Mute ads on sites that partner with Google

This article describes the "Mute This Ad" feature, which allows users to hide ads they don't want to see. 

The "Mute This Ad" feature provides users with the ability to close or to stop seeing ads and signal which ads aren't interesting to them. The feature has benefits for everyone:

• Users: Greater control over their ad experiences
• Advertisers: No longer pay to show ads to people who aren't interested
• Publishers: More relevant ads for users, higher site satisfaction, and greater user engagement

How "Mute This Ad" works

"Mute This Ad" is a small overlay that appears in the top right corner of a creative. It allows a user to specify they no longer want to see an ad, and tries not show the user the same ad, or a similar ad, again. Visual features, advertiser, and ad landing page are all contributors to ad similarity.

To mute an ad, users:

1. Click or tap on the ad the user wants to mute.
2. Click or tap Stop seeing this ad.

3. Optionally indicate a reason for no longer wanting to see the ad. Options include:

   • Seen this ad multiple times (focused on ad frequency/remarketing)
   • Ad covered content (focused on page layout / ad rendering behavior)
   • Ad was inappropriate (focused on potentially inappropriate content)
   • Not interested in this ad (focused on targeting mismatch and ads personalization) 
   • Already bought this (remarketing)

Sometimes, Google can't provide a "Stop seeing this ad" option, and provides an option to "Report this ad" instead.

After a user mutes an ad, that same ad may be shown to the user again. This can happen under any of the following circumstances, among others:

• A user clears cookies
• A user visits a website outside the Google Display Network
• The advertiser is using another company to show the same ad
• Google's advertising systems don't recognize the user's device as being signed in
• The user selected "Ad blocked view" to report a problem with the ad's position, rather than its content

"Mute This Ad" will always be shown to users in the EEA.

"Mute This Ad" for Google Ads and Display & Video 360

The "Mute This Ad" feature is available for certain creatives served by Google Ads and Display & Video 360. While you have the ability to turn off the option for creatives when served though Ad Manager, it cannot be turned off for creatives served through Google Ads or Display & Video 360.

If a user is signed in to their Google account and have Ad personalization turned on, ads that have been muted by the user will be muted across all of their signed-in devices. Muted ads may still serve to users that have Ad personalization turned off.

Ad badging and "Mute This Ad" for Ad Manager

Ad badging identifies your content as an ad, gives transparency information about the advertiser, and provides a way to report illegal content. For Ad Manager, ad badging and "Mute This Ad" is:

• Always shown to users in the EEA.
• Not applied to any creatives served via 100% sponsorship campaigns through Ad Manager, unless the user is in the EEA.

To turn off ad badging and "Mute This Ad" for creatives served through Ad Manager:

1. Sign in to Google Ad Manager.
2. Click Admin, then Global settings, and then Network settings.
3. Go to "Ad preference settings" and turn on Ad badging & Mute this ad.

The option to turn off ad badging and "Mute This Ad" doesn't apply for users in the EEA.

Ad badge icons don't appear in ad previews. They're only shown when your ad serves.

Report on "Mute This Ad" for Ad Manager

You can run a report in Reporting for "Mute This Ad" using a historical report. Specific metrics include: 

• Total mute eligible impressions: The number of impressions that had the "Mute This Ad" overlay applied. Currently applicable only to "image" creative types
• Total muted impressions: The number of impressions where the user chose to mute the ad

Reporting for "Mute This Ad" extends across Google Ads, Display & Video 360, and Ad Manager.