Google will automatically opt new Search and Performance Max advertisers out of parked domains starting next month, ending, at least for new accounts, default placement of ads with tens of thousands of largely dormant websites whose value long has been questioned.
Some existing advertisers would like the same treatment, but that’s not happening yet.
Automatic opt-ins of search campaigns into parked domains and other questionable Google Search Partners was criticized in a report from research firm Adalytics late last year.
“We’ve long offered advertisers the option to opt out of their ads appearing on parked domains,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement. “We are always listening to feedback from our customers, which is why we recently made the decision to shift to an opt-in setting for search and Performance Max campaigns in new accounts.”
The move is probably a small revenue hit for a giant $175 billion global Google search business, but one that means more to some advertisers and companies that operate parked domains. Google declined to specify how much revenue might be impacted.
Also read: AI in ads divides consumers
Parked domains are often “for sale” website URLs for which Google Ads has a monetization program. They’re part of the Google Search Partners program.
The study last November from research firm Adalytics found issues with porn sites and sites linked to Russian or Iranian companies under sanction by the U.S. government in the partner network. But parked domains were the largest single type of search partners Adalytics found, numbering more than 21,000.
The move for opt-out by default for new advertisers is the latest in a series of moves by Google since that report to give advertisers more visibility and control over search campaigns.
As of November, Google Pmax advertisers couldn’t opt out of parked domains and other search partners, while other search advertisers were opted in by default and couldn’t get reports showing what sites their clicks were coming from. By March, Google was letting Pmax users opt out of using its partners and providing site-level disclosure of where search clicks came from.
Adalytics praised Google’s latest move, but the Google spokesperson said it wasn’t prompted by the firm’s work and stood by prior criticism of it. The report focused on sites accounting for a tiny fraction of search spending, and no Google ad revenue was shared with sanctioned companies, according to the company.
Nevertheless, Krzysztof Franaszek, CEO of Adalytics, said in a statement that “Adalytics applauds Google for taking yet another important step to improve the quality and transparency of the media buying experience. Now, by making parked domains opt-in rather than opt-out, Google has empowered advertisers with more control over their campaigns, ensuring more effective media placements.
“It matters little how these concerns were brought to Google’s attention. The important thing is that they are responding to advertiser issues raised by us and others.”
While new Google Ads advertisers will automatically be opted out of parked domains, existing advertisers will remain opted in by default and will have to opt out of each campaign. That left some agency executives and marketers unimpressed.
“The head scratcher here is why parked domains are not being removed entirely from the Search Partner Network,” said Chris Moulton, search lead for the agency Traction.
“This sucks for people who monetize parked domains,” he said, but added that they will probably keep monetizing them through another partner, such as third-tier search engine startpage.com, which will still end up linking Google search ads to the domains.
But Moulton said he understands not applying the policy change to existing advertisers, because it would involve Google automatically changing existing settings, which might present legal issues.
One marketer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to not violate company policy or antagonize retailers, noted that advertisers whose exposure to search comes mainly through retail media still need to ensure each retail media network opts out of parked domains on each campaign, which isn’t easy.
“It should have happened sooner,” said a second marketer. “I think it’s automatic for new clients, but why not currently active, legacy ones? Hopefully they’re recognizing that there’s a larger issue, and they’re considering remedying delivery on those parked domains, but I don’t see any indication of that.”
The value of parked domains long has been questioned by advertisers. The URLs are often irrelevant to many brand ads, and people are likely to get to them by accident. So the marketers said they don’t expect such placements to generate sales or positive brand impressions.
Google has policies for ads linked to parked domains, which exclude sites that display only ad listings and links and don’t provide users with “unique and valuable content.” They can show ads that are relevant to the URL or any content that may be on the page.
That doesn’t appear to be the case with a couple of parked domains with questionable brand safety implications found by Ad Age, including boyvid.com and vagina.net. The former, as of last Friday morning, had “related searches” boxes that led to ads for a cosmetic filler and dental implants. The latter had “related search” ad links to menopause hormone therapy, facial skin tightening products and a Medicare Advantage plan. (After this story ran, a Google spokesperson in an email said: “Thank you for flagging these sites. We have reviewed them and taken appropriate action.” As of midday Thursday, visitors to boyvid.com were being automatically redirected to the gaming site bcgame.top, while visitors to vagina.net were being served links to the porn site cherry.tv.)
Parking Crew, a unit of U.K.-based Team Internet, is identified in privacy disclosures as operating both sites. Team Internet did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.
GoDaddy appears, per Adalytics research, to be the largest operator of parked domains, and thus likely to be affected. Spokespeople for the company did not respond to phone and email requests for comment by deadline.
