Keyword Blacklisting Causing A Drop In Publisher’s Ad Revenue
Reading Time: 3 minutesKeyword blacklisting has been on a rise to hit the publishers harder than ever now. As COVID-19 spreads all over the globe and the economy experiences a downfall, the revenue damage is already strong. Above that, keyword blacklisting has also been causing a lot of harm to the revenue.
With keyword blacklisting, content that contains one or more blocked keywords is blocked if these keywords are seen in the content as well as the URL of a publisher’s page. The advertiser’s system blocks the ads from any kind of preview. Therefore, advertisers use a list of blacklisted keywords for campaigns to stop running ads on any content which is restricted according to general guidelines. But the problem is, publishers, think they benefit by adhering to these guidelines of safe business practices. Whereas, the truth is that the number of blacklisted keywords has increased more than 3000 words.
Keyword Blacklisting
The brand safety practice of blocking keywords has a lot of issues that come along with it. Advertisers usually take the help of a software or program for the process of detecting and blocking restricted keywords. The programs scan the content on the webpage for any kind of restricted words. If the program finds one or more blacklisted keywords, it blocks the webpage. So a publisher needs to be more than alert while using words in the content. Even words like ‘attack’, ‘injury’, etc can be blocked by the advertiser’s brand safety program.
Publishers invest a lot of time and in curating content on topics related to News, Sports, and recent affairs. Since the publishers get the most traffic from these topics. And after writing these topics, publishers are hopeful of earning higher amounts of money by advertising these posts. But the problem arises when some words used in a neutral tone also face the fate of blocking.
Solutions To Blacklisting
The first solution that one can think of to avoid blacklisting of keywords is to find and use as many synonyms as possible for all the blacklisted synonyms. But this solution isn’t too convincing because not all words can be replaced with synonyms. A particular word has an effect on the way it is used. When synonyms are used, the essence of the statement is lost. For instance, if you are writing a news article about a plane crash and you are unable to use the word ‘crash’, the essence of the news is gone. Moreover, news articles need to be authentic and transparent.
Therefore, a smart solution is needed in the industry so that any unsafe keywords are not just straightaway blocked. The system should understand the context in which the words are used in the content of the story. And this solution needs to appear soon because a lot of loss is incurred. Too much content from the publishing side is being blacklisted, all of which are mostly innocent stories. For example, a ‘place crash story’ should be read and regarded as an essential piece of news. And not as some violent story after all.
Concluding Words
The solution is needed for the demand-size as well as the supply-side. Ensuring brand safety for a brand is a difficult task. The entire process of reviewing the blocking program should be approached very carefully. It should be subject to regular review because keyword blocking cannot be a task to forget. Reinforcing a good list hygiene of blocked keywords is a crucial step that needs to be taken. Because when too many keywords are blocked, it limits distribution and reduces ad cost revenue. Therefore, it is affecting publishers and advertisers in a negative way. The approach to keyword blocking should be refined so that revenue for publishers is not affected.
FAQs:
1. What is keyword blacklisting?
Keyword blacklisting has been on a rise to hit the publishers harder than ever now. With keyword blacklisting, content that contains one or more blocked keywords is blocked if these keywords are seen in the content as well as the URL of a publisher’s page.
2. What are the solutions available for keyword blacklisting?
The first solution that one can think of to avoid blacklisting of keywords is to find and use as many synonyms as possible for all the blacklisted synonyms. But this solution isn’t too convincing because not all words can be replaced with synonyms. Therefore, a smart solution is needed in the industry so that any unsafe keywords are not just straightaway blocked.
3. What should the industry do to tackle this problem?
The system should understand the context in which the words are used in the content of the story. And a practical solution needs to appear soon because a lot of loss is incurred. Too much content from the publishing side is being blacklisted, all of which are mostly innocent stories. Reinforcing good list hygiene of blocked keywords is a crucial step that needs to be taken.
4. How can we ensure brand safety?
Ensuring brand safety for a brand is a difficult task. The solution is needed for the demand-size as well as the supply-side. The entire process of reviewing the blocking program should be approached very carefully. It should be subject to regular review because keyword blocking cannot be a task to forget.
