Will This Be The Death of Interstitial and Pop Up Ads?

The ever benevolent Google has just released that, on top of rewarding mobile optimised websites, it will penalise websites that use annoying pop up and interstitial ads. Praise be to Googs. Granted, we did know this was on the horizon, according to Google’s Gary Illyes, but now they’ve given a more concrete answer.

While we’re probably not going to see an immediate effect from this for a few months/ years, it will certainly be a welcome reprieve from obtrusive and interrupting advertising strategies from revenue creation ad strategies I like my internet experiences like I like my bourbon, smooth and intoxicating. With pop ups and interstitial ads it becomes more like my experiences with rum, jarring, angry, and likely going to result in some sort of brush with authority.  

My hatred for interstitial ads burns bright like a million suns in simultaneous supernova. Halfway through a listicle about Kim Kardashian’s latest ski trip to Vail and BAM, I’m taken to another page. Oh the rage! And having it repeat this process again and again, will I ever find out whether the Balmain coat she wore was faux or fur, and will I be shocked at the result? I may never know.

You’re probably thinking, “but Sam, you’re literally a Google Partner that specialises in advertising on the Google AdWords Display Network, how can you be against pop up ads?”

Firstly, please stop calling me Buttsam, it’s Sam, and secondly, there is no hypocrisy, Google Display Ads may be something that mildly annoys people for seeming to know which websites they’ve recently visited, or what their interests are, but they aren’t disruptive. They don’t interrupt you in the middle of what you’re doing and wave something in your face that literally has nothing to do with something you’d be interested in. They don’t wait 30 seconds and then flash some ol’ bullshit in front of you like, “you just won a iPad, click here to claim!”

All I’m saying is that I cannot wait until the day when the internet’s image based advertising is like a fine matured Scotch over ice, sweet, sleek, warms your insides and gives a rosy glow to your cheeks. That’s how I like mine.

UPDATE: Just as I was writing this, Ben, the director here was shopping for a new backpack (to store his rum?) and couldn’t actually look at any products. His entire user experience on this page is.... “Mountain Designs Alliance Club - JOIN” or GO AWAY. Screen recording below.