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Google is widening their strategy of letting users opt out of ads that are of a sensitive topic. Now, if they don’t want to see pregnancy, parenting, dating, or weight loss ads on YouTube and Google Display, they can easily turn them off.
This is a new option Google lets users take advantage of by going to Ad Settings, under the Google Account Dashboard.
Since December 2020, users could only limit alcohol and gambling ads on Youtube, but starting now, you can also limit other kinds of ads on Display. That, however, doesn’t mean zero ads of that kind, rather it means fewer ads of that niche.
Also, as Search Engine Land mentioned, there may be additional restrictions, depending on your country.
#google lets users limit three more types of ads on YouTube, GDN. Users can opt-in if they want to see fewer YouTube and Google Display ads for pregnancy, parenting, dating and weight loss. pic.twitter.com/6OZLVOIYGm — Tal Haguel (@talhaguel) April 29, 2022
It seems like Google might expand this feature even further. Google users said they would like more control over more categories than just pregnancy, parenting, dating, and weight loss said Karin Hennessy, Group Product Manager for Ads Privacy. She said that Google plans to add more categories over time but must conduct research and “improve the back end technology.”
How To Opt-Out of Ad Categories?
Go to myaccount.google.com
Select ‘Data & Privacy’
Go to ‘Ad settings’
Look for ‘Sensitive Ad Categories’
Why Is This Important?
Giving users the power to choose what ad content they want to see is a smart move by Google. Because it’s optional, it is only fair to make people aware of it and let them know how to take advantage of it.
The impact on you as a marketer, however, shouldn’t really be noticeable. If anything, your ad targeting should be even better since the people who don’t want to see your ads won’t. Instead, your ads will mostly be shown to people who might be interested in your product and who might benefit from it.
