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Google Has Started Penalizing Mobile Websites with Intrusive Pop-Up Ads

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Re: Google Has Started Penalizing Mobile Websites with Intrusive Pop-Up Ads

#221

Post by edblarney »

mmanfrin wrote: post #60
Animats wrote: post #47

What's really stupid are sites from which you can buy things, but then pop up an ad for something else. Fandango, which sells movie tickets, does this. As you're trying to get to the "buy ticket" page, they shove movie trailers for other movies in your face. I mentioned a site earlier today which sold plumbing supplies.[1] They pop up a "gimme your email" box which 1) cannot be dismissed , and 2) isn't even theirs, i…

I blame this on A/B tests which ignore externalities. Sure, maybe the 3 metrics you were aiming for were improved, but your brand is fucked. I think brands like Sears/Kenmore/Craftsman were A/Bed to death. So many little 'optimizations' (read: cost cutting that looked-good-on-paper) that eventually destroyed what the brand was about in the first place.

Sears was not killed by any tweaks or optimizations - it was a brand that was past it's time, culture changed, and it could not find a new way forward.

Re: Google Has Started Penalizing Mobile Websites with Intrusive Pop-Up Ads

#222

Post by Cerium »

edblarney wrote: post #221
mmanfrin wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I blame this on A/B tests which ignore externalities. Sure, maybe the 3 metrics you were aiming for were improved, but your brand is fucked. I think brands like Sears/Kenmore/Craftsman were A/Bed to death. So many little 'optimizations' (read: cost cutting that looked-good-on-paper) that eventually destroyed what the brand was about in the first place.

Sears was not killed by any tweaks or optimizations - it was a brand that was past it's time, culture changed, and it could not find a new way forward.

I think it didn't adapt to the times. It was the Amazon of a past generation, with its own very high quality version of AmazonBasics. They didn't make the transition to a new reality though.

Re: Google Has Started Penalizing Mobile Websites with Intrusive Pop-Up Ads

#223

Post by edblarney »

Analemma_ wrote: post #168
ageitgey wrote: post #82

Most users hate these pop-ups and cheer this move from Google. But let me add a little context to why these ads are so prevalent and why some companies view this move as Google abusing their power. If you visit to any "guide" website like TripAdviser, Yelp, etc, these days on a mobile browser, you'll notice that the sites often barely let you do anything without downloading the native app. They all but refuse to let…

Here's the thing: I don't care. I don't care if Google's algorithm makes life difficult for SEOs. I don't care if it prioritizes Google's own properties unfairly. I don't care if it hurts somebody's conversion rate. All I care about is the quality of my browsing experience, which takes a nosedive every time one of these fullscreen mobile ads shows up. As long as Google's algorithm ranks results roughly in the order o…

" I don't care if it hurts somebody's conversion rate. All I care about is the quality of my browsing experience"

In the short run, it won't matter, but in the long run, it may likely affect your browsing experience on the whole.

Google doesn't do anything well but search. So you are trading a slightly better search experience - which may cost you the death of several brands that provide much more than search outcomes.

Trip Advisor, Yelp etc. ostensibly provide a useful service, beyond whatever Google will do. So when those companies go, we lose those greater services.

The impact of Google's monopoly is something we cannot ignore.

It's like 80% of Russians still support Putin, because he 'seems strong' - but Russians also don't realize how much he has de-facto degraded their standard of living. Russians would be a lot wealthier if they integrated into global markets, stop invading neighbouring territories. There'd be massive growth and opportunity for Russians - at least in globalist terms.

Re: Google Has Started Penalizing Mobile Websites with Intrusive Pop-Up Ads

#224

Post by edblarney »

DrScump wrote: post #151
ageitgey wrote: post #82

Most users hate these pop-ups and cheer this move from Google. But let me add a little context to why these ads are so prevalent and why some companies view this move as Google abusing their power. If you visit to any "guide" website like TripAdviser, Yelp, etc, these days on a mobile browser, you'll notice that the sites often barely let you do anything without downloading the native app. They all but refuse to let…

The reason for this behavior is that Google is systematically destroying the SEO traffic of these sites Another reason is that with apps, they have the opportunity to harvest the phone owners private data directly (contacts, messages, seeing what competing apps are installed, etc.) Most people don't pay attention to the overbroad spectrum of access many apps demand. Specific example: Samsung changed the Gallery app (…

" to harvest the phone owners private data directly"

And Google is the king of that.

