What are the Better Ads Standards, and how can buyers use them?
Part of MFA avoidance
The short answer
The Better Ads Standards are the Coalition for Better Ads' list of ad experiences that consumer research found most annoying, such as pop-ups, prestitials with countdowns, autoplay video with sound and large sticky ads. Chrome uses them to filter ads on failing sites, and buyers can use a site's public review status as one page quality check.
Key takeaways
- The standards name specific ad experiences for desktop web, mobile web, short-form video and mobile apps, based on research with more than 150,000 consumers to date.
- Chrome has filtered ads on sites that repeatedly fail the standards since 2018 in North America and Europe, and in every country since July 9, 2019.
- Google's public Ad Experience Report API returns any site's review status on desktop and mobile, which a buyer can check without the site's help.
- A passing status covers a sample of pages, so it is evidence of a reasonable layout, not proof that every page complies.
- The standards do not cover feeds or connected TV, and they say nothing about traffic sources or content quality.
What are the Better Ads Standards?
The Coalition for Better Ads (opens in a new tab) is an industry group that Google's Chromium blog describes as dedicated to improving the web advertising experience. Its Better Ads Standards list ad experiences that its research found consumers rate as most disruptive, and that advertisers, publishers and technology providers can use to guide their work. Each experience has its own definition page, with the formats tested and the variants that did not fall under the standard.
The research behind the standards asked people to read articles on simulated pages carrying different ad experiences, then rate and rank them. The Coalition's research page (opens in a new tab) says the first phase surveyed more than 25,000 internet users in North America and Europe, and that the desktop and mobile web work grew to more than 66,000 consumers, testing 55 desktop and 49 mobile web experiences. Separate studies covered short-form video and mobile apps.
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| February 15, 2018 | Publisher enrollment opens in the Better Ads Experience Program |
| January 9, 2019 | The desktop and mobile web standards are extended to all countries and regions |
| February 5, 2020 | A standard for short-form video, defined as 8 minutes or less, across desktop, mobile web and in-app |
| May 11, 2021 | A certification program for ad experiences sold in the market |
| November 2, 2021 | A standard for mobile apps, based on research with more than 45,000 consumers in 7 countries |
| January 14, 2025 (the Coalition's archive files it under January 13, 2026) | Four experiences added: desktop ad density over 50 percent, desktop ad density over 30 percent with a sticky video ad, mobile sticky pop-out video ads, and mobile sticky video with a large inline ad, based on research with over 55,000 consumers; the Program said it would assess compliance with them no earlier than May 14, 2026 |
Which ad experiences do the standards rule out?
The current list, checked in October 2026, names ad experiences in four environments. Several are defined by size or timing, so the exact wording on each definition page matters when a layout sits near the line. Density thresholds are explained in our ad density glossary; the rest of the list is about how an ad behaves.
| Environment | Experiences named | Defining detail |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop web | Pop-up ads; autoplaying video ads with sound; prestitial ads with countdown; large sticky ads; ad density higher than 50 percent; ad density higher than 30 percent with a sticky video ad | Prestitials that can be dismissed immediately did not fall under the desktop standard |
| Mobile web | Pop-up ads; prestitial ads; ad density higher than 30 percent; flashing animated ads; autoplaying video with sound; postitial ads with countdown; full-screen scrollover ads; large sticky ads; sticky pop-out video ads; sticky video with a large inline ad | On mobile, prestitials with and without a countdown were tested; animations that do not flash did not fall under the standard |
| Short-form video | Long pre-roll ads that cannot be skipped; mid-roll ads; large display ads over the player | Pre-roll over 31 seconds combined that cannot be skipped within the first 6 seconds; overlays covering more than 20 percent of the player or sitting in its middle third |
| Mobile apps | Interruptive interstitials; interruptive video interstitials; non-skippable video interruptive interstitials; video interstitials when opening an app | Interstitials at the end of game play or a content segment did not fall under the app standard |
How does Chrome use the Better Ads Standards?
Google announced in December 2017, in An update on better ads (opens in a new tab), that starting on February 15, Chrome would remove all ads from sites that had a failing status in the Ad Experience Report for more than 30 days. Filtering began in North America and Europe. A Chromium blog post of January 9, 2019 (opens in a new tab) said that beginning July 9, 2019, Chrome would stop showing all ads on sites in any country that repeatedly display these disruptive ads.
Google's ad experience reviews (opens in a new tab) page says Google reviews a sample of pages on both the desktop and mobile versions of a site. After a first failing status, a site can resubmit at once; after a second submission, a third cannot be made for 30 days; and since June 19, 2020 a fourth failing status within 365 days triggers immediate filtering, with no new review for 30 days. The Chrome ad filtering (opens in a new tab) page says owners of failing sites get at least 30 days' notice, and the Ad Experience Report FAQ (opens in a new tab) says filtering affects all visitors to the site, wherever they are.
How can a buyer check a site against the standards?
