad ads to rise again this year, if only because Google is tightening its policies and improving its ability to detect quickly those ads that violate them. And if your website or app promotes weight loss pay special attention. Sridhar Ramaswamy, head of Google ads, says the company will be “further restricting what can be advertised as effective for weight loss and adding new protections against malware and bots.”
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Jeremy is a Partner and Senior Consultant at SureFire. Jeremy has been working in search since 1996, when he joined the Australian search engine, LookSmart. After relocating to San Francisco, he was instrumental in the development of the company’s paid search ad platform. At analytics company Coremetrics (now owned by IBM) he established an in-house search agency managing campaigns for Coremetrics clients such as Macy’s, Bass Pro and Lands End. At Acxiom he managed members of the pioneering SEO firm Marketleap and worked with clients such as Capital One, American General Finance and Kaiser Health. Joining SureFire in 2009, he is the head of Paid Search Advertising and oversees the delivery of AdWords and other PPC campaigns. He also helps clients make sense of their website data.
