01/08/2020
Google will require identification for all advertisers in the future
Google is definitely the largest advertising platform in the world today, and it will most likely keep its dominant position for years to come. Still, they are facing challenges that most other advertising networks do not, thanks to the reach they have.
It is quite an ordinary thing to stumble across advertisements on Google that you are not really sure about. Scams do happen, and that draws quite a lot of discontent with the users. It sometimes makes potential customers prone to resorting to online marketplaces such as Amazon or Rakuten, and that is a direct loss for Google in terms of advertising potential.
They do have various advertising policies in place which were all designed to prevent such trends, but the affiliate advertisers and scammers always find the way to circumvent the rules and place their ads.
This also influences genuine online businesses, as they are perceived as not too reliable, especially if they are new in running eCommerce operations online. If a brand is new and not really known throughout the general population, it will face some scrutiny that is a direct consequence of the problems caused by unethical marketers.
The Solution
As we already mentioned, Google has been trying to refine their offer throughout years by first banning various niches from being advertised at all, and then by implementing rather strict advertising rules.
Now, they have announced they will take everything one step further. Namely, all advertisers will have to provide their ID to be able to advertise. All new advertisers will have to submit their identification within 30 days of starting their accounts, and Google will be providing their basic information to the recipients of the ads. This basic data will include the name and the country of origin of the advertisement.
Once this is in place, legitimate businesses will get the upper hand, as the scene will clear a lot. Scammers and drop shippers will have much less opportunity to crowd the space and cause doubts with their low-quality services.
This system is not completely new, as it has been implemented earlier, but only in the political niche, as people advertising politicians had to submit their ID in order to mend the foreign influence on the election process. Now, the same system will be applied to all advertising niches, including eCommerce.
This should prove to be a very positive change as it will saturate the market and allow shoppers to buy online via Google ads with more confidence that they will not be scammed.