How Google Chrome will limit the ads you view
Starting Thursday, users of Google's Chrome Web browser might start seeing fewer advertisements.
The company said it will roll out new controls based on Better Ads Standards pulling ads that fail to meet the requirements.
It's part of The Better Ads Experience Program, organized by the Coalition for Better Ads, which count Facebook, Google and Microsoft as board members, as well as news publisher News Corp. Its goal is to push publishers to drop the worst kind of ads, ones that drive users to install blanket ad blockers.
The standards focus on 12 types of ads users find annoying, such as "large sticky ads," ones that automatically play a video, or prestitial ads popping up with a timer, often requiring the user to hit an "X" before advancing to the actual page.
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When a user reaches a site where ads have been blocked, they will receive a notification within the browser, along with the option to "always allow ads on this site."
Sites also will be regularly evaluated, with grades such as "passing," "warning" or "failing."
Typically, Web users would install third-party ad blockers and use them on websites with annoying ad experiences. Those blockers can cause headaches for Web publishers who rely on ads as a key source of revenue.
In a blog post published by engineering manager Chris Bentzel, the ultimate goal isn't to block ads but to urge publishers to create a better overall experience.
"As of February 12, 42% of sites which were failing the Better Ads Standards have resolved their issues and are now passing," Bentzel wrote. "This is the outcome we were hoping for—that sites would take steps to fix intrusive ads experiences themselves and benefit all web users."
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