Google confirms ad-blocking in Chrome will start February 15

Chrome will cease showing ads on websites that display non-compliant ad experiences beginning February 15. The initial warning was issued in June but did not specify a time frame aside from “early 2018.”

With over half the market share in the browser market, this has a potentially sizable impact for non-compliant websites whose ads do not meet the standards of the Coalition for Better Ads. Experiences such as full-page interstitials, automatic sound and flashing ads are all on the list of banned ad types.

Ad Experiences Report

Site owners can access a review of their site’s ad experiences in the Ad Experience Report, which will chronicle any ads that qualify as annoying or misleading. Ads will be marked as “Warning” or “Failing.” Failing assessments will not be made based on one ad experience, but rather will be based on the percentage of total page views that contain these experiences. The Coalition outlines these as:

• 7.5 percent in the first two months of the program.
• 5 percent in the four months following.
• 2.5 percent thereafter.

If violations remain unfixed and persistent, Chrome will block all ads on the site in question. When violations are fixed, site owners can submit their sites for review in the Ad Experience Report. Google is also offering content and guidance to help site owners proactively avoid any issues and has stated previously it will show no favoritism toward sites running Google Ads.

The ad blocker alternative

Chrome’s entry into policing ad experiences offers an alternative to the third-party ad-blocking tools that already exist. By proactively blocking the ads and working with site owners to improve the experience for users, it keeps ad impressions available and the ad dollar ecosystem moving in the right direction. The growth of ad blockers has given users the ability to police it themselves in the past, but Chrome’s involvement looks to try to make the system work both for users and advertisers at the same time.