While you make a good point - it's not like Google can take the high road on this.

Re: Google Has Started Penalizing Mobile Websites with Intrusive Pop-Up Ads

#225

Post by natch »

This is great news... I'm normally not always a fan of Google's every move but when they use their position to encourage a better web, their power is awesome and we can look forward to the effects.

The headline was confusing. Google has started using intrusive pop-up ads to penalize mobile sites? This writing has clarity issues.

>Web pages need ads to operate, but...

Plenty of web pages (websites?) are operated without ads, out of love for a topic, desire to build a name, or other reasons. Web pages don't NEED ads. Well some have been built to rely on them, and can only survive with ads, but certainly not all web pages.

Aside from that and the headline, great level of detail in this article about the exceptions, the general sizes, and the rollout.

Re: Google Has Started Penalizing Mobile Websites with Intrusive Pop-Up Ads

#226

Post by DrScump »

favorited wrote: post #217
nvr219 wrote: post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How much of a problem is this on iOS?

Most apps will work fine if you decline their extra permission requests, though obviously certain features may not work without them. The rest of your app has to function normally, and you definitely can't crash or otherwise programmatically quit. There are one or two apps I use that do require extra permissions to function – like the NFL Sunday Ticket app won't work unless I enable location services, because it need…

On Android 5.x and earlier, you had to grant all possible requested permissions up-front during installation.

Re: Google Has Started Penalizing Mobile Websites with Intrusive Pop-Up Ads

#228

Post by spc476 »

edblarney wrote: post #221
mmanfrin wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I blame this on A/B tests which ignore externalities. Sure, maybe the 3 metrics you were aiming for were improved, but your brand is fucked. I think brands like Sears/Kenmore/Craftsman were A/Bed to death. So many little 'optimizations' (read: cost cutting that looked-good-on-paper) that eventually destroyed what the brand was about in the first place.

Sears was not killed by any tweaks or optimizations - it was a brand that was past it's time, culture changed, and it could not find a new way forward.

Sears was the Amazon of its day (around the early 1900s) where you could order almost anything via mail (including housed!). I guess the felt that products via the mail was so 19th century.

Re: Google Has Started Penalizing Mobile Websites with Intrusive Pop-Up Ads

#229

Post by tjalfi »

Animats wrote: post #47

What's really stupid are sites from which you can buy things, but then pop up an ad for something else. Fandango, which sells movie tickets, does this. As you're trying to get to the "buy ticket" page, they shove movie trailers for other movies in your face. I mentioned a site earlier today which sold plumbing supplies.[1] They pop up a "gimme your email" box which 1) cannot be dismissed , and 2) isn't even theirs, i…

I respond to undismissable email popups by entering abuse@theirdomain.com as an email address. I'm sure their network operations team doesn't want to miss out on the incredible rewards.

Re: Google Has Started Penalizing Mobile Websites with Intrusive Pop-Up Ads

#230

Post by dntrkv »

ageitgey wrote: post #82

Most users hate these pop-ups and cheer this move from Google. But let me add a little context to why these ads are so prevalent and why some companies view this move as Google abusing their power. If you visit to any "guide" website like TripAdviser, Yelp, etc, these days on a mobile browser, you'll notice that the sites often barely let you do anything without downloading the native app. They all but refuse to let…

Do you have any data to back any of these claims up? Even if your claim that Google is destroying SEO traffic to these sites is true (which I am not convinced it is) and my site is getting less traffic from Google, the last thing I want to do is make the experience shittier for the less traffic that I do get. Making my site less usable is pretty much the dumbest decision I could make at that point. I should be working on ways to better convert the traffic that I do get so they are more likely to use my product and maybe even download the app one day.

Who the hell goes on a shitty site with annoying ads and decides, hey, I want a dedicated spot on my home screen for this shitty service.

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