Google AdWords Introduces More Ways for Users to Control Ads

Two new features have been added to Google AdWords in an attempt to give users more control over the kinds of ads they see. These changes will affect advertisers too, particularly those who are running remarketing campaigns. Now, users can see who’s remarketing to them, mute reminder ads, and stop seeing Google ads on all devices.

Retargeting or remarketing ads are those that keep making an appearance even after the searcher has found what they are looking for. A new section called Your Reminder Ads sits in the Ads Settings area of My Account, and now users will be able to see the companies that are currently remarketing them via Google’s network. They can then choose to mute them individually.

However, this doesn’t mean Google will stop using their fundamental targeting and tracking mechanisms. The ads may be gone from sight, but Google will still keep an eye on all users. Advertisers should keep in mind that when a user mutes one ad from an advertiser, they are blocking all future Google ads from the same advertiser. This only impacts Google ads and mutes last for 90 days. This feature will expand to YouTube, Search and Gmail in the coming months.

Another way Google is letting users decide which ads they do and do not want to see is through their upgraded Mute This Ad. This feature has been available since 2012, but now when a user dismisses a display ad by clicking on the ‘X’, it will extend to more apps and websites that show Google ads. Users can then provide feedback on why they no longer want to see the ad.

When users mute or block an ad on one device while signed in, they won’t see the ad again on any other device while logged in to that same Google account. Google is extending Mute This Ad to more apps and websites that show Google ads.

What does this all mean for advertisers? Google says they’ve received over 5 billion notices from uses who muted ads that weren’t relevant, and that they have removed more than 1 million ads from its ad network based on feedback received from the Mute This Ad tool. We can expect to see more ads getting removed and more relevancy signals helping Google help advertisers improve targeting and overall performance.