Ad tech’s take: early reactions to Google’s third-party cookie demise
Ad tech vendors respond to Google’s third-party cookie phase-out, presenting varied perspectives. The Trade Desk anticipates minimal impact, emphasizing the majority of its ad impressions don’t rely on cookies. Unified ID 2.0 adoption among publishers sees a 30% increase in CPMs. Magnite supports Google’s Privacy Sandbox but acknowledges its challenges and investment requirements. PubMatic distances itself, focusing on growing sectors like CTV and mobile apps. Criteo remains confident with a robust identity graph but forecasts a $30-40 million revenue decline. LiveRamp prepares for cookie demise, emphasizing its ID graph and clean rooms. Integral Ad Science aims to utilize contextual data and attention metrics.
Privacy Sandbox’s Latency Issues Will Cost Publishers
The advertising industry faces challenges with Google’s Privacy Sandbox, aiming to replace third-party cookies. Issues arise in testing, particularly with the Protected Audiences API (PAAPI), causing increased latency, lowering viewability, and yield, impacting publisher revenue. PAAPI’s current state involves a sequential auction, doubling average auction time, threatening revenue, and breaking ad-loading experiences. Google must address latency concerns and share controls with publishers for successful testing. Publishers, facing limited alternatives, need more controls and reporting capabilities within the Privacy Sandbox. Industry collaboration is crucial for a viable alternative, emphasizing the need for immediate action, result sharing, continued testing, and preparation for delays.
Microsoft Embraces Google’s Privacy Approach for Advertising
Microsoft has given “preliminary support” to Google’s Privacy Sandbox standards, setting aside its own Parakeet project, signaling collaboration between the tech giants for enhanced online advertising privacy. Microsoft Advertising will adopt Google’s rules to display ads without privacy intrusion on Chrome. The move, despite concerns and regulatory scrutiny, highlights joint efforts to improve digital advertising privacy. Microsoft’s Ad Selection API in its Edge browser allows targeted ads without cookie tracking, aligning with privacy goals. While specifics of collaboration on ad systems remain unclear, Microsoft’s adoption of Google’s Privacy Sandbox signifies a shared commitment to privacy-centric advertising.
What web creators should know about our March 2024 core update and new spam policies
Google has announced its March 2024 core update, aiming to enhance search quality by prioritizing useful content over clickbait. The update involves complex changes across multiple core systems, evolving content helpfulness assessment methods. The rollout may span a month, causing fluctuations in rankings. Google emphasizes that content creators need not make specific adjustments if they consistently produce satisfactory, people-centric content. Additionally, new spam policies target expired domain abuse, scaled content abuse, and site reputation abuse to combat practices adversely affecting search results. Violating sites may face lower rankings or removal. The changes align with Google’s ongoing efforts to prioritize quality content.