Are Ads Ruining Your SEO? How Pop Ups Impact Page Rank

Have you noticed your page rank slipping, or ads underperforming? Go ahead – blame Google. They’ve released yet another statement about their continued crackdown on intrusive ads. You know, the ones that pop up in the middle of your screen and blare inappropriately loud music, or force you to complete a logic puzzle to find the “x” button?

While few official details have been released, Google did announce earlier this month that it intends to “crack down” on intrusive ads that impede the user experience. What that means exactly, no one can be sure. But it’s a safe bet that pages featuring intrusive ads (and intrusive ads themselves) are going to see less traffic and receive lower rankings than pages featuring native ads, or banners that are relevant to the site content. In addition, intrusive ads on Google’s Chrome browser will be blocked completely.

So, what now? First, don’t panic. Google isn’t trying to get rid of ads. Their goal, rather, is to improve the user experience, so that searchers don’t start blocking ads altogether via plugins and other ad-blocking software.

To keep your page rank intact, and maintain the efficiency of your ads, consider these three things to stay in line with Google’s ad expectations.

1. Avoid ads that interrupt, distract or clutter the page
   

   For specific ad guidelines, refer to Google’s DoubleClick blog, where they outline their “bad ad” criteria specifically. A good rule of thumb, however, is to avoid ads that force you to wait a certain amount of time before they can be closed, play loud music or have obnoxious animations, or that slow down page load times.

2. Create ads that are immediate, immersive, and relevant
   

   In addition to avoiding certain types of ads, there are also some criteria for what you should strive for – primarily fast-loading, immersive (i.e. not overly distracting from the page content) ads that are relevant to the page content or viewer.

3. Give each ad the trial run test
   

   Before you upload or submit any digital ads, give it a quick trial run with your friends or coworkers. If their first reaction is to figure out how to make it go away, turn it down, or get back to their search results – you know you’ve got some more work to do.

   Creating ads that engage without interrupting is no easy feat – but it is possible – and according to Google, it’s now mandatory as well.

About Ethos

Ethos is a multiplatform branding agency that develops and executes integrated marketing campaigns across multiple channels for companies inside and outside of Maine.

At Ethos, we believe that the most effective way to set a company’s marketing course is by finding its core truth – its ethos. We know that once we discover and communicate that core truth, we can truly make a difference for each client’s unique marketing and business objectives.

With Ethos, you get more than a Maine advertising agency. You get a long-term partner whose goals are your goals.

Learn more about the Ethos approach and the work we’ve done for our clients. Want to have a conversation about your brand’s core truth? Contact us!