My guess is that they are doing some testing with some strange ads that look like the matched content ads and they dont won't us to block them.

There's no need to block them, any more than there's any need to block link units, mobile-only ad formats, or matched content if you don't want to use those.

I doubt if there's any connection whatsoever between "native ads" and the ad balancer. The ad balancer isn't about types of ad units, it's about culling ads that earn little money for the publisher or for Google. It's also about encouraging higher bids and better-performing ads.

@Editorial Guy
>>I doubt if there's any connection whatsoever between "native ads" and the ad balancer.

The ad balancer should work for native ads as well, otherwise what is the point in having if it can't block low paying native ads.
And since native ads are relatively new in adsense, not all the advertisers have created their native ads, and my guess is also that google is still collecting performance data. And since most of the ads are low paying ads, they don't want us to block them with the ad balancer and leave no data to be collected at all. Not unless there are enough advertisers that have joined in. :)

It's looking dead, Jim.

@All, I received word this morning that this feature is indeed coming back, and hopefully better than ever. It has taken longer than expected, however it is coming back. Once I know of a specific timeline I'll follow up. Stay tuned.

Good to know! I hope you heard the truth...

@pubpolicycomms thanks for the input it is greatly appreciated.

@pubpolicycomms,

We are now coming up to three month without the ad-balancer. Implementing DFP to achieve what ad-balancer does is considerable work for us, so thus far we have been reluctant to do so expecting that ad-balancer will be back at any time. It has almost been three month and the summer season is for all intents and purposes done. We were intending to use ad-balancer to cross promote a new site that we built, but now due to the delays (or lack of information) we have missed our prime season. We the publishers are arguably Adsense's main stakeholders, It would be common courtesy, not to mention best practice to at a minimum provide an order of magnitude in term of schedule for the maintenance such that we can plan our business accordingly.

Can you please inform us in terms of weeks or month, when we can expect to have the ad-balancer up and running again. If in the end there are further delays, than fine we can live with that (as long as we are informed). We need to decide whether or not to implement DFP.

Thanks

@NickMNS, It is important to understand that this feature has zero to do with my team, or my role. I am simply trying to provide information to all of you, with the expected responses.

That being said, as for timeline, I do not have one. Per my update on July 21st, I did speak to the team that is working on this and they had no timeline, but were excited about getting it to you all again "soon".

I'll keep providing updates as I get them from my internal requests, and will continue to update you all. I don't want to speculate on timing, since, again this is a different group, under different leadership, and I just want to give you guys accurate information.

I'll keep you posted.

If they need any help, let them know I'm here. :D

(there, my non-sense quota is now full for the month)

@pubpolicycomms

Let me begin by expressing my gratitude to you for providing us with the updates that you provide and please do not take my post as a criticism of you personally.

I fully understand that you are not part of the team handling this project. Would you please express these concerns to the team that is responsible. You can also let them know that I and many others here at WW think that the ad-balancer feature is a powerful and brilliant tool, and it is due to the tool's success that it so greatly missed.

@pubpolicycomms

Any update on ad balance?

I have been checking this forum for a few Months, but since your last update was just over a Month ago I was wondering.

Thank you.

Eddy

It *may* never come back, but if it does it is likely to after the Chrome browser adapts The Initial Better Ads Standards [betterads.org]

Then shortly after that, you'll see the report for your site's pages at GSC > Web Tools > Ad Experience Report

Thank you @keyplyr.

Eddy

You're welcome allhearts and before I forget, welcome to WebmasterWorld [webmasterworld.com]

Thank you, I appreciate that, have a good one.

Eddy

@Keyplyr your speculations do not coincide with the statements made by @Publicpolicycomms on (July 21) on the top of this page. @Publicpolicycomms speaks for Adsense.

I received word this morning that this feature is indeed coming back, and hopefully better than ever. It has taken longer than expected, however it is coming back. Once I know of a specific timeline I'll follow up. Stay tuned.

Just how do they not coincide?

Since my post is made from information direct from Google and/or Google Support Groups, not from an opinion expressed at pubcon, I think I'll stand by my statement.