One check uses Google's own data. The Ad Experience Report API (opens in a new tab) is described by Google as a publicly available, open API that can get the status of any site, and it can be used through the APIs Explorer without writing code. Its site summary (opens in a new tab) returns a desktop and a mobile summary, each with a review status, a filter status and the time the status last changed. The full report with the violating pages is only available to verified owners in Search Console.
| Field | Values | What a buyer can take from it |
|---|---|---|
| betterAdsStatus | Unknown (not reviewed), Passing, Failing; Warning is no longer a possible status | Failing on either device is a strong reason to look closely before buying |
| filterStatus | On, Off, Paused, Pending | On means Chrome visitors on that device see no ads from the site, which affects delivery |
| enforcementTime | When enforcement began or will begin | A future date with Pending means filtering is scheduled |
| lastChangeTime | When the status last changed | A recent change from Failing to Passing deserves a check of current pages |
| underReview | True or false | A site under review has resubmitted after a failing status |
A Better Ads check for one candidate site
- Query the site's summary. Record the desktop and mobile status and filter status, with the date.
- Open three article pages on a phone. Look for prestitials, pop-ups, flashing ads, full-screen scrollovers and sticky video paired with large inline units.
- Repeat on a desktop. Check for autoplay video with sound, countdown prestitials and large sticky units.
- Play a video on the site, if it has video. Time the pre-roll and note whether it can be skipped in the first 6 seconds.
- Record what you found against the definition pages. Quote the experience name so the seller can respond to a specific finding.
Do the standards cover video and in-app ads?
Partly. The short-form video standard covers videos of 8 minutes or less on desktop, mobile web and in-app, and names long pre-roll ads that cannot be skipped (opens in a new tab), mid-roll ads and large display ads laid over the player. The mobile app standard covers interstitials that interrupt game play or content and video interstitials when an app opens. Google's Ad Experience Report FAQ states that the standard does not apply to digital environments the Coalition has yet to test, like feeds or OTT and CTV video.
Enforcement differs by environment. Chrome's filtering works in the browser on sites with a failing status, so it does not reach ads inside native apps. For app and long-form video inventory, the standards serve as a reference a buyer can write into deal terms, not as something a browser will enforce.
What does a Better Ads check look like on a real plan?
Fictional example
A retirement planning firm in Alberta
A fictional Calgary wealth management firm plans display and short video in Alberta beside personal finance, retirement and small business content. Its agency's shortlist includes finance columnists, regional business news and two personal finance blogs.
The planner queries each site's Ad Experience Report summary. All but one show Passing on both devices. One personal finance blog shows Passing on desktop but Failing on mobile, with filter status Pending and an enforcement date three weeks away.
On a phone, the planner finds a full-screen scrollover unit on every article. The blog's writing is original, so instead of removing it the planner holds it out of the first flight, tells the seller which experience was found, and sets a date to query the status again. The finance columnists' video player runs a single pre-roll that can be skipped after 5 seconds, so it stays.
How does PlacementGraph check page experience before a site is listed?
How should a buyer write the standards into a deal?
Better Ads terms for a private marketplace or direct deal
- The deal names the Better Ads Standards and the date of the version checked.
- The seller confirms the site's desktop and mobile Ad Experience Report status is Passing at deal start.
- The seller agrees to notify the buyer if either status changes to Failing during the flight.
- Video inventory in the deal follows the short-form video standard on pre-roll length and skipping.
- App inventory in the deal avoids interstitials that interrupt game play or content.
- Inventory types the standards do not cover, such as feeds and connected TV, have their own agreed rules.
Frequently asked questions
Are the Better Ads Standards a legal requirement?
The Better Ads Standards are an industry standard set by the Coalition for Better Ads, not a regulation. Their practical force comes from Chrome's ad filtering on failing sites, from Google's Ad Experience Report and from any deal terms a buyer and seller agree. Advertising law, such as rules on disclosure, applies separately.
Do the standards apply in Canada?
Yes. Filtering began in North America and Europe, and in January 2019 the Coalition extended the desktop and mobile web standards to all countries and regions. Chrome followed from July 9, 2019. Google's FAQ says filtering affects all visitors to a failing site, wherever they visit from.
Does a Passing status mean every page of a site complies?
No. Google's FAQ says Passing means no violating experiences were found on the sample of pages reviewed, and pages that require users to sign in are not included in the Ad Experience Report. Check the templates a plan would actually buy, especially article and gallery pages.
What is Better Ads certification?
In May 2021 the Coalition introduced a program to review ad experiences sold in the market and validate their compliance with the standards. Companies that register attest to compliance, and the Coalition's program page says fees vary by program and company size. Certification applies to the company's ad experiences, not to every impression a buyer receives.
Sources
- Better Ads Standards (opens in a new tab)Coalition for Better Ads
- Research (opens in a new tab)Coalition for Better Ads
- Press Releases (opens in a new tab)Coalition for Better Ads
- An update on better ads (opens in a new tab)Chrome for Developers, December 19, 2017
- Building a Better World Wide Web (opens in a new tab)Chromium Blog, January 9, 2019
- Ad experience reviews (opens in a new tab)Google Web Tools Help
- Chrome ad filtering (opens in a new tab)Google Web Tools Help
- Ad Experience Report FAQ (opens in a new tab)Google Web Tools Help
- Using the Ad Experience Report API (opens in a new tab)Google Web Tools Help
- REST Resource: sites, Ad Experience Report API (opens in a new tab)Google for Developers
Researched and written by PlacementGraph Research. Read how we research, source and update these pages. Corrections: diana@placementgraph.com.