PPC News: Google Is Extending Identification Verification to Advertisers

Wednesday, July 1, 2020 | PPC News

Google’s goal has always been to provide users with a good experience, this time around they are committed to providing users with transparency, choice, and control when it comes to the ads in their platform. They have been offering ad settings that allow people to control how ads are personalized or opt-out of it. They also have features like Why this ad? explaining why a specific ad is being shown. This time around, they are working to bring in additional transparency into the advertisers behind the ads the users see.

In 2018, Google announced an identity verification process for political advertisers. That required all advertisers that want to run election ads in their platform to go through a verification program to confirm their identity. It was initiated so that the users can learn more about the election ads they see on the platform. And now, as a part of this initiative, all the advertisers are required to verify their identities and countries of origin. Users will start seeing disclosures with the ads this summer, starting with companies in the US and then worldwide.

What does this mean for the advertisers?

It means that before buying an ad, buyers will have to provide personal identification and business incorporation documents or other documentation that will prove their identity and country of origin. Organizations will also be required to submit personal legal information which shows the organization’s name, address, and employer identification number. The process appears to be a one-time thing for advertisers, which is good news for teams managing campaigns. At the initial stage, it will require work to get the account up and running, but the benefit will outweigh the work.

What does it mean for the users?

Besides the promotion, the users will be able to see the identity of the advertisers by clicking an “about the advertiser” option. It will make it easier for people to understand who the advertiser is behind the ads they see on Google. Through this, users can make more informed decisions when using advertising controls. Consumers have seen a proliferation of ads for products from shady advertisers, and this transparency can also help eliminate the scams by limiting their attempts to misrepresent themselves. This will be beneficial for both users and genuine advertisers.

It’s a benefit for everyone.

In the end, this transparency will prove to be a good thing for everyone. It will get rid of bad advertisers and improve the user’s experience by giving more power to the people. Giving people as much control as possible will make advertisers work harder to target them. And over the years, there has been a rise in premium contact center ads spamming the result page for queries. This is annoying to the users and unhelpful to the advertisers managing campaigns. In the end, it increases trust and relevance in advertising that helps the users and the advertisers.

What if you don’t submit documents to verify your identity?

This identity verification process is to prevent advertisers from misrepresenting themselves and allow consumers to see who’s running the ad and from which country. This process will first start in the US and make its way through other countries. The existing advertisers will likely get 30 days once notified to complete the verification process. Failing to do so, Google will suspend the account and the advertiser’s ability to serve ads until they provide it. And once the documents are submitted, advertisers will have to commit to an in-account identity check to confirm that they are legitimate.

This identity verification process for transparency will be beneficial for all the users and advertisers in the long run. And as advertisers, keeping up with PPC news will help you be prepared and combat with the changes easily.

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