Since launch, Google Chrome has tried to protect users from the worst elements of the web. This is why you no longer see pop-ups, and are warned when you navigate to a site containing malware. And now Google Chrome will filter out the worst online advertising.

Google Starts Blocking Bad Ads

We first found out about Google's plans to filter bad ads in April 2017, and in July 2017 Google was testing its new ad-blocker (of sorts). Chrome started blocking ads in February 2018, and Google revealed how Chrome's new ad-blocker works.

Essentially, as part of the Coalition for Better Ads, Google applies a set of standards, and filters out ads that don't abide by the rules. If a website is found to be employing bad ads, Google will block all ads on that site until it cleans up its act.

Expanding Chrome's Ad-Blocking

Chrome already filters ads in North America and Europe, but on the Chromium Blog, Google announced it's expanding its Better Ads Standards worldwide. So, beginning on July 9, Chrome will punish sites serving bad ads to users, regardless of location.

All being well, users won't notice anything different. When you navigate to a site Google will check to see if it's abiding by the rules. If not, you'll see a message saying all ads are blocked on the domain. It's then up to you if you want to allow ads on the site.

If you own a website in a country outside North America and Europe, Google recommends you run the Ad Experience Tool. This will test the ads displayed on your site, and if issues are discovered, give you the opportunity to resolve them.

Google Wants to Improve Online Ads

To be clear, this isn't an ad blocker designed to block all ads from the internet. Instead, it's Google trying to improve the quality of ads. By making online advertising more tolerable, Google wants to ensure ads remain a part of the web for decades to come.

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