[Brid Talks] Episode 2: The Age of Better Ads Standards

Dear publishers,

We’re happy to announce the launch of the second episode of Brid Talks!

In today’s episode, we talk to Nina, Brid.TV’s Senior Account Manager about Better Ads Standards and how they’re impacting the online advertising industry. We also asked Nina to share her thoughts on what publishers should do to stay compliant with Better Ads Standards and avoid penalties.

So whether you’re a newcomer to the industry or are a veteran looking for advice on how to navigate the newly regulated online advertising industry, you’re in the right place.

You can listen to the full episode below.

Alternatively, check out the time stamps to everything we covered and key takes for each section below.

Timestamps & Key Takes

1. Intro

~00:00 – 00:36 (Back to Top)

2. What Are Better Ads Standards?

~01:11 – 01:55 (Back to Top)

Better Ads Standards is a set of global standards for online advertising that identify disruptive ad experiences.

3. What’s the Goal of Better Ads Standards?

~01:56 – 02:20 (Back to Top)

The Better Ads Standards were introduced in 2018 to clean the internet of disruptive ads and improve user experience.

4. Which Ads Are Considered the Most Disruptive?

~02:21 – 04:27 (Back to Top)

A survey conducted by the Coalition for Better Ads found that users found the following types of ads the most intrusive:

Desktop:

• Pop-Up Ads
• Autoplaying Video Ads With Sound
• Prestitial Ads With Countdown
• Large Sticky Ads

Mobile:

• Pop-Up Ads
• Autoplaying Video Ads With Sound
• Prestitial Ads With Countdown
• Large Sticky Ads
• Ad Density Higher Than 30%
• Flashy, Animated Ads
• Postitial Ads With Countdown
• Full-Screen Scrollover Ads

5. How Intrusive Ads Affect User Engagement

~04:28 – 04:59 (Back to Top)

Websites that use intrusive ads have poor user engagement and struggle with user retention compared to those that adhere to Better Ads Standards.

6. What do Better Ads Standards Say About Video Ads?

~05:00 – 06:15 (Back to Top)

A survey conducted by the Coalition for Better Ads found that users found the following types of ads the most intrusive:

• Long Pre-Roll Ads That Can’t Be Skipped
• Mid-Roll Ads on Videos That Are Shorter Than 8 Minutes
• Large Display Ads

7. How Are Better Ads Standards Redefining the Online Advertising Industry

~06:16 – 06:52 (Back to Top)

Google Chrome, which holds over 60% of the internet browser market share, currently blocks all ads that don’t comply with the Better Ads Standards. That means most publishers must abide by them unless they want to lose a significant amount of the online advertising market share. 

On top of that, serving intrusive ads increases the demand for ad blockers, which leads to publishers losing precious revenue.

8. How Did Better Ads Standards Affect Ad Blocker Usage?

~06:53 – 08:06 (Back to Top)

The usage of ad blockers in Europe and the U.S. has declined since 2018 and the introduction of Better Ads Standards.

9. What Are the Benefits of Better Ads Standards for Publishers?

~08:07 – 09:27 (Back to Top)

The main benefits of Better Ads Standards for publishers are:

• Better user experience
• Fewer ad blockers
• Higher user engagement
• Better user retention
• Positive brand image

10. Do Google’s Policies Match Better Ads Standards?

~09:28 – 09:47 (Back to Top)

Yes, they do. Google is a member of the Coalition for Better Ads and fully supports Better Ads Standards.

11. What Are Google’s Policies on Video Ads?

~09:48 – 13:55 (Back to Top)

Besides Better Ads Standards, Google has its own set of rules when it comes to video ads. Here are some things Google’s standards forbid:

• Ads overlapping content
• Adult and sexual content or links to such sites
• Copyrighted material
• Encouraging accidental clicks
• The player showing the ads must be at least 256×144 pixels
• Autoplaying player below the fold
• Multiple autoplaying video players
• Non-compliant sticky implementations (sticky player must start as a fully-viewable in-page video player before becoming sticky, and it must include a dismissal feature)
• More video ads than content

12. Do Video Ads Have to Play Muted?

~13:56 – 14:06 (Back to Top)

Yes. Autoplaying video ads must play muted.

13. What Happens If You Break Google’s Ad Policies?

~14:07 – 14:57 (Back to Top)

Even if your site or page gets flagged by Google, it’s not the end of the world, as you won’t get banned immediately. Google will only ban publishers if they fail to correct the issues and violations they get flagged for.

In other words, Google does tolerate some policy violations for some time, but that won’t last forever.

14. Can Publishers Recover From a Google Ban?

~14:58 – 15:48 (Back to Top)

Recovering from a Google ban is technically possible but highly unlikely. The best course of action is to avoid any policy violations altogether, as the risk is definitely not worth the reward.

15. What Are Some Common Reasons Publishers Get Banned by Google?

~15:49 – 16:28 (Back to Top)

One of the most common reasons publishers get banned is due to a non-compliant sticky player.

16. How Can Publishers Maximize Their Ad Revenue While Adhering to Better Ads Standards?

~16:29 – 17:53 (Back to Top)

Simply adhering to Better Ads Standards is likely to increase publishers’ ad revenue. There are two few reasons for that:

• Offering a better ad experience to their users will result in fewer ad blockers.
• Better ad experience results in higher user engagement and better brand perception, indirectly boosting traffic and sales.

Another excellent way to boost ad revenue is to improve ad viewability by implementing a sticky player. However, publishers should be wary when implementing it because of all Google’s rules regarding sticky player implementations.

17. Outro

~17:53 – 18.27 (Back to Top)