Google is going after intrusive ads on mobile

It is no secret that most online content nowadays is consumed through mobile devices. Over the years, this has necessitated a gradual shift in technology, delivery systems and formatting of all sorts to cope with the new medium with challenges every step of the way. That, of course, includes ads - the backbone of online economy. But just because they are an inseparable part of the web, doesn't mean they have to get in the way of the main experience itself - a lesson many publishers have had to learn the hard way and are often still trying to circumvent.

In a new development Google, in its all-powerful web wisdom, is planning to take measures against obtrusive advertisement on mobile even further. What this will likely entail is penalizing the offending pages in its own search results. The criteria is still kind of vague, but seems to be based on common sense. A page that uses interstitial ads or in other words, ones that cover up the entire screen or a large part of it, or generally prevent the user from directly reaching the content "may not rank as highly", as the official Google post puts it.

Of course, there will be exceptions for things like log-in forms, age verification, cookie messages and even banners that take up only "a reasonable amount of screen space.". Also, like most Google Penguin updates, the effects of this potential change won't be drastic. However, this is a nice trend that in the long run has the potential to clean up and streamline the mobile experience significantly, especially if the initiative carries over to Android apps and imposes some better standards for ads there as well.

Source | Via