{"id":18525,"date":"2023-12-01T01:45:50","date_gmt":"2023-12-01T01:45:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/afreeurl.com\/?p=18525"},"modified":"2023-12-01T01:45:53","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T01:45:53","slug":"google-search-ads-stir-controversy-on-questionable-websites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/afreeurl.com\/?p=18525","title":{"rendered":"Google search ads stir controversy on questionable websites"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

A recent study published by Adalytics reports that Google Search Partners ads appeared on content that does not comply with its publisher policies.<\/p>\n

In accordance with Google’s publisher policies, ads are not allowed to run alongside content that:<\/p>\n

Is illegal or promotes illegal activity Infringes copyright Sells or facilitates the sale of counterfeit products Incites hatred or promotes discrimination against individuals or a group of individuals Misrepresents, distorts or hides information about the publisher It makes demonstrably false claims AND more.<\/p>\n

The report found examples of search ads on highly trending political websites despite attempts by advertisers to blacklist those domains.<\/p>\n

The report raises questions about the lack of transparency and brand safety issues for advertisers.<\/p>\n

What is the Google Search Partner Network?<\/h2>\n

By definition, the Google Search Partner Network (GSP) is:<\/p>\n

A group of search-related websites and apps where your ads can appear.<\/p>\n

The GSP network is not new to Google Ads.<\/p>\n

It was established in 2003 to expand its reach beyond the Google search engine.<\/p>\n

Although Google has never published a complete list of websites that belong to the partner network, the Adalytics report<\/a> found over 51,000 websites that contained Google Custom Search Engine JavaScript enabled.<\/p>\n

This infers that websites with that particular JavaScript are part of the GSP network.<\/p>\n

For new Google Search campaigns, they are automatically activated on the third-party network.<\/p>\n

Advertisers can opt out in campaign settings.<\/p>\n

Browsing the compromising location report<\/h2>\n

In the Adalytics report, there are several examples of advertisers where they found their ads on questionable websites.<\/p>\n

Image credit: Adalytics.io\/blog\/search-partners-transparency<\/span><\/p>\n

Advertisers reported that they had previously blocked their ads from these websites.<\/p>\n

If this is the case, this could mean that the Google Ads “Excluded locations” setting isn’t working as intended.<\/p>\n

The report focused primarily on finding websites in the GSP that appear to not comply with the terms and conditions of Google’s Publisher Policy, such as:<\/p>\n

Pornographic websites Websites with material that infringes copyright Websites whose operators are located in countries where US sanctions may apply.<\/p>\n

In addition, the findings included that Google search ads paid for by the US Treasury appeared on the websites of companies in countries such as Iran and Russia.<\/p>\n

This is important because these countries, including the Iranian Allow Steel Company (IASCO), are under specific sanctions.<\/p>\n

Ethical and transparency concerns<\/h2>\n

The thought-provoking report raises many concerns about the ability to trust Google.<\/p>\n

The GSP is known to be a “black box” for advertisers because there is no transparency about who can access the GSP.<\/p>\n

Also, if Google wants to make any progress in rebuilding trust with advertisers and the public at large, this report certainly puts that trust in jeopardy.<\/p>\n

When it comes to advertising, every dollar counts in today’s economy.<\/p>\n

When marketers can’t trust where their ads are showing, they might be aware of moving their money to other platforms.<\/p>\n

In an X (formerly Twitter) thread, Dan Taylor, Google’s vice president of global ads, responded to the report’s allegations:<\/p>\n

Adalytics has a history of publishing inaccurate reports that misrepresent Google products and make wildly exaggerated claims. \ud83e\uddf5<\/p>\n

\u2014 Dan Taylor (@edantaylor) November 28, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n

Google has been in the headlines, along with other tech giants, for antitrust lawsuits in recent years.<\/p>\n

What can advertisers do?<\/h2>\n

There are several ways advertisers can proactively combat ads that appear on questionable content.<\/p>\n

#1: Disable the Google Search Partner Network in your search campaigns<\/h3>\n

Because this setting is at the campaign level, advertisers must manually go to each search campaign to disable GSP.<\/p>\n

After going to your search campaign, click on “Settings” in the menu on the left.<\/p>\n

\"Google<\/p>\n

Uncheck the “Include Google search partners” box to disable GSP.<\/p>\n

#2: Review your content suitability settings at the account level<\/h3>\n

It’s important to note that this setting applies to campaigns that run on YouTube or Display.<\/p>\n

Go to “Tools & Settings >> Settings >> Content Suitability”<\/p>\n

Choose between:<\/p>\n

Extended Inventory Standard Inventory Limited Inventory<\/p>\n

\"Google<\/p>\n

If you are concerned about brand safety, it is advisable to choose “Limited Inventory”, which has more guarantees.<\/p>\n

#3: Review where ads were shown in display campaigns<\/h3>\n

While Google won’t show details about where specific search ads are showing on the third-party network, your Display performance can help.<\/p>\n

To check placements in Display Network campaigns, go to a specific Display Network campaign.<\/p>\n

In the left menu, go to: “Content >> Where ads were shown”<\/p>\n

\"Display<\/p>\n

This report shows which domains your ads were shown on.<\/p>\n

If there are questionable or underperforming websites or apps, you can deny them at the campaign or account level.<\/p>\n

Since we’re talking about gaining control over search ads, you should deny them at the account level.<\/p>\n

#4: Use advanced settings to deny additional content exclusions<\/h3>\n

These advanced settings are at the same point as “content suitability”.<\/p>\n

\"Advanced<\/p>\n

Here you can exclude content types such as:<\/p>\n

Sensitive content Types and tags Topics Keywords Websites Applications YouTube channels or videos<\/p>\n

If you’ve found questionable placements in your display campaigns, you can disallow them at the account level instead of adding them to all campaigns.<\/p>\n

You can read the full report from Adalytics here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Featured Image: Krakenimages.com\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n