Google Implements New Policy Against Interstitial Ads
Has it happened to you?
You pull out your mobile device or computer and search for Chinese take-out restaurants to order your dinner from, because you don’t feel like cooking tonight. Just when you get to the menu page, a pesky interstitial full-page ad invades your screen before you can get your destined webpage. If you’re like me, this is not helpful, and to be honest, it’s kind of annoying. I just want to order my moo shu chicken!
Most people find these ads intrusive, and more times than not, the user tends to abandon the website altogether when interstitial ads pop onto the screen. Luckily, that’s about to change.
Google recently announced that they will be releasing an “update to their mobile-friendly algorithm, penalizing sites that use giant app install interstitial ads,” stated Google. The update suggests that “pages with an app install interstitial ads that hide a significant amount of content on the transition from the search result page, won’t be considered mobile-friendly. Instead of full page interstitials, we recommend that webmasters use more user-friendly formats such as app install banners. We hope this change will make it easier for searchers to see the content of the pages they are looking for,” Google Webmasters mentioned.
“Google recommends using App Install Smart Banners in Safari or Native App Install Banners in Chrome to replace interstitials. Sadly, these don’t present much in ways of design, which makes them a bad alternative for growth teams who need to experiment and iterate. The ability to do that is a non-negotiable because it’s by far the best way to increase users, engagement and conversions,” stated Marketing Land.
Are you happy with this new policy? Is the interstitial ad your friend or foe? Share your thoughts with us.
