Google Offers Users More Control Over Online Ads

You can’t escape ads online because they’re often the primary source of revenue for publishers and content creators. Google runs one of the largest ad businesses online and it routinely improves the controls that users have over their online ad experience to ensure that a balance is struck between ads and user experience. Google today introduced new features in Ads Settings to provide users with greater control over this experience.

The company already offers a single dashboard for ads controls called Ads Settings. It was originally launched as the Ads Preferences Manager back in 2009. It introduced features like Mute This Ad in 2012.

Google has announced new additions to Ads Settings and Mute This Ad today to give users more control to mute the ads they see on Google, websites, and in apps.

You might not be familiar with the term reminder ads but you probably see them every day. For example, if you check out prices for hotels using an online hotel booking website and then leave the site, you’re bound to see ads from that website reminding you to complete your booking.

Google says that it’s now offering users the ability to mute reminder ads in apps and on websites. This means you won’t be constantly bombarded by ads to book that pricey hotel room in Paris when all you wanted to do was check the price. Google is going to expand this control to YouTube, Search, and Gmail in the coming months.

The Mute This Ad feature lets users block an ad that they don’t want to see. This feature is being updated today in two important ways. It will recognize users’ feedback on any device where they’re signed into their Google Account. If they mute an ad for that hotel booking site on their smartphone it will also be muted on their notebook. Google is expanding this control to more apps and websites so users will soon see Mute This Ad in even more places.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: Web
Tags: Google