Google is the biggest search engine in the world for a reason. That reason is Google’s prompt policy and feature updates. The search engine has again rolled out an exciting and crucial update for its users.
The new update comprises a feature called My Ad Center. Google has begun rolling out this feature globally to give people more choices over the ads they see throughout their properties like Search, YouTube, and Discover.
Users may now tailor their ad experience to better suit their interests while limiting exposure to irrelevant content and increasing their control over sensitive categories, thanks to the updated privacy settings. The privacy settings allow users to opt-out of targeted ads and keep personalized searches.
If you’re interested in opting out of targeted ads and keeping your personalized search results, read on for instructions on how to do so.
How to Opt-Out of Targeted Ads
Advertising is ubiquitous on the internet- it’s how many website owners make money to keep their sites running. But there’s a problem with targeted ads: they can be invasive, creepy, and even discriminatory.
Targeted ads are based on personal information you may not want to share with advertisers. This includes things like your search history, location, and demographics. And because this information is used to show you ads that are supposedly tailored just for you, it can feel like you’re being watched all the time.
Instead of using Google’s current ‘Ad Settings’ and ‘About this Ad’ features, you’ll be able to exercise greater influence over your advertising and data settings through the new My Ad Center.
As per Google’s official statements, the My AdCenter interface allows users to limit exposure to targeted advertisements in six categories. Namely, Alcohol, Dating, Gambling, Weight loss, Pregnancy and parenting, A step-by-step method is given in the following section to make it easier for users.
How to Keep Personalised Ads
Users can choose to view fewer of a certain ad type by tapping the ellipsis (three dots) next to it in My Ad Center. Google gives examples of the kinds of ads users can select to view, such as deals on sneakers and presents for loved ones over the holidays.
The method to do this was the same as stated above. Access Google Ad Center, select the desirable ad preferences or turn off all personalisation settings and return to the default advertising experience.
Here is the step-by-step method to opt-out of Targeted Ads and Keep personalized ads.
- Step 1: Access to Google Ads Center. You can access it from any ad shown to you.
- Step 2: Select “Customize more of the ads you see”
- Step 3: Turn the toggle off “See only personalized ads”. It can be found in the top right corner of the page.
- Step 4: Check and choose to view only fewer or a certain ad type by tapping the three dots next to it in My Ad Center.
Pros and Cons of Targeted Ads
| Pros | Cons |
| For Companies, Agencies & Creators | |
| ROI will improve for them. It’s a certainty that increased sales and profits result from more targeted advertising for most businesses. | Due to the uncertainty of user response to specific adverts, the business may not be profitable. |
| The accuracy of campaigns improves since ads target particular customers, and businesses increase the likelihood that the initial layout will be spot-on. | If people find the advertisements offensive, they may react negatively. |
| The ROI for marketers and related agencies is substantial as these ads help ensure the correct people see the right adverts. | It’s tough to get all the data you need from individual users without infringing their privacy. |
| For Users | |
| More options offer better outcomes. Users are more likely to click on an ad if it tangentially relates to something they are interested in. | Advertisements that seem excessively tailored to individual users may cause unease among those people because of the information they have. |
| When ads provide outcomes specifically targeted to a customer’s preferences, the user will discover just what they were looking for. | Most users avoid certain sites altogether because of the adverts they see on them, which often contain content that is highly personal to them. (They are concerned that these corporations are spying on them.) |
| The best ads make people think about the content by using memorable phrases, pictures, etc. This way, customers are given a deeper insight into the company’s ethos. | Sometimes, excessive pop-ups can lead to a negative perception of the website domain, which can make it lose interest in the brand or even search engines. |
How This Will Impact Google’s Ad Revenue
Firstly, with the Google Ad centre update, the search engine has almost eradicated most of its cons listed above. But when it comes to Google’s Ad Revenue – It is unpredictable.
There can be two outcomes:
- Users leverage these features and get used to or become addicted to the search engine more, as they are going to get more relevant content with its help. This will improve Google’s Ad revenue as marketers will pump more money if they get potential customers on search engines.
- Google’s ad revenue will damp as many marketers, or creators can stop using the platform due to less reach, especially the ones whose ads are related to products that have a negative image in some part of society, such as alcohol, dating, weight loss and so on.
The chances of the first outcome are higher than the latter as the platform tends to become more user-friendly with this feature. All we can do is – wait for now.
What This Means for Users
If you’ve had YouTube History turned on in the past, it has been used to tailor adverts to your interests. Now, under My Ad Center, you may choose to opt-out of having YouTube utilise your viewing history to provide you with more relevant advertising without affecting the other personalized content you see in your feed.
Ad personalisation can be disabled entirely at the user’s discretion. Those who opt out of tailored advertising will still receive adverts, but Google warns that they may be less relevant and helpful.
Bottomline
To summarize, Google’s new Google Ad Center has come to the floors recently, and it will allow users to personalize their advertisement experience. Google will facilitate users with opt-out targeted ads with personalized ad features.
The main perk of these features, marketers or companies can advertise their products in front of a more targeted audience. On the other hand, users can personalize their choices and see the more relevant & desirable advertisements. This feature might help Google become a more user-friendly search engine.
