Google has launched a “confirmed clicks” feature for all in-app image and banner ads on smartphones, in an effort to reduce the number of accidental clicks the ads attract. Users will be prompted to confirm that they intended to click on ads.
“Ads on smartphones are effective, but many of us have at some point clicked on an ad by accident, which ultimately is a bad experience for the user, the publisher, and the advertiser who pays for clicks that may not be valuable,” says Allen Huang, Product Manager, Mobile Display Ads. “Our team has been analyzing the types of ad formats where accidental clicks are more likely to occur due to ad layout and placement, and are constantly looking at ways that we can combat them.”
“We find that most accidental clicks on in-app image ads happen at the outer edge of the ad unit, likely when you’re trying to click or scroll to nearby content,” adds Huang. “Now if you click on the outer border of the ad, we’ll prompt you to verify that you actually meant to click on the ad to learn more.”
Google already offered confirmed clicks for text ads and banners on smartphones. In fact, it has done so for a few years now.
The company says it this is only the beginning in its fight against “the fat finger” problem, and that it will face new challenges as devices continue to converge.