[Ad Balancer] is likely to [return] after the Chrome browser adapts The Initial Better Ads Standards [betterads.org]

Then shortly after that, you'll see the report for your site's pages at GSC > Web Tools > Ad Experience Report

This is the second time you've questioned this. Why don't you just go read it for yourself. Maybe it's the way I'm explaining it that doesn't make sense to you.

You:

It *may* never come back,

PublicPolicycomm:

this feature is indeed coming back,

you:

likely to after the Chrome browser adapts The Initial Better Ads Standards [betterads.org]

PublicPolicycomm:

It has taken longer than expected,

This suggests that it should already have been completed, that is before any of this Better Ads stuff was announced.

Also you say:

Then shortly after that, you'll see the report for your site's pages at GSC

The reports are already available in GSC for some publishers. So clearly this is unrelated.

The ad-balancer has nothing (directly) to do with ad quality or filtering ads based on quality. The Ad-balancer filters ads on the likelihood of generating revenue for the publisher it is based on the value of the bids. It does end up filtering a lot of spammy and crappy ads, but this is only a side effect, (a very positive side effect but still only a side effect).

NuckNMS your intention is clearly to argue, which IMO serves no useful purpose to the forums.

As I said, the info is available. Read it for yourself. Have a great day :)

I'm not arguing, I am simply disagreeing with your point of view. A point of view that you state as fact, and that is in contradiction to what Google Adsense has stated.

As I said, the info is available.

What info is available, exactly?

NickNMS - I don't know what you are disagreeing with. I never said the Ad Balancer would *not* return. I said it *may* not return.... only to state that nothing is fact until it actually happens.

Google Groups had a discussion about this and they basically said that after Chrome adds their upcoming ad blocker, the one that will adapt the Initial Better Ads Standards [betterads.org] then the Adbalancer would *likely* return. Even Google would not give an affirmation or date.

Sometime after that GSC > Web Tools > Ad Experience Report will populate data when your pages get evaluated. Yes it is set up now, but there is no data yet.

I do not see how this is in any way in contrary to what has been said at pubcon or anywhere else. I only added additional information found at Google.

Frankly, I'm tired of saying the same thing. If you disagree with it, that's fine but I see no purpose in debating since *it hasn't happened yet."

We will all see, won't we.

The thing I don't get is why or how you are making the link between ad-balancer and IBA Standards. These are two distinct features. As I mentioned above ad-balance is based on price and has nothing to do with ad quality and even less to do with a page's overall ad experience. If this is not the case than I am seriously missing something.

Yes it is set up now, but there is no data yet.

There are websites that are seeing data from these reports. This was discussed during today's Webmaster Hangout with John Muller (at 42min mark). It has no impact on search but sites are being flagged.

There are websites that are seeing data from these reports. This was discussed during today's Webmaster Hangout with John Muller (at 42min mark). It has no impact on search but sites are being flagged.

So that indicates to me that Google has now started to implement IBA standards and has crawled and detected this on some pages at some sites and is showing that in GSC. Sounds like they are on schedule.


Back to the adbalancer - the way I understand it... the ad inventory "may" (that means possibly) be affected by IBA standards, which will in turn, affect the adbalancer.

The disappearance of the adbalancer came very soon after the announcement that Google was planning on adapting IBA standards with its upcoming adblocker in Chrome. There was a lot of discussion but no concrete facts that the adbalancer was removed pending this feature. And just a FYI- I never said it was removed for this reason.

Since vacations and Labors day is over, may be @pubpolicycomms will be able to keep us up to date, about the Ad Balance, but also other things coming up at Adsense for this second half of the year.

Adsense announces on Twitter that Ad Balance is back, but still its under maintenance in my account.

Great news! I am not seeing it yet, but I guess it takes time to roll out for everyone.

For the record, here's the tweet [twitter.com...]

And here's the information on the Ad Balance Slider
[support.google.com...]

I would reach through the computer and kiss you if I could! This is some really great news (with a some reserve [until I see what the change are]). Unfortunately I am not seeing it in my account yet, hopefully in the coming hours.

Also reported on Facebook. I am not seeing it yet either.

[facebook.com...]

Search Engine Roundtable is reporting that it was working but it is not now.
[seroundtable.com...]

We've waited 5 month, what's a few extra [Google doesn't provide time-lines]...