It is no secret that Google is cracking down on websites that uses bad SEO practices. But apparently, the tech giant is also stepping up its campaign against advertisers who are using unacceptable advertising tactics and strategies. Just recently, Google reported that it has removed more than 300 million bad ads over the past 12 months. The move was reportedly part of efforts to weed out “bad actors” who are abusing Google AdWords, the tech giant’s advertising service.
Mike Hochberg, director of Ads Engineering at Google, said the company is using some of its vast resources to minimise, if not totally eradicate bad advertising practices. “We’ve allocated substantial technical, financial, and human resources to stopping bad advertising practices and protecting users on the web. Hundreds of our engineers, policy experts, and others have dedicated their careers to this work,” he wrote on AdWord’s official blog.
Hochberg said the number of ads removed in 2013 was a vast improvement from the number of ads Google junked the previous year. It was revealed that more than 350 million bad AdWords ads have been removed in 2013, up from approximately 220 million ads in 2012. Hochberg said the trend has been “consistent” in the last several years, thanks to the growth of online advertising and constant improvement of Google’s detection systems, among other factors
Over 270,000 advertisers were also suspended or disabled after Google’s crackdown. However, the tech giant reported that the number dropped from over 850,000 in 2012. Hochberg said the decline was due to scammers being stopped by Google’s safety system and searching for less-secure targets.
In its report, Google revealed the worst offenders. They include those who sell counterfeit goods and run tech support scams on the Internet, websites hiding malware, illegal online pharmacies, and sites that promote get rich quick schemes. AdSense accounts that violate copyright didn’t also escape the force of Google’s detection and safety systems.
If bad advertisers think they can evade Google’s scrutiny by using mobile apps, they should think twice. According to Hochberg, Google is also closely monitoring sites and mobile apps that show their ads. This basically means that the tech giant is expanding its reach to prevent more users from falling for bad ads.
While Hochberg admits that most of these scammers and bad advertisers are relentless, he said Google is just as relentless and it will do everything it can to stop the offenders. He also assured users that the tech giant will continue to keep a close eye on advertisers and maintain a healthy advertising ecosystem.
